Monitor Scheduled n8n Workflows
n8n's Schedule Trigger node starts a workflow on a cron-like schedule. Adding an HTTP Request node as the final step confirms the whole workflow actually completed, not just that it started.
Setup
Create an incoming monitor
Add a heartbeat monitor in Pingtastic matching the workflow's schedule.
Add an HTTP Request node as the final step
Method GET, URL set to your Pingtastic ping URL, wired to run only after every prior node succeeds.
Double-check "Continue on Fail" settings upstream
n8n stops a workflow at the first failed node by default — unless an earlier node has "Continue on Fail" enabled, in which case a real failure could still let the workflow reach the ping node.
Gotchas
- ⚠If n8n itself is down (self-hosted instance crashed, or a cloud plan issue), the Schedule Trigger never fires at all — no execution, no ping, correctly resulting in a missed-check-in alert.
- ⚠Any node upstream with "Continue on Fail" enabled will let the workflow proceed past a real failure — double-check that setting isn't masking errors on nodes before the final ping node.
Questions
Does n8n have built-in alerting for failed workflows?
n8n can show failed executions in its own UI and, on some plans, send error-workflow notifications — but there's no built-in detection for a workflow that silently stops being triggered at all (e.g. n8n itself down). A heartbeat ping covers that gap.
Can I use this with n8n Cloud as well as self-hosted?
Yes — the HTTP Request node works the same way regardless of how n8n itself is hosted.
Related guides
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