How to handle escaped JSON from Cohere output in n8n?

A Cohere model often returns JSON as a string instead of actual JSON. In n8n that means your next node receives something like "{"title":"Hello","tags":["a","b"]}" instead of a real object.
The fix is: run the escaped string through a Function node and use JSON.parse() to turn it into a proper JavaScript object. After that, every downstream node will receive clean, usable JSON.

 

Why this happens

 

Cohere (like OpenAI) sometimes wraps JSON output in quotes, escapes every quote inside, and sends it back as plain text. n8n does not automatically “unescape” that. So your “JSON” is actually a text string containing backslashes. Downstream nodes (like Set, HTTP Request, or Item Lists) can’t work with that unless you convert it.

 

The reliable production-safe fix

 

Use a Function node immediately after the Cohere node:

// n8n Function node
// Assumes the Cohere response text is in items[0].json.text
// Adjust the field name if your Cohere node returns something else

return items.map(item => {
  
  const raw = item.json.text;              // this is the escaped string from Cohere
  const parsed = JSON.parse(raw);          // turn it into a real JS object

  return {
    json: {
      ...item.json,
      parsedJson: parsed                   // you now have clean JSON here
    }
  };
});

 

After this Function node, use {{$json["parsedJson"]}} in expressions. It will behave like normal JSON with no escaping issues.

 

Extra notes that matter in real production flows

 

• Always parse once. Never run JSON.parse multiple times on the same already‑parsed object, or you will get errors (“Unexpected token…”).
• Validate first if the model sometimes returns non-JSON. You can wrap parse in a try/catch inside the same Function node to prevent executions from failing.
• If Cohere output is in a different field (sometimes item.json.generations[0].text), change the path accordingly. You can inspect the exact field by using an Execute Node or clicking the output preview of the Cohere node.
• Keep the Function node close to the model node. That way, your entire workflow benefits from guaranteed clean structured data.
• If you use error workflows: a malformed JSON from Cohere will throw inside JSON.parse. Catch it so you can alert or retry instead of silently breaking the run.

 

If Cohere returns JSON inside extra text

 

Sometimes Cohere wraps JSON in explanations or markdown fences. Then you first need to extract the JSON substring before parsing:

// n8n Function node with JSON extraction
return items.map(item => {

  const raw = item.json.text;
  
  // Extract JSON between first { and last }
  const jsonString = raw.substring(raw.indexOf("{"), raw.lastIndexOf("}") + 1);

  const parsed = JSON.parse(jsonString);

  return {
    json: {
      parsedJson: parsed
    }
  };
});

 

This is the stable, production-safe way to handle escaped JSON from Cohere inside n8n.