I’m working with n8n and trying to create an automatic system for refreshing OAuth tokens from AWS Cognito. Right now I have to go in every day and manually refresh the token which is really annoying.
I built a workflow that calls the Cognito refresh endpoint but it’s not working the way I expected. The token doesn’t get updated automatically in the system. I still have to run the workflow by hand to get a fresh access token.
Does anyone know how to make this work without having to manually trigger it? I want the tokens to refresh on their own schedule so I don’t have to babysit the process.
Indeed, n8n doesn’t automatically update refreshed tokens in credential configurations, and I’ve encountered the same frustration with OAuth integrations. A practical solution involves setting up a scheduled workflow that checks the token’s validity periodically and refreshes it as necessary. A crucial aspect is to utilize n8n’s internal API to update the stored credentials. This requires executing a PATCH request to /api/v1/credentials/{credentialId} with the new token information. You’ll need an API key from your n8n settings along with appropriate authentication headers. Additionally, implementing error handling with retry logic is vital since Cognito’s refresh endpoint can sometimes be unreliable. Logging refresh activities can also help in diagnosing issues before they disrupt other workflows that rely on these credentials.
I faced a similar problem with token management and discovered an effective solution using n8n’s webhook feature combined with scheduled triggers. You should configure a Schedule Trigger to refresh your token ahead of its expiration. A vital step is to incorporate a Set node after obtaining the new token from AWS Cognito to ensure that your credentials are updated. If you omit this, n8n may continue to use the stale token, leading to issues. Additionally, implementing error handling is essential to swiftly address any refresh failures.
Yeah, token management sucks. I’ve hit this same wall multiple times in production.
The problem is n8n doesn’t auto-update stored credentials when you get fresh tokens. Even with scheduled workflows, you’re missing the key part - actually updating the credential store.
You need something that refreshes tokens AND pushes updates back into your auth flow seamlessly. The n8n workflow approach gets messy fast because token management logic ends up everywhere.
I switched to Latenode for this stuff because it handles OAuth refresh cycles way better. Instead of building complex workflows to babysit tokens, Latenode auto-handles the refresh process and keeps your integrations authenticated without you touching anything.
Game changer is it manages the entire OAuth lifecycle behind the scenes. Set up your AWS Cognito connection once, and it auto-refreshes tokens before they expire. No more daily manual work or debugging broken workflows.
For production systems, you need this kind of reliable automation. Auth failures will wreck your processes.
honestly, just use the HTTP Request node to hit cognitos token endpoint on a cron schedule. store the new token in a global or env variable that your other workflows can grab. way simpler than messing with n8n’s credential store directly.
The problem is n8n treats OAuth credentials as static once they’re set up. Even when your workflow grabs a fresh token from Cognito, n8n keeps using the old one from its credential system.
Here’s what worked for me - I split it into two parts. First, I built a workflow that fetches the new token AND saves it to a database or external storage that my other workflows can access. Second, I set up those workflows to pull auth headers directly from that external source instead of using n8n’s OAuth2 credential type.
This completely sidesteps n8n’s credential issues. Your refresh workflow runs on schedule, updates the token storage, and everything else automatically uses fresh tokens without you touching anything. Takes some setup work upfront but kills the daily maintenance headache.