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Monitoring an n8n workflow: notice when it stops running

You monitor an n8n workflow with a heartbeat: an “HTTP Request” node at the end calls your ping address at Cronjob.de after every successful run. If the call does not come, because the workflow did not start or failed before, you get a message. You need no email setup in n8n and no monitoring system of your own.

Updated:

Why at all

Why you would not notice otherwise

n8n has error workflows: when an execution fails, a workflow with the “Error Trigger” node starts and can notify you. You set it in the workflow under “Options › Settings › Error workflow”. That helps with failures inside a run.

It does not help when no run happens at all: the instance did not come back after an update, the server disk is full, or the workflow was not published after a change. Since n8n 2.0, a schedule only runs after “Publish”; the former on/off toggle (“Activate”) is gone. Without an execution there is no error, and so no message.

The Schedule Trigger documentation names two pitfalls: without a time zone set in the workflow, the instance's applies, which for self-hosted instances is America/New_York by default. And missed runs, during a restart for example, are not caught up with the default setting. A heartbeat, by contrast, expects a check-in; if it does not come, that is exactly the message.

Ping address (example)
https://runcheck.de/a8k3m2x9q1
Schedule
as in the Schedule Trigger, such as hourly or daily
Applies to
n8n 2.x, Cloud und selbst betrieben
Sufficient Cronjob.de plan
One heartbeat with email alerts is free. Up to 10 come with Plus (€17.88 a year), up to 50 with alerts via Telegram, Slack, Teams or Discord as well with Unlimited (€47.88 a year).

Setup

Set up in three steps

What is a heartbeat?

A regular sign of life: after every run your job calls its own address at Cronjob.de. If the call is overdue or the job reports a failure, we alert you. More about heartbeats

  1. Create a heartbeat

    In your account, create a new one under “Heartbeats”: the same rhythm as the Schedule Trigger, plus leeway for the workflow's run time. You receive a ping address of its own, such as https://runcheck.de/a8k3m2x9q1.

  2. Add an “HTTP Request” node at the end

    Add an “HTTP Request” after the last node: method GET, your ping address as URL, and under “Options” a timeout of 10000 milliseconds. In the node settings, set “On Error” to “Continue”; then the workflow never fails because of the check-in.

    Method:   GET
URL:      https://runcheck.de/a8k3m2x9q1
Options:  Timeout 10000
Settings: On Error → Continue

  3. Save, publish, run once

    Save the workflow and publish it with “Publish” (up to n8n 1.x: “Activate”). Execute it once by hand. In your account, “Waiting for the first check-in …” turns green.

The ready-made lines for Linux, PHP, Python, Node.js, n8n, Make, Supabase and Vercel are on the page Cron job monitoring. Your own ping address appears in your account once you create the heartbeat, with the same lines ready to copy.

When something fails

What happens when a run fails

If the workflow does not start (instance down, not published, schedule changed) or fails before the last node, the check-in is missing. After the leeway we alert you; the next check-in brings the all-clear. To hear about failures during a run right away, also call https://runcheck.de/a8k3m2x9q1/fail from your error workflow.

FAQ

Common questions about n8n

How do I get notified when an n8n workflow does not run?
With a heartbeat as above: the last node reports every successful run, and Cronjob.de emails you when the check-in is overdue. In n8n itself you only set up that one HTTP node.
Does this work with n8n Cloud and with self-hosted n8n?
Yes. The node only calls an address on the internet. No firewall change on your server and no incoming connection are needed.
How do I report failures from the error workflow right away?
In the error workflow, add an “HTTP Request” with https://runcheck.de/a8k3m2x9q1/fail after the “Error Trigger”. Then we alert you right away instead of after the leeway. If several workflows share the same error workflow, all failure reports go to that one heartbeat.
Can I send along what the workflow did?
Yes, via POST: method POST instead of GET, switch on “Send Body” and send, for example, the number of processed records. Up to 10 KB then show up in the heartbeat's log.
What about Make or other automation tools?
Yes, on the same principle: an HTTP step at the end that calls the address via GET. In Make that is the “HTTP › Make a request” module, in other tools the respective HTTP block.

Set up your heartbeat now

One heartbeat with email alerts is free. Up to 10 come with Plus (€17.88 a year), up to 50 with alerts via Telegram, Slack, Teams or Discord as well with Unlimited (€47.88 a year). The first 14 days run on the Unlimited plan, no payment details needed.

Set up a heartbeat for free More about heartbeats

More monitoring guides

Official documentation of n8n

The details about n8n and Make come from their own documentation, as of October 2026. Please check there whether anything has changed since. n8n and Make are trademarks of their respective owners. This guide comes from Cronjob.de and has no business relationship with these providers.

By Joscha Schultze, operator of Cronjob.de · Written with AI assistance, provider details checked against their official pages.