The current lock behaviour prevents scheduled publishing from working reliably. When an asset is Approved and Set to Go Live, it has completed all workflow requirements and should no longer be treated as “in an editing state.” However, Matrix still blocks the cron job if a stale user lock remains, even if the asset has been sitting in the Approved/Go Live state for days.

Locks are intended to protect active editing, not override workflow or indefinitely block automated publishing. A single forgotten or passively re‑acquired lock can stop scheduled jobs from running, which defeats the purpose of automated workflow.

A feature is needed to let Matrix either treat locks differently once an asset reaches Approved/Go Live, or automatically clear stale locks so workflow state takes precedence and scheduled publishing can function as intended.