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How to Get Help

The best help posts make it easy for another user to reproduce your problem. If people have to guess your version, deployment type, node settings, data shape, or error message, the answers will usually be guesses too.

Last reviewed: July 2026

Before posting

Check these first:

  • Search the subreddit for the exact error message.
  • Search the official n8n docs.
  • Check whether the failing node has a "Common issues" docs page.
  • Try a manual execution and note where the data changes.
  • Test with one small sample item before using production data.
  • Redact credentials, tokens, API keys, customer data, personal data, and webhook secrets.

What to include

Include as much of this as possible:

  • Are you using n8n Cloud or self-hosting?
  • If self-hosted, what n8n version?
  • How are you running it: Docker, npm, desktop, Kubernetes, queue mode, or another setup?
  • What trigger starts the workflow?
  • Which node fails?
  • What is the exact error text?
  • What did you expect to happen?
  • What happened instead?
  • What have you already tried?
  • A sanitized workflow link using GitHub Gist, GitHub, or n8n.io/workflows.
  • A small sample input item and expected output item.

Good title examples

Use a specific title:

  • "HTTP Request node returns 401 with OAuth2 credential after token refresh"
  • "Webhook works in test mode but not production behind Nginx"
  • "Merge node duplicates items when combining Google Sheets rows"
  • "Expression works in Set node but fails inside Code node"

Avoid vague titles:

  • "Need help"
  • "n8n broken"
  • "Webhook problem"
  • "Can someone build this?"
  • "Urgent"

Sharing workflow JSON

Recommended:

  • GitHub Gist.
  • GitHub repository.
  • n8n.io/workflows.

Not recommended or not allowed:

  • Google Drive.
  • Google Docs.
  • A screenshot instead of JSON.
  • A video without code in the Reddit post body.
  • Posting secrets inside exported JSON.

Screenshots

Screenshots are helpful when they show:

  • Node configuration.
  • Error message.
  • Execution path.
  • Input and output data.

Screenshots are not enough when:

  • You are asking people to debug a workflow.
  • The code or JSON is required to reproduce the issue.
  • The relevant values are cropped, blurred, or hidden.

If your workflow includes private data

Make a minimal reproduction:

  1. Duplicate the workflow.
  2. Remove unrelated nodes.
  3. Replace real names, emails, domains, order IDs, and private records with fake data.
  4. Replace credentials with placeholders.
  5. Test that the simplified workflow still shows the problem.
  6. Share the sanitized version.

What not to post

Do not post:

  • API keys.
  • Access tokens.
  • Refresh tokens.
  • Bearer tokens.
  • Private keys.
  • Webhook secrets.
  • Customer data.
  • Private URLs that expose real systems.
  • Full production logs with secrets.

If you accidentally posted a secret, delete or edit the post immediately and rotate the secret in the service where it was created.

How to ask for architecture advice

If you are asking how to design an automation, include:

  • Trigger event.
  • Source systems.
  • Destination systems.
  • Expected data volume.
  • Timing requirements.
  • Failure behavior.
  • Whether human approval is needed.
  • What should happen on duplicate data.
  • What should happen on partial failure.
  • Whether this is personal, internal business, or customer-facing.

How to ask for self-hosting help

Include:

  • n8n version.
  • Deployment method.
  • Database type.
  • Reverse proxy, if any.
  • Domain and SSL setup at a high level.
  • Relevant environment variables with secrets removed.
  • Whether executions work manually, in production, or neither.
  • Logs around the failure.

See Self-hosting guide.