Troubleshooting member deletion

Common issues and solutions for removing organization members

Can’t delete a member from your Tallyfy organization? The system requires specific conditions to be met before member removal. Here’s how to resolve common blockers and handle edge cases.

Quick diagnosis

Run through this checklist to identify your issue:

1. Check member status - Active, Disabled, or Invited?
2. Check admin role - Default Admin or Administrator badge?
3. Count administrators - How many total admins in your organization?
4. Note exact error - What message appears when attempting deletion?

Common error messages

”Please disable the user before deletion”

Tallyfy uses a two-step deletion process for safety:

1. Navigate to Settings > Organization > Members
2. Click the member’s name
3. Click Deactivate Member
4. Complete task reassignment
5. Then use the permanent deletion option

”Cannot modify the default administrator”

Transfer the default admin role first:

1. Click on a different administrator’s profile
2. Select Make Default Administrator
3. Return to original member
4. Proceed with deactivation

If no other admins exist, promote a Standard member to Administrator first.

”Bot users cannot be disabled”

Bot accounts (like Tallyfy Bot) cannot be removed. They:

• Don’t count toward billing
• Post automated comments
• Handle system tasks

”Cannot disable the last administrator”

Create another administrator first:

1. Select any Standard member
2. Click Change Role → Administrator
3. Then remove the original admin

Special scenarios

Member shows as removed but still has access

1. Clear browser cache and cookies
2. Verify member status shows “Deactivated”
3. Check for active API tokens - revoke manually
4. If access persists after 30 minutes, contact support

Can’t find deactivated member

Deactivated members are hidden by default:

1. Go to Members list
2. Use filter: Show: All or Show: Deactivated
3. Search by name or email

Bulk member removal

For multiple deletions via API:

• Process in batches of 10
• Allow 5 seconds between deletions
• Always disable before deleting
• Use the two-step process for each

System behavior details

Email and name changes

When deleted, the system:

• Appends “(Deleted)” to last name
• Changes email to {email}.deleted.{user_id}
• Example: john.doe@company.com → john.doe@company.com.deleted.12345

This allows re-inviting the same person later without conflicts.

What happens to member data

Immediately removed:

• Login capability
• API access tokens
• Active sessions
• Password data

Preserved for compliance:

• Task completion history (name shows with “(Deleted)”)
• Process participation records
• Comments and attachments
• Audit trail entries

Task reassignment

When no suitable member exists for reassignment:

• Tasks default to “Tallyfy Bot” (system user)
• Common in: last member deletion, bulk deletions, API deletions without reassignment

API deletion

Required sequence:

1. DELETE /organizations/{org_id}/users/{user_id}/disable
2. Wait for 200 response
3. DELETE /organizations/{org_id}/users/{user_id}/delete

With reassignment:

DELETE /organizations/{org_id}/users/{user_id}?with_reassignment=true&to={new_user_id}

Rate limits: Maximum 10 deletions per minute, 429 error if exceeded

Complex edge cases

Organization with single member

• Cannot delete last member
• Contact support for organization closure

Circular dependencies

Admin A backs up Admin B, Admin B backs up Admin A:

• Add third admin temporarily to break cycle

Template with 1000+ processes

• May timeout during deletion
• Use batch reassignment via API
• Process in groups of 100

Recovery options

Accidental deletion: Contact support immediately with:

• Organization name
• Member email
• Deletion date

Support may restore recent deletions. For older deletions, send new invitation.

When to contact support

Contact support when:

• Errors don’t match those listed
• Deletion affects 50+ processes
• Server errors (500-series) appear
• Deletion pending over 1 hour

Provide: Organization name, member email, exact error, screenshot

Prevention tips

• Maintain at least 2 administrators
• Document default administrator
• Test deletion in sandbox first
• Use consistent offboarding procedures

Related articles

Org Settings > Remove a member

Administrators can remove members from their Tallyfy organization through the Settings panel by deactivating the member and reassigning their existing tasks to other active members to prevent work loss.

Members > How to remove a member

Administrators can permanently deactivate organization members by navigating to Settings > Organization > Members and clicking Deactivate Account while choosing to either reassign their current tasks to other members or leave them unassigned for later redistribution.

Members > Remove member

The DELETE endpoint enables removal of organization members with optional task reassignment capabilities while preserving their global user account status.

Org Settings > Member statuses

Tallyfy has four member status types - Active for normal users who can log in and count toward limits, Invited for pending invitations that don’t count until accepted, Deactivated for removed members who can’t access anything, and Bot/Unbilled for special integration or partner accounts that don’t count toward your member total.