Certificate stuck or failed

A certificate moves through several automated steps — ingesting the source file, generating XML, and transmitting to its channel. If a step fails, the certificate stops in a failed status that names the stage. This page explains each one and how to recover.

What each failed status means

Status	What happened	What to do
Ingest failed (`ingest_failed`)	The source file couldn’t be parsed — wrong format, unexpected columns, or a mismatched definition map.	The certificate is still editable. Fix the source file or mapping, then retry.
XML failed (`xml_failed`)	The certificate data couldn’t be rendered into XML.	Retry; if it recurs, the definition map likely needs attention.
Validation failed (`validation_failed`)	An error-severity rule failed while submitting.	Fix the data or rule, then retry — see Signing blocked by validation.
Submit failed (`submit_failed`)	The signed certificate reached its channel but transmission failed.	Usually a channel/credential problem — see below, then retry.

fail is a legacy terminal status kept on older records; you won’t see it on new certificates.

Retry a certificate

Each failed status can be retried and picks up from the stage that stopped — you don’t start over.

Open the certificate and read the error message shown for the failed stage.
Fix the underlying cause (see below for common ones).
Retry — see Retry a certificate. The certificate re-runs from the failed step.

Common causes for submit failures

Most submit_failed cases come down to the data channel:

Bad or expired credentials. An API key, password or client secret changed or expired. Open the Material’s channel and test the connection — see Credentials & testing.
Unreachable endpoint. The endpoint URL is wrong or the receiving system is down. The connection test reports unreachable or timed out.
Recipient rejected the payload. The connection test can pass while the receiving system still rejects the content. Read the transmission message on the certificate for the specific error.