79 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
79 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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id: de4a3c65-6eb5-4f73-ad69-685dba0a7847
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type: code_pattern
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title: "Pattern: N8N REST API workflow activation sequence"
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tags: [n8n, api, workflow-activation, rest-api, code_pattern]
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importance: 0.65
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confidence: 0.8
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created: "2026-03-01T15:58:51.499347+00:00"
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updated: "2026-03-01T15:59:09.577761+00:00"
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---
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# N8N REST API Workflow Activation Pattern
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## Use Case
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When you need to update and activate an n8n workflow programmatically (e.g., after MCP corruption recovery, or scripted deployments).
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## Steps
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### 1. Fetch current workflow
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```
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GET /api/v1/workflows/{id}
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```
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### 2. PUT with clean body
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```
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PUT /api/v1/workflows/{id}
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Body: { name, nodes, connections, settings }
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```
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**`settings` must only include standard fields:**
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- `executionOrder`
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- `timezone`
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- `callerPolicy`
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Custom/non-standard settings (e.g., `timeSavedMode`) cause "additional properties" validation errors.
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**Omit all read-only fields from the PUT body:**
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- `id`, `active`, `createdAt`, `updatedAt`, `shared`, `meta`
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### 3. Activate separately
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```
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POST /api/v1/workflows/{id}/activate
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```
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The `active` field is read-only on PUT — activation must be done via the dedicated `/activate` endpoint.
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## Notes
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- This pattern is the recovery path when MCP partial updates corrupt a workflow
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- Always GET first to ensure node definitions match what's installed
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## Tags
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n8n, api, workflow-activation, rest-api
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