"Build with AI" button missing in self-hosted n8n v2.3.5

Questions
1

Hi everyone,

I have exhausted all documented steps to enable the “Build with AI” button on the workflow canvas, but it remains hidden. My instance correctly shows the “Chat” and “Instance-level MCP” tabs in Settings, and my OpenAI credentials are valid and tested.

Environment Details:

  • n8n Version: 2.3.5 (Sustainable Use License)

  • Deployment: Self-hosted LXC on Proxmox VE 9.0.11

  • Network: Reverse Proxy (Caddy) with DuckDNS

Current Configuration (Verified in running process): I have confirmed via cat /proc/$(pgrep -f "n8n start")/environ that the following variables are active:

  • N8N_AI_WORKFLOW_BUILDER_ENABLED=true

  • N8N_AI_ASSISTANT_ENABLED=true

  • N8N_GENAI_ENABLED=true

  • N8N_BLOCK_BUILDER_ENABLED=true

  • N8N_AI_ASSISTANT_BASE_URL=https://ai-assistant.n8n.io

  • N8N_EXECUTE_COMMAND_ENABLED=true

Steps taken:

  1. Configured Settings > Chat with OpenAI as the provider.

  2. Performed systemctl daemon-reload and systemctl restart n8n after every change.

  3. Cleared browser cache (Ctrl+F5) and tested in Incognito mode.

Despite having all AI-related tabs and variables active, the “magic wand” button does not appear on a blank canvas.

Question: Is the “Build with AI” canvas generator restricted to n8n Cloud or Enterprise even if all local variables are set correctly in v2.3.5? Or is there a specific network requirement for the LXC to reach the assistant service?

Thank you for your help!

2

because it’s not supported yet for the community version.

yes.