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Run Python Script in Cloud Flows

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Posted on by bdpr_95

Hello everyone,

I have developed a Python script that aims to transform a tabular file into an Excel file. This Python script defines the columns I want to have based on the number of characters and also defines their data type (string, float, date, etc.).

I receive a tabular file daily on an SFTP, so I created a flow that triggers when a file is created or modified on the SFTP, and then copies it to a specific SharePoint folder.

Now comes the part where I am having difficulties. My idea was to run the desktop flow in unattended mode as the next action. However, when I do this, even though the cloud flow was considered "succeeded," when I check if the Excel file exists in the SharePoint folder, it is still in its original tabular file format. My Power Automate flow is very simple, it has two steps. The first is a set variable where I indicate where my .py script is located, the second step is to "run PowerShell" where I have "python" and then the variable I created in the previous step.

If I run this manually in Power Automate Desktop, I will be successful in transforming the file. However, if I do it via the cloud flow and invoke Power Automate Desktop in "unattended" mode, it doesn't work.

Can anyone help?

Thank you!

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Power Automate Desktop

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lbendlin 8,709 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Specify the full path to the python executable. Make sure the PAD process user has access to it.

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Nived_Nambiar 18,138 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @bdpr_95

Since you told that you are running powershell script, in powershell script, under variables there is an option to enable variable for capturing errors, just enable that and run in unattended mode, see any error is shown or not, use out argument to get that error value from desktop to cloud

Hope this helps 🙂

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bdpr_95 20 on at

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Hello @Nived_Nambiar, the problem here is that the flow is running correctly and doesn't show me any errors (even though I have activated the option to show me errors if I have them).

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bdpr_95 20 on at

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@lbendlin, the PAD has access to it. If I run the PAD manually it works, but if I create a cloud flow to run this flow automatically, it doesn't work.

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Nived_Nambiar 18,138 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @bdpr_95

the powershell script won't throw any error , it just stores the details of error in that error variable and move on.

So once you were able to retrieve the error variable from desktop flow run, check if it contains value, if it contains value it means error occured while running the powershell script so what you can do is use Terminate action to terminate the flow with error message as obtained from powershell script error output

Hope this helps !

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bdpr_95 20 on at

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Hello @Nived_Nambiar, the Terminate Action works for succeeded cloud flows?

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Nived_Nambiar 18,138 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @bdpr_95

You can use Succeded option in Terminate flow to make it as succeeded 🙂

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bdpr_95 20 on at

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@Nived_Nambiar in this case, which option should I choose? Is that the flow when running is considered as "succeeded".

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Nived_Nambiar 18,138 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @bdpr_95

when powershell did not run as expected, it will store the error details in ScriptError variable, you can pass the variable from desktop flow to cloud flow using output variables,

Then we will check if that output value is null or not, if it is not null, it means there is an error in running powershell script so we need to stop the flow as failed, for that we will be terminate flow with failed status with error reason as script error

For your case this terminate action is fine

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bdpr_95 20 on at

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@Nived_Nambiar this was the output:

{
    "scriptOutput": {
        "localizedName": "Output",
        "value": "",
        "variableName": "PowershellOutput"
    },
    "scriptError": {
        "localizedName": "Error",
        "value": "C:\\Program : The term 'C:\\Program' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable \r\nprogram.  ...",
        "variableName": "ScriptError"
    }
}

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