5 n8n Workflow Patterns I Use in Every Project

After building hundreds of n8n workflows, certain patterns keep proving their worth. Here are five I now use in almost every project. 1. Error Handler Sub-Workflow Don't scatter error handling across your main workflow. Create a dedicated error handler: Main Workflow → On Error → Call Error Handler Sub-Workflow The error handler: Logs the full error context Sends alerts (Slack/email) Stores failed items for retry Tracks error frequency One place to manage all error logic. 2. Config Node at Start First node in every workflow: a Set node with configuration. { " env " : " production " , " batchSize " : 100 , " retryAttempts " : 3 , " alertChannel " : " #ops-alerts " , " dryRun " : false } Change behavior without editing logic. Toggle dry-run mode. Adjust batch sizes. All in one place. 3. Idempotency Checks Before processing any item, check if it's already been handled: // Check processed items table const alreadyProcessed = await checkDatabase ( item . id ); if ( alreadyProcessed ) { retu