n8n-workflow-patterns

Use the pattern Webhook, Validate, Transform, Action, Response. Remember that incoming payload data is nested under $json.body, not $json directly, and choose responseMode onReceived for background processing or lastNode for custom responses.

Connect any node to the AI Agent via the ai_tool port, attach a language model to ai_languageModel, and add Window Buffer Memory to ai_memory for conversation context. Write specific tool descriptions since the AI uses them to decide when to call each tool.

Use Webhook Processing for event-driven integrations, HTTP API Integration for fetching external data, Database Operations for sync and ETL, AI Agent for conversational or tool-using AI, and Scheduled Tasks for recurring reports and maintenance.

Always use parameterized queries with placeholders like $1 and pass values through the parameters array instead of concatenating expressions into the query string. Also create a least-privilege database user with only the permissions the workflow needs.

The workflow timezone is likely unset, causing schedules to follow server time and shift during daylight saving transitions. Set the timezone explicitly in workflow settings, for example America/New_York, so cron and hour-based schedules stay consistent.

Use Split In Batches to process records in chunks, add LIMIT to all SELECT queries, and prefer cursor-based pagination over offset for very large tables. Batch write operations instead of inserting rows one at a time.