How to Set Timeout for Workflows in n8n

In the n8n editor, open the workflow you want to configure. Click the three-dot menu or the Settings gear icon for the workflow (not the global settings). This opens the Workflow Settings panel where you can configure execution behavior including timeouts, error handling, and save settings. The timeout setting is in the Timeout section of this panel.

In the Workflow Settings panel, find the Timeout Workflow After field. Enter a value in seconds. For example, enter 300 for a 5-minute timeout or 3600 for a 1-hour timeout. When the workflow execution exceeds this duration, n8n automatically stops it and marks it as failed with a timeout error. Choose a timeout value that is longer than the workflow's normal execution time but short enough to catch genuine hangs.

1// Workflow timeout examples (values in seconds)
2// 60    = 1 minute (for quick API calls)
3// 300   = 5 minutes (for moderate data processing)
4// 900   = 15 minutes (for large data imports)
5// 3600  = 1 hour (for batch processing jobs)
6// 7200  = 2 hours (for heavy ETL workflows)

Individual nodes can have their own timeouts, independent of the workflow-level timeout. This is useful when one node in your workflow makes a slow API call while the rest completes quickly. Open the node settings, look for the Timeout field (usually under the Options or Settings section), and enter a value in seconds. The node timeout stops only that node, not the entire workflow. The workflow continues if error handling is configured.

1// Per-node timeout configuration
2// Open any node → Settings tab → Timeout
3//
4// HTTP Request node:
5//   Settings → Timeout: 30 (seconds)
6//   This stops the HTTP request if the server does not respond within 30 seconds
7//
8// Code node:
9//   Settings → Timeout: 60 (seconds)
10//   This stops the code execution if it runs longer than 1 minute

For self-hosted n8n instances, you can set a global default timeout that applies to all workflows. This acts as a safety net for workflows that do not have individual timeout settings. Set the EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT environment variable to the maximum allowed execution time in seconds. You can also set EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX to define the upper limit that individual workflow settings cannot exceed.

1# Set global timeout defaults (environment variables)
2
3# Default timeout for all workflows: 1 hour
4export EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=3600
5
6# Maximum allowed timeout (workflows cannot exceed this)
7export EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX=7200
8
9# Enable the timeout feature globally
10export EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_ACTIVE=true
11
12# In docker-compose.yml:
13# environment:
14#   - EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=3600
15#   - EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX=7200
16#   - EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_ACTIVE=true

When a workflow times out, it is marked as failed in the execution history. To handle timeouts gracefully, create an Error Trigger workflow that sends notifications when timeouts occur. You can also use the built-in error handling on individual nodes by enabling Continue On Fail, which lets the workflow continue even if a node times out. Combine this with an IF node to check for errors and take alternate actions.

1// Error handling pattern for timeout-prone nodes
2// 1. Enable "Continue On Fail" on the node that might timeout
3// 2. Add an IF node after it to check for errors
4
5// IF node condition:
6// Value 1: {{ $json.error }}
7// Operation: is not empty
8//
9// True branch → Send error notification
10// False branch → Continue normal processing
11
12// In a Code node, check for timeout:
13const items = $input.all();
14const results = items.map(item => {
15  if (item.json.error) {
16    return {
17      json: {
18        status: 'timeout',
19        message: 'The operation timed out. Using cached data instead.',
20        fallbackData: 'default value'
21      }
22    };
23  }
24  return item;
25});
26return results;