Bug: Child flow “Run only user” resets after multiple publishes for flows inside a Solution

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Posted on by PraveenKumar_1998

I’m encountering an issue with child flows inside a Solution in Power Automate, specifically related to Run only user permissions.

Scenario

• Both the parent flow and child flow are created inside the same Solution

• This is required, since child flows can only be triggered from parent flows when both are inside a Solution

• The parent flow triggers the child flow

• The child flow is intended to run using a specific service account

• This is required so that end users do not need to be granted permissions every time the parent flow is triggered from an application

• In the child flow, I explicitly set Run only users to the service account

Issue observed

• When I save the child flow as draft, the Run only user configuration remains correct

• However, if I publish the child flow more than once, the Run only user setting resets

• After multiple publishes, the Run only user changes from the service account to the runtime end user

Expected behavior

• The configured Run only user (service account) should persist across all publishes

Actual behavior

• The Run only user configuration resets unexpectedly after publishing the flow multiple times

Additional observation

• If I:

1. Publish the child flow once

2. Navigate back to the main Flows list

3. Reopen the child flow from the Solution

4. Edit and publish again

→ the issue does not occur

This suggests the issue may be related to the publish process for flows inside a Solution.

Environment details

• Power Automate cloud flows

• Flows created inside a Solution

• Parent flow → Child flow pattern

• Browser: (Edge / Chrome)

Please let me know if this is a known issue or if additional details are required.

Categories:

Building flows

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whitebeard 137 on at

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Hi @PraveenKumar_1998,

Thank you for the detailed breakdown. I can confirm that what you are experiencing is a known behavior when working with Solution-aware Child Flows. You have configured the architecture correctly, but the "Run only users" settings often revert to their default state ("Provided by run-only user") during the metadata refresh that occurs when you click Publish.

The Resolution

Because the setting does not always persist through the publishing process, the standard workaround is to manually re-confirm the connection settings after your final publish.

Navigate to the Flow Details page (do not open the "Edit" canvas).

Locate the "Run only users" tile in the bottom right.

Select Edit.

If the connections have reverted to "Provided by run-only user," switch them back to "Use this connection" and select your specific Service Account.

Click Save.

Additional Context & Resources

This happens because the system refreshes the flow definition on publish, which can reset security overrides.

Microsoft Documentation: The requirement to use embedded connections for Child Flows is outlined here: Create child flows in Power Automate.

Community Discussions: This specific reset behavior is frequently discussed in the community and is a common ALM consideration. You can see similar reports and validation in this Power Platform thread and this Reddit discussion

Deployment Tip

Please note that this setting may also reset when you import your Solution into a new environment (Test/Prod). It is a best practice to add a step to your deployment checklist to verify the "Run only users" configuration immediately after a solution import to ensure the Service Account is correctly mapped.

I hope this helps resolve the issue!

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PraveenKumar_1998 2 on at

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Thanks for the explanation and for sharing the references.

I believe the issue I reported is different from the one discussed in the community thread you mentioned.
In your referenced scenario, the problem occurs when the parent flow cannot be submitted because the child flow’s Run only user is set to the runtime user instead of a specific service account.

However, my observation—as described in the initial post—is more specific and reproducible:

When the child flow is published for the first time, the Run only user configuration (service account) remains correct

If the child flow is published multiple times consecutively, the Run only user setting resets automatically from the service account to the runtime end user

This reset does not occur if I:

Publish the child flow once

Navigate back to the flow details or main Flows list

Reopen the child flow from the Solution

Edit and publish again

This behaviour suggests the issue is related specifically to the publish refresh process, rather than a general ALM or permission configuration limitation.

If this publish-time reset behaviour is addressed—so that the Run only user configuration remains unchanged unless explicitly modified by the user—it would also naturally resolve the issue described in your referenced scenario.

Thanks for taking a look

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