When it comes to automating processes and connecting systems within Salesforce, the Salesforce Integration user license offers a cost-effective solution designed specifically for system-to-system integrations. However, many teams quickly discover that this license comes with strict limitations — particularly when it comes to functionality like running Flows. By default, users with this license are restricted from performing a wide range of actions that standard or full Salesforce users can, which can be frustrating when you're trying to leverage automation in your org.

The good news is that with a few key adjustments, you can configure the Salesforce Integration user to successfully trigger and run Flows without needing to upgrade to a more expensive license. In this blog post, we’ll walk through the limitations of the license, why they exist, and how to safely and effectively expand the user’s capabilities through permission set customization, Flow configuration, and system permissions — all while maintaining security and compliance best practices.

Step 1 - Create a new Permission Set

Create a new permission set call Integration Permission Set and leave the license set as "None".

Step 2 - Create a new user for integration

Create a new user and set the user license to "Salesforce Integration" and the profile to "Salesforce API Only System Integration".

Step 3 - Assign Permission set license (most important)

This is the most important part. By default the Salesforce API license is very restricted. It can't interact with the App for things like flow. To open the user, we need to enable the Salesforce API Integration license. This turns everything back on.

Click on the users name in the Users list, clicking edit will not take you to the right page. In the section "Permission Set License Assignments" click the Edit Assignment button.

Check the box next to Salesforce API Integration, then the save button

Step 4 - Add the Run Flows permission

Go back to the Integration Permission Set you created earlier. Click the App Permissions link.

Click edit and check the box next to "Run Flows". The save.

Step 5 - Assign the Permission Set to the user

Click on the Manage Assignments button in the permission set.

Click the Add Assignment button and select your api user from Step 2. If you didn't enable the permission set license, you would get an error here that says "Can't assign permission set Integration Perm Set to user ApiUser. The user license doesn't allow App Permissions"