Cannot rename workflows in n8n Docker deployment

Other Questions N8n
1

I have set up n8n using Docker Compose, and everything seems to function well. I can create workflows, execute them, and delete them without any troubles. However, I’m encountering an unusual issue where I’m unable to change the names of existing workflows. The option to rename appears to be disabled or unavailable.

version: '3.1'

services:
  automation:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=myencryptionkey123
      - N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=secretpass
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://mywebsite.com
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n_db
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=database
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=dbuser
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=public
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=dbpass
    volumes:
      - workflow_data:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - database

  database:
    image: postgres:16.2
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=n8n_db
      - POSTGRES_USER=dbuser
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=dbpass
    volumes:
      - db_storage:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  workflow_data:
  db_storage:

I’ve looked through the environment variables but couldn’t locate any specific configurations related to workflow naming permissions. Is there a particular setting I’m overlooking, or could this issue be linked to user permissions?

2

It seems that your issue might be related to the front-end rather than the Docker setup itself. I’ve encountered a similar problem before where browser extensions interfered with the n8n interface. I recommend disabling all extensions temporarily to see if that resolves the issue. Additionally, ensure that you are using the latest version of the n8n Docker image, as older versions may contain bugs that affect functionality. Double-checking your user permissions within n8n could also be beneficial.

3

same thing happened to me last month - turned out to be a javascript issue. try hard refreshing (Ctrl+F5) or clear your browser cache completely. the rename function sometimes gets stuck in the dom and a refresh fixes it. also make sure you’re clicking the right spot since the rename option’s pretty hidden in the workflow settings menu.

4

This looks like a database permission issue. I had the exact same problem with my n8n postgres setup a few months back. The workflow table wasn’t getting proper write permissions even though n8n could read and execute everything fine. Connect directly to your postgres container and check if the n8n database user has UPDATE privileges on the workflow table. Run docker exec -it <postgres_container_name> psql -U dbuser -d n8n_db then \dp to see table permissions. If it doesn’t show UPDATE rights, grant them manually with GRANT UPDATE ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO dbuser;. Restart both containers after making database changes - n8n sometimes caches connection privileges.