Fixing “Request failed with status code 403” When Removing a Staff Member from a Publication

Priyanka Bhotika
Posted

Overview

When attempting to remove a staff member from a publication in Contently, you may see the error "Request failed with status code 403". This typically occurs because the staff member still has active/incomplete workflow work (for example, stories or workflow steps that are not complete/approved) assigned to them.

To remove the staff member successfully, first complete or reassign any in-progress work assigned to that person, then retry the removal.

Solution

Error / Symptom

You see "Request failed with status code 403" when trying to remove a staff member from a publication (for example, from a staff profile page or the user management area).

Why This Happens

Contently prevents removing a staff member from a publication while they still have incomplete workflow work assigned (for example, stories not complete/approved). Removal is allowed only after those items are no longer assigned to that user.

Step 1: Export the Staff Member’s Current Queue (Fastest Way to Review)

Go to Stories.
Open Filters.
Set Assigned Team Member to <former_staff_member>.
(Optional) Add additional filters (for example, workflow stage/status) to narrow results.
Click Export to download a spreadsheet of items currently assigned to that staff member.

Step 2: Clear the Blocker (Complete or Reassign Active Workflow Work)

For each story that is still assigned to <former_staff_member> and is not complete:

Reassign the active workflow step to the appropriate new team member, or
Complete the workflow step/story (as appropriate for your process).

Step 3: Retry Removing the User

After there is no incomplete workflow work assigned to <former_staff_member>:

Return to User Management / Staff management.
Select <former_staff_member>.
Choose Remove from Staff (or the equivalent removal action).

How to Verify the Fix Worked

The removal action completes successfully and the staff member no longer appears on the publication’s staff list.
The 403 error no longer appears when attempting removal.
The filtered Stories view for <former_staff_member> returns no in-progress items assigned to them (or is empty, depending on your filters).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I tell if I’m hitting the same issue?: If removing a staff member results in "Request failed with status code 403", and that staff member still has stories/workflow steps in progress, you are likely encountering the “active workflow work” removal block.
2. What’s the quickest way to see everything currently assigned to the staff member?: Use the Stories Library filter and export: Stories → Filters → Assigned Team Member = <former_staff_member> → Export. This produces a spreadsheet you can use to triage reassignment.
3. Do I have to reassign all stories to the same person to use export?: No. Export is only for reporting/triage. You can then reassign each story’s active workflow step to the appropriate person as needed.
4. I reassigned some work but I still can’t remove the staff member. What should I check?: Re-run the filtered Stories view (Assigned Team Member = <former_staff_member>) and confirm there are no remaining in-progress items assigned to them. If the issue persists, capture one example story title/URL and contact support for deeper review.

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