Access Execution Data from an Error Workflow

This n8n workflow demonstrates how to capture and access detailed information about a failed workflow execution when an error occurs. It's designed to be used as an "error workflow" that automatically triggers when another workflow on your n8n instance encounters an error.

By leveraging n8n's error handling capabilities, this workflow allows you to inspect the context of the failure, including the original workflow's data, error messages, and execution details, enabling more robust error reporting and debugging.

What it does

1. Triggers on Error: The workflow starts automatically when another workflow on your n8n instance fails.
2. Retrieves Execution Data: It uses the n8n node to fetch the execution data of the failed workflow, specifically targeting the executionId provided by the Error Trigger.
3. Extracts Error Details: A Code node then processes the retrieved execution data to extract relevant error information, such as the error message, the node where the error occurred, and potentially the input data that led to the error.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• An active n8n instance where this workflow can be imported and activated.
• No external API keys or credentials are strictly required for this specific workflow, as it interacts with the n8n instance itself. However, if you intend to do something with the extracted error data (e.g., send it to Slack, log it to a database), you would need credentials for those services.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow:
   • Download the provided JSON file.
   • In your n8n instance, go to "Workflows".
   • Click "New" -> "Import from JSON".
   • Paste the JSON content or upload the file.
2. Configure as an Error Workflow:
   • After importing, activate the workflow.
   • Go to Settings -> Error Workflow in your n8n instance.
   • Select this workflow from the dropdown menu to designate it as your global error workflow.
3. Test:
   • Create a separate test workflow that is designed to fail (e.g., by attempting to access a non-existent property, or using an invalid API call).
   • Execute the test workflow.
   • This error workflow should automatically trigger, and you can inspect its execution history to see the captured error data in the Code node's output.
4. Extend (Optional):
   • Modify the Code node to refine the extracted error data as needed.
   • Add additional nodes after the Code node to process the error information further (e.g., send a notification to Slack, create an issue in Jira, log to a database, or retry the failed operation).