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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion docs/docs.json
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
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},
{
"group": "Migration guides",
"pages": ["migration-mergent"]
"pages": ["migration-mergent", "migration-n8n"]
},
{
"group": "Community packages",
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340 changes: 340 additions & 0 deletions docs/migration-n8n.mdx
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---
title: "Migrating from n8n"
description: "A practical guide for moving your n8n workflows to Trigger.dev"
sidebarTitle: "Migrating from n8n"
---

If you've been building with n8n and are ready to move to code-first workflows, this guide is for you. This page maps them to their Trigger.dev equivalents and walks through common patterns side by side.

## Concept map

| n8n | Trigger.dev |
| ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Workflow | [`task`](/tasks/overview) plus its config (`queue`, `retry`, `onFailure`) |
| Schedule Trigger | [`schedules.task`](/tasks/scheduled) |
| Webhook node | Route handler + [`task.trigger()`](/triggering) |
| Node | A step or library call inside `run()` |
| Execute Sub-workflow node (wait for completion) | [`tasks.triggerAndWait()`](/triggering#yourtask-triggerandwait) |
| Execute Sub-workflow node (execute in background) | [`tasks.trigger()`](/triggering) |
| Loop over N items → Execute Sub-workflow → Merge | [`tasks.batchTriggerAndWait()`](/tasks#yourtask-batchtriggerandwait) |
| Loop Over Items (Split in Batches) | `for` loop or `.map()` |
| IF / Switch node | `if` / `switch` statements |
| Wait node (time interval or specific time) | [`wait.for()`](/wait-for) or [`wait.until()`](/wait-until) |
| Error Trigger node / Error Workflow | [`onFailure`](/tasks/overview#onfailure-function) hook (both collapse into one concept in Trigger.dev) |
| Continue On Fail | `try/catch` around an individual step |
| Stop And Error | `throw new Error(...)` |
| Code node | A function or step within `run()` |
| Credentials | [Environment variable secret](/deploy-environment-variables) |
| Execution | Run (visible in the dashboard with full logs) |
| Retry on Fail (per-node setting) | [`retry.maxAttempts`](/tasks/overview#retry) (retries the whole `run()`, not a single step) |
| AI Agent node | Any AI SDK called inside `run()` (Vercel AI SDK, Claude SDK, OpenAI SDK, etc.) |
| Respond to Webhook node | Route handler + [`task.triggerAndWait()`](/triggering#yourtask-triggerandwait) returning the result as HTTP response |

---

## Setup

<Steps>

<Step title="Create an account">

Go to [Trigger.dev Cloud](https://cloud.trigger.dev), create an account, and create a project.

</Step>

<Step title="Install the CLI and initialize">

```bash
npx trigger.dev@latest init
```

This adds Trigger.dev to your project and creates a `trigger/` directory for your tasks.

</Step>

<Step title="Run the local dev server">

```bash
npx trigger.dev@latest dev
```

You'll get a local server that behaves like production. Your runs appear in the dashboard as you test.

</Step>

</Steps>

---

## Common patterns

### Webhook trigger

In n8n you use a **Webhook** trigger node, which registers a URL that starts the workflow.

In Trigger.dev, your existing route handler receives the webhook and triggers the task:

<CodeGroup>

```ts trigger/process-webhook.ts
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const processWebhook = task({
id: "process-webhook",
run: async (payload: { event: string; data: Record<string, unknown> }) => {
// handle the webhook payload
await handleEvent(payload.event, payload.data);
},
});
```

```ts app/api/webhook/route.ts
import { processWebhook } from "@/trigger/process-webhook";

export async function POST(request: Request) {
const body = await request.json();

await processWebhook.trigger({
event: body.event,
data: body.data,
});

return Response.json({ received: true });
}
```

</CodeGroup>

---

### Chaining steps (Sub-workflows)

In n8n you use the **Execute Sub-workflow** node to call another workflow and wait for the result.

In Trigger.dev you use `triggerAndWait()`:

<CodeGroup>

```ts trigger/process-order.ts
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import { sendConfirmationEmail } from "./send-confirmation-email";

export const processOrder = task({
id: "process-order",
run: async (payload: { orderId: string; email: string }) => {
const result = await processPayment(payload.orderId);

// trigger a subtask and wait for it to complete
await sendConfirmationEmail.triggerAndWait({
email: payload.email,
orderId: payload.orderId,
amount: result.amount,
});

return { processed: true };
},
});
```

```ts trigger/send-confirmation-email.ts
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const sendConfirmationEmail = task({
id: "send-confirmation-email",
run: async (payload: { email: string; orderId: string; amount: number }) => {
await sendEmail({
to: payload.email,
subject: `Order ${payload.orderId} confirmed`,
body: `Your order for $${payload.amount} has been confirmed.`,
});
},
});
```

</CodeGroup>

To trigger multiple subtasks in parallel and wait for all of them (like the **Merge** node in n8n):

```ts trigger/process-batch.ts
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import { processItem } from "./process-item";

export const processBatch = task({
id: "process-batch",
run: async (payload: { items: { id: string }[] }) => {
// fan out to subtasks, collect all results
const results = await processItem.batchTriggerAndWait(
payload.items.map((item) => ({ payload: { id: item.id } }))
);

return { processed: results.runs.length };
},
});
```

---

### Error handling

In n8n you use **Continue On Fail** on individual nodes and a separate **Error Workflow** for workflow-level failures.

In Trigger.dev:

- Use `try/catch` for recoverable errors at a specific step
- Use the `onFailure` hook for workflow-level failure handling
- Configure `retry` for automatic retries with backoff

```ts trigger/import-data.ts
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const importData = task({
id: "import-data",
// automatic retries with exponential backoff
retry: {
maxAttempts: 3,
},
// runs if this task fails after all retries
onFailure: async ({ payload, error }) => {
await sendAlertToSlack(`import-data failed: ${(error as Error).message}`);
},
run: async (payload: { source: string }) => {
let records;

// continue on fail equivalent: catch the error and handle locally
try {
records = await fetchFromSource(payload.source);
} catch (error) {
records = await fetchFromFallback(payload.source);
}

await saveRecords(records);
},
});
```

---

### Waiting and delays

In n8n you use the **Wait** node to pause a workflow for a fixed time or until a webhook is called.

In Trigger.dev:

```ts trigger/send-followup.ts
import { task, wait } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const sendFollowup = task({
id: "send-followup",
run: async (payload: { userId: string; email: string }) => {
await sendWelcomeEmail(payload.email);

// wait for a fixed duration, execution is frozen, you don't pay while waiting
await wait.for({ days: 3 });

const hasActivated = await checkUserActivation(payload.userId);
if (!hasActivated) {
await sendFollowupEmail(payload.email);
}
},
});
```

To wait for an external event (like n8n's "On Webhook Call" resume mode), use `wait.createToken()` to generate a URL, send that URL to the external system, then pause with `wait.forToken()` until the external system POSTs to that URL to resume the run.

```ts trigger/approval-flow.ts
import { task, wait } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const approvalFlow = task({
id: "approval-flow",
run: async (payload: { requestId: string; approverEmail: string }) => {
// create a token, this generates a URL the external system can POST to
const token = await wait.createToken({
timeout: "48h",
tags: [`request-${payload.requestId}`],
});

// send the token URL to whoever needs to resume this run
await sendApprovalRequest(payload.approverEmail, payload.requestId, token.url);

// pause until the external system POSTs to token.url
const result = await wait.forToken<{ approved: boolean }>(token).unwrap();

if (result.approved) {
await executeApprovedAction(payload.requestId);
} else {
await notifyRejection(payload.requestId);
}
},
});
```

---

## Full example: customer onboarding workflow

Here's how a typical back office onboarding workflow translates from n8n to Trigger.dev.

**The n8n setup:** Webhook Trigger → HTTP Request (provision account) → HTTP Request (send welcome email) → HTTP Request (notify Slack) → Wait node (3 days) → HTTP Request (check activation) → IF node → HTTP Request (send follow-up).

**In Trigger.dev**, the same workflow is plain TypeScript:

```ts trigger/onboard-customer.ts
import { task, wait } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import { provisionAccount } from "./provision-account";
import { sendWelcomeEmail } from "./send-welcome-email";

export const onboardCustomer = task({
id: "onboard-customer",
retry: {
maxAttempts: 3,
},
run: async (payload: {
customerId: string;
email: string;
plan: "starter" | "pro" | "enterprise";
}) => {
// provision their account, throws if the subtask fails
await provisionAccount
.triggerAndWait({
customerId: payload.customerId,
plan: payload.plan,
})
.unwrap();

// send welcome email
await sendWelcomeEmail
.triggerAndWait({
customerId: payload.customerId,
email: payload.email,
})
.unwrap();

// notify the team
await notifySlack(`New customer: ${payload.email} on ${payload.plan}`);

// wait 3 days, then check if they've activated
await wait.for({ days: 3 });

const activated = await checkActivation(payload.customerId);
if (!activated) {
await sendActivationNudge(payload.email);
}

return { customerId: payload.customerId, activated };
},
});
```

Trigger the workflow from your app when a new customer signs up:

```ts
import { onboardCustomer } from "@/trigger/onboard-customer";

await onboardCustomer.trigger({
customerId: customer.id,
email: customer.email,
plan: customer.plan,
});
```

Every run is visible in the Trigger.dev dashboard with full logs, retry history, and the ability to replay any run.
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