I’ve been helping folks with automation workflows for a while now, and keep seeing the same problems over and over. Here are the main issues that catch newcomers off guard:
Missing error handling completely
People build workflows that run great during testing but crash when real APIs send back weird responses. You need to add error handling nodes and actually test what happens when things go wrong.
Building everything as one giant chain
Newbies love making these huge linear workflows instead of splitting them up. Break things into smaller pieces and use sub-workflows. Makes everything way more manageable.
Webhook security gets forgotten
Just because n8n gives you a webhook URL doesn’t mean anyone should be able to hit it. Add some authentication and actually validate what’s coming in.
Making simple stuff way too complex
I once saw someone create a 15-node monster just to format a date. Sometimes a basic JavaScript expression does the job perfectly.
Testing with tiny data sets
Testing with 5 records tells you nothing about handling 500. Always test with realistic data volumes before you go live.
Hardcoding values everywhere
Put your API keys and URLs in environment variables or credentials. Makes your life so much easier when debugging or deploying.
What other mistakes have you run into? Always curious to hear what trips people up.
Here’s something I learned the hard way: don’t fall into the polling interval trap. New users constantly set their polling nodes to check every minute or less because they want instant results. This hammers both n8n and whatever services you’re connecting to. I got rate limited by an API because I was pinging it every 30 seconds for data that only updated hourly. Now I actually think about how often data changes before setting intervals. Also, check your execution history regularly - don’t wait until stuff breaks. Those logs show you what’s really happening, not what you think should be happening.
Node versioning blindsided me when I started. Built a workflow with specific node versions, then n8n updated and my expressions broke. HTTP Request node is the worst for this - behavior changes constantly between versions. Now I document which node version I’m using every time. When stuff breaks after updates, I check node versions first. Also started testing workflows in staging before updating production. Saved me tons of headaches from workflows dying after routine updates.
totally agree! credential sharing can really mess things up. i saw a person struggle for ages because they assumed all their keys would transfer over. like, n8n doesn’t do that! it’s super important to document what credentials are needed. helps avoid confusion for the whole team!