n8n-workflows

name	n8n-workflows
description	n8n workflow automation — nodes, triggers, expressions, credentials, webhooks, error handling. Use when working with n8n workflows.
domain	automation
tags	["automation","n8n","productivity","webhook","workflow","workflows"]

Overview

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation tool. It provides 400+ integrations, visual workflow design, self-hosting options, and code flexibility with JavaScript/Python nodes.

Capabilities

• Build workflows with 400+ pre-built nodes
• Use triggers: webhook, cron, email, file changes, database
• Write custom code in JavaScript/Python nodes
• Handle errors with error workflows
• Use expressions for dynamic data mapping
• Self-host or use n8n cloud
• Manage credentials securely

When to Use

Trigger phrases:

• "n8n workflows"

• "Automating business processes across multiple SaaS tools"

• "Building API integrations without coding"

• "Needing self-hosted automation (data sovereignty)"

• Automating business processes across multiple SaaS tools

• Building API integrations without coding

• Needing self-hosted automation (data sovereignty)

• Complex workflows with branching, loops, error handling

• Replacing Zapier/Make with more flexibility

When NOT to Use

• Task is simple enough for Zapier (use Zapier for no-code)
• You need complex code execution (use Pipedream)
• Task is about data storage, not workflow automation
• You don't have n8n instance running
• Task requires real-time processing (use streaming tools)
• You need to build a custom application (use development tools)

Pseudo Code

Implementation patterns for common use cases with this skill.

Workflow Structure

Trigger → Set Variables → HTTP Request → IF Condition → Send Email / Slack
                                            ↓
                                      Code Node → Database

Expressions

// Access previous node data
{{ $json.fieldName }}
{{ $json.data.items[0].name }}

// Access trigger data
{{ $json.body.query }}

// Transform data
{{ $json.name.toUpperCase() }}
{{ $json.items.filter(i => i.active) }}

// Date
{{ $now.format('yyyy-MM-dd') }}
{{ $now.minus({ days: 7 }).toISO() }}

// Environment variables
{{ $env.API_KEY }}

Webhook Trigger

{
  "nodes": [{
    "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
    "parameters": {
      "httpMethod": "POST",
      "path": "my-webhook",
      "responseMode": "lastNode",
      "options": {}
    }
  }]
}

Code Node (JavaScript)

// Process items
const items = $input.all();
const results = items.map(item => ({
  json: {
    ...item.json,
    processed: true,
    timestamp: Date.now(),
  }
}));
return results;

Code Node (Python)

# Access input data
items = _input.all()

# Process
results = []
for item in items:
    results.append({
        "json": {
            **item["json"],
            "processed": True,
        }
    })

return results

Error Handling

{
  "settings": {
    "errorWorkflow": "workflow-id-for-error-handler"
  }
}

// Error workflow receives:
// - error.message
// - error.node.name
// - workflow.name
// - execution.id

Credentials

{
  "credentials": {
    "httpHeaderAuth": {
      "id": "1",
      "name": "My API",
      "type": "httpHeaderAuth",
      "data": {
        "name": "Authorization",
        "value": "Bearer {{ $env.API_TOKEN }}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Sub-Workflow

// Execute Workflow node
{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflow",
  "parameters": {
    "workflowId": "sub-workflow-id",
    "inputDataFieldName": "items"
  }
}

Common Patterns

Pattern	When to Use
Webhook → Process → Response	API endpoint
Cron → Fetch → Transform → Store	Scheduled ETL
Email Trigger → Parse → Database	Email processing
IF → Branch A / Branch B	Conditional logic
SplitInBatches → Loop	Process large datasets
Error Trigger → Notify	Error alerting
Execute Workflow	Modular sub-workflows

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Fix
Node execution failed	API error or timeout	Add retry on failure, increase timeout
Expression error	Invalid expression syntax	Check expression in editor
Credential expired	Token/key expired	Update credential
Workflow timeout	Long-running node	Increase execution timeout in settings

Red Flags

• Not testing workflows before deployment
• Ignoring error handling in workflows
• Missing logging and monitoring
• Not documenting workflow logic
• Ignoring rate limits and quotas

Verification

• Workflows are tested end-to-end
• Error handling is in place
• Logging and monitoring are configured
• Workflow logic is documented
• Rate limits are respected

Process

1. Analyze the task requirements
2. Apply domain expertise
3. Verify output quality

Anti-Rationalization

Rationalization	Reality
"Manual is faster for one-off tasks"	One-off tasks become recurring. Automate early, save time later.
"I will add error handling later"	You never do. Handle errors from day one.
"Automation is overkill"	If you do it twice, automate it. If you do it daily, it is critical infrastructure.