Why can't I publish my passport?

Start with the Review & publish step

Open your passport and go to Review & publish, the final step of the Guided view. If anything blocks publishing, this step shows a count like "3 fields still needed to publish" with a list that jumps you straight to each field. You can also click Explain what's missing for guidance on how to fill the remaining fields.

If the Review step says Ready to publish but publishing still fails, skip ahead to causes 4 and 5 below.

Cause 1: Required fields are incomplete

Symptom: The Publish button is disabled. Hovering over it shows "Complete all required fields to publish."

Every passport has a set of fields marked To publish that must be filled before it can go live — for a textile passport that includes Product Name, GTIN, Product Description, the manufacturer details, Substances of Concern, Material Composition, and Country of Manufacture.

Fix:

1. Open the Review & publish step.
2. Click each entry in the missing-fields list to jump to it.
3. Fill the field — the list and the completeness meter update as you go.

Cause 2: The GTIN is missing

Symptom: The validation panel shows "GTIN is required to publish."

A GTIN is optional while drafting, but publishing requires it because your QR code's GS1 Digital Link URL is built from it.

Fix: Enter the GTIN in the Product basics section. PassportCraft accepts 8-, 12-, 13-, or 14-digit GTINs and normalizes them automatically.

Cause 3: A field fails validation

Symptom: A field is filled in, but an error message appears next to it and the passport stays "Not ready".

Common examples:

• Material composition must sum to 100% (within ±0.5%) — adjust the fibre percentages.
• Invalid GTIN format — check for typos or a wrong digit count.
• Carbon footprint unit is required when a carbon footprint value is provided — add the unit alongside the value.

Fix: Follow the inline message on each flagged field. Validation reruns as you type.

Not every message blocks publishing, though. Advisories — for example a PFAS declaration that conflicts with your substances list, or wording suggestions on environmental claims — are flagged for your review but never disable the Publish button. If everything you're seeing is an advisory, the real blocker is one of the other causes on this page. The difference between errors and advisories is explained in Completeness and validation.

Cause 4: You've reached your plan's publish limit

Symptom: A dialog titled "Publish limit reached" appears when you click Publish.

Each plan covers a fixed number of published passports: 3 on Free, 50 on Starter, 500 on Pro, and 2,000 on Scale. Drafts don't count.

Fix: Either upgrade your plan in Settings → Billing, or unpublish a passport you no longer need — that frees a slot immediately. Details in Publishing a passport.

Cause 5: There's a payment issue on your subscription

Symptom: A "Payment issue" notice appears instead of publishing, saying there's an issue with your payment.

When a subscription payment fails, publishing is paused until the payment method is fixed.

Fix: Go to Settings → Billing and update your payment method. Publishing resumes as soon as the payment goes through.