# How publish cascades to assignments

**For:** Manager
**You'll need:** Nothing.

When you publish a shift, {{ app_name }} also flips its draft assignments to **'Published'** — unless an assignment is locked.

## What happens on publish

1. The shift's status changes from **'Draft'** to **'Published'**.
2. Every draft assignment on that shift is published too.
3. Assigned workers see the shift in their schedule and (if enabled) receive a notification.

## What's skipped

A draft assignment is skipped if it's locked — for example, attached to an approved time entry or inside a closed company period. Locked assignments stay in their previous status; the shift still publishes.

## Why this matters

You don't have to publish assignments separately. Publishing the shift is enough. Workers see what they're assigned to as soon as the shift is visible to them.

## Related

- {doc}`publish-up-to-a-cutoff`
- {doc}`/plan-schedules/assignments/index`