I’m working with n8n and struggling to create an automated system for refreshing AWS Cognito OAuth tokens. Right now I have to manually update the token each day which is really annoying.
I tried building a workflow that calls the AWS Cognito token refresh endpoint automatically. My goal was to have the access token renew itself in the background without me having to do anything manually.
The problem is that my workflow isn’t working properly. The token doesn’t get refreshed like I expected and I still have to run the workflow manually to get a fresh access token. Does anyone know how to make this work automatically without any manual steps?
I had this exact issue and switched from cron scheduling to webhooks - total game changer. Here’s what worked: set up your n8n workflow to refresh tokens based on API response codes. When you get a 401 error from AWS, it automatically triggers the refresh workflow. I store the refresh token in n8n’s global variables and use the HTTP Request node with proper error handling - way more reliable. Pro tip: check the token expiration timestamp before making API calls. Saves you from unnecessary refreshes and helps avoid rate limits. Best setup is scheduled refreshes with error-triggered ones as backup.
biggest mistake I made was skipping proper error handling from the start. your workflow’s probably failing silently when cognito throws an error. wrap that token refresh call in a try-catch and log the response - you’ll actually see what’s breaking. also check if your refresh token expired. that one got me for weeks lol
I faced a similar issue previously, and I found that the key to success is using a proper scheduler in n8n. Instead of relying on manual triggers, you should implement a Cron job set to run every 45 to 50 minutes. This timing ensures that the refresh workflow activates before the access token expires. Additionally, be mindful of the expiration of your refresh tokens, as they can impede the whole process if they expire. Using n8n’s built-in credential management helps keep everything updated seamlessly, which is far more efficient than managing tokens within workflow variables.