Why did publishing get refused because of a photo?

One of two reasons. Either the photo hasn't been approved yet — a click clears it — or its rights have a problem (an expired licence, or terms that don't cover using it on the web) — a click can't clear that, the rights details need updating first.

Can my assistant approve the photo so publishing goes ahead?

No, and it won't try to. Approval is always a person's decision, so it'll tell you which photo and ask you to approve it in your library, then try publishing again.

The licence says it's expired but I'm sure we're still allowed to use it — what do I do?

Update the expiry date (or the rest of the rights details) on the photo's card in your library. Once the details are right, the block clears on its own — there's nothing else to approve or reset.

Why won't it let me publish — something about a photo?

You asked for something to go live and got a refusal mentioning a photo instead of your page. That's not a glitch — it's your library stopping a photo you shouldn't publish before it happens, rather than after.

Two different refusals, two different fixes

"Not yet approved" means nobody has signed the photo off. This is the easy one: How do I sign off a photo before it's used? — approve it in your library (or approve your site's changes as normal, which waves through anything new in that batch), then publish again.

A rights problem means the photo's licence has expired, or its usage terms say it isn't cleared for the web. This one is a fact about the photo, not a decision waiting on anyone — so approving it does nothing, even for you. Open the photo in your library and fix the rights details (a later expiry date if the licence was actually renewed, or different terms if what's recorded was wrong); once the card is accurate, the block lifts by itself. See Am I allowed to use this photo? for how those details get recorded in the first place.

Your assistant can't clear either one on its own

It can tell you exactly which photo is blocking things and why — it reads the same refusal you'd see — but it has no way to approve a photo or edit its rights details on your behalf. Both stay a human decision, made in your library, every time.

Nothing else about your change is lost

The refusal only stops the publish — your draft is untouched and everything else you changed is still sitting there ready. Fix the one photo and publish again; you won't have to redo any of the rest.

The prompt

“Publishing was refused because of a photo — tell me exactly which one, why, and what I need to do to clear it.”

The [bracketed] parts are yours to fill in. First time? Connect bernard to your AI over MCP — a one-time setup in bernard → your site → Use your own AI — then paste the prompt above.

Questions people ask

Why did publishing get refused because of a photo?: One of two reasons. Either the photo hasn't been approved yet — a click clears it — or its rights have a problem (an expired licence, or terms that don't cover using it on the web) — a click can't clear that, the rights details need updating first.
Can my assistant approve the photo so publishing goes ahead?: No, and it won't try to. Approval is always a person's decision, so it'll tell you which photo and ask you to approve it in your library, then try publishing again.
The licence says it's expired but I'm sure we're still allowed to use it — what do I do?: Update the expiry date (or the rest of the rights details) on the photo's card in your library. Once the details are right, the block clears on its own — there's nothing else to approve or reset.