Unable to edit flow - Flow has been modified since you opened it" after page refresh

[omkar shinde]

Hi everyone,

I’m encountering a persistent issue in Workflow Studio / Flow Designer (Zurich Patch Update).

The Issue: Every time I create a new flow and perform a hard refresh of the browser tab, the flow becomes non-editable. I receive a pop-up modal stating:

Steps to Reproduce:

• Create a new Flow in Workflow Studio.

• Add a Trigger (e.g., Service Catalog) and one Action.

• Perform a browser hard refresh (Ctrl+F5).

• Upon reload, the "Unable to edit" modal appears. Even after closing it, the flow remains stuck or requires multiple reloads to become editable again.

What I've Checked:

• I am the only person working on this flow (no concurrent users).

• I do not have the same flow open in multiple tabs.

• Clearing browser cache didn't resolve the persistent state of the error.

Has anyone encountered this sync issue recently? Is there a specific system property or background job (like flow compilation) that might be locking the record and causing this "modified" mismatch?

Any insights or workarounds would be greatly appreciated!

[SinghShailendra]

Hi @omkar shinde 

Please follow below mentioned steps .

1. Run cache clear: Go to  /cache.do  (admin) or  /sys_cache.do  > Flush all caches.

2. Check sys_hub_flow: List view  sys_hub_flow.list  > Filter your flow > Check “Active” and “Editable” fields; impersonate self if locked.

3. Background script for stuck contexts:

var gr = new GlideRecord('sys_flow_context');
gr.addQuery('state', 'IN_PROGRESS'); // or 'PRESUMED_INTERRUPTED'
gr.addQuery('flow.sys_id', 'YOUR_FLOW_SYS_ID');
gr.query();
while(gr.next()) {
gr.state = 'CANCELLED';
gr.update();
}

3. Replace YOUR_FLOW_SYS_ID.

4. If persists post-Zurich patch: Raise HI with steps to repro; reference KB on Flow edit greying (Zurich-specific)

Kindly Mark as helpful if it makes sense.

[omkar shinde]

Hello @SinghShailendra, please be advised that Flow Designer is failing to trigger for all catalog items. We are seeing this issue globally across all flows

 

[SinghShailendra]

@omkar shinde
Activate plugin:  Plugins  > Search “Flow Designer support for Service Catalog” > Install/activate (self-service post-Madrid/Zurich).

Please check this 
 

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@omkar shinde 

If your upgrade is already completed and still issue coming then

-> Try to Repair your Workflow Studio Plugin, this will update Flow Designer Plugin as well

-> If that doesn't work then if you are sure this started coming post Zurich Upgrade then raise a case with ServiceNow

💡 If my response helped, please mark it as correct ✅ and close the thread 🔒— this helps future readers find the solution faster! 🙏