Airtable "Update Record" node clears first name ("Vorname") and can't access it in later nodes

Help me Build my Workflow
1

Hi n8n community,

I’m having trouble with a workflow that updates Airtable records after a Cal.com webhook. Here’s the flow:

  1. User fills out a form on our site (data saved in Airtable, including “Vorname” as a required field)
  2. User books a meeting via Cal.com
  3. Cal.com sends a webhook to n8n
  4. n8n workflow:
  • Webhook (Cal.com)
  • Search records in Airtable by “lead-id”
  • Update record in Airtable (using data from Cal.com)
  • IF node (to check a condition)
  • Edit Fields node (to prepare a WhatsApp message using “Vorname”)

The problem:

  • If I map “Vorname” in the Update record node, it gets overwritten with an empty value in Airtable.
  • If I remove “Vorname” from the Update record node (so it’s not cleared), it disappears from the output of the Update record node and is not available in later nodes (like Edit Fields).
  • I need to use “Vorname” in my WhatsApp message, but it’s missing from the data after the Update record node.

What I’ve tried:

  • Mapping “Vorname” in Update record (gets cleared)
  • Not mapping “Vorname” in Update record (not available in later nodes)
  • Using expressions like ={{ $('Search records').item.json.Vorname }} and ={{ $('Update record').item.json.Vorname }} in Edit Fields, but both are undefined after the update.

Questions:

  • How can I keep the original “Vorname” value in Airtable and also access it in nodes after the Update record node?
  • Is there a best practice for this kind of situation?

Extra info:

  • I’m using n8n version 1.101.1
  • “Vorname” is a required field in Airtable and is always filled from the form
  • The workflow only searches by “lead-id” and updates the found record

Any help or best practices would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!