[CRITICAL] ClickUp Trigger Fails Consistently: "The 'key' argument must be of type string". Is there a known solution?

Describe the problem/error/question

Hello n8n Community,

I am creating this topic to seek a solution for a critical and persistent error with the native ClickUp Trigger node. When I try to create a new trigger for the Task Status Updated event, it consistently fails during the webhook validation phase

The Error:

The workflow fails with the following cryptographic error, indicating the secret key for validation is not being found by n8n:

{
“errorMessage”: “The "key" argument must be of type string or an instance of ArrayBuffer, Buffer, TypedArray, DataView, KeyObject, or CryptoKey. Received undefined”,
“errorDetails”: {},
“n8nDetails”: {
“stackTrace”: [
“TypeError: The "key" argument must be of type string or an instance of ArrayBuffer, Buffer, TypedArray, DataView, KeyObject, or CryptoKey. Received undefined”,
" at prepareSecretKey (node:internal/crypto/keys:684:11)“,
" at new Hmac (node:internal/crypto/hash:166:9)”,
" at createHmac (node:crypto:163:10)“,
" at WebhookContext.webhook (…/n8n-nodes-base/nodes/ClickUp/ClickUpTrigger.node.ts:332:39)”
]
}
}

Exhaustive Troubleshooting Performed:

I have performed extensive testing to isolate the cause, but the error persists in all scenarios when creating a new trigger:

  1. Multiple n8n Versions: This is not a regression in a single version. The error occurs on:
  • 1.23.10
  • 2.3.2
  • 2.3.10
  • 2.4.7 (latest version tested)
  1. Multiple Server Environments: This is not a configuration issue. The error persists across three different, properly configured server environments (all with N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY set).

  2. Multiple Authentication Methods: This is not a credential issue. The error occurs with both API Token and OAuth2 methods.

  3. Control Tests:

  • Existing Triggers Work: My older ClickUp triggers on the same n8n instance continue to run without any issues. The problem is specific to the creation/activation of new triggers.
  • Make.com Works: A webhook for the exact same event on Make.com works perfectly, confirming the ClickUp API is functioning as expected.

Conclusion and Question:

All evidence points to a recurring bug within the n8n ClickUp Trigger node’s lifecycle management, where it fails to handle its own webhook secret key correctly.

My question to the community and the n8n team is:

Is there any known, reliable solution or fix for this error, other than bypassing the native trigger entirely?

The current workaround of using a generic Webhook node with ClickUp’s Automations is stable, but it defeats the purpose of the native integration. I am hoping there is a way to get the native node working again.

Thank you for your time and any help you can provide.

Please share your workflow

Share the output returned by the last node

{
“errorMessage”: “The "key" argument must be of type string or an instance of ArrayBuffer, Buffer, TypedArray, DataView, KeyObject, or CryptoKey. Received undefined”,
“errorDetails”: {},
“n8nDetails”: {
“stackTrace”: [
“TypeError: The "key" argument must be of type string or an instance of ArrayBuffer, Buffer, TypedArray, DataView, KeyObject, or CryptoKey. Received undefined”,
" at prepareSecretKey (node:internal/crypto/keys:684:11)“,
" at new Hmac (node:internal/crypto/hash:166:9)”,
" at createHmac (node:crypto:163:10)“,
" at WebhookContext.webhook (…/n8n-nodes-base/nodes/ClickUp/ClickUpTrigger.node.ts:332:39)”
]
}
}

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version: The error has been reproduced across multiple versions, including 1.23.10, 2.3.2, 2.3.10, and latest 2.4.7.
  • Database (default: SQLite): SQLite
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main): main
  • Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): Docker
  • Operating system: Linux
2 Likes

hey luis - yeah, this is a known issue with the ClickUp trigger. the problem is that n8n isnt picking up the webhook secret that ClickUp provides, so when it tries to validate the signature, theres nothing to use as the key.

heres what usually fixes it:

**1. Make sure you’re using the right secret**

when you set up the webhook in ClickUp, copy the exact secret they give you. then in your n8n ClickUp trigger node, paste it into the “Signing Secret” field (or whatever its labeled as in your version). dont modify it at all.

**2. Check your n8n instance**

if youre self-hosting, sometimes env variables dont load properly. make sure your `N8N_WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL` is set correctly if youre using ngrok or similar.

**3. Try regenerating the webhook**

- delete the current ClickUp trigger

- create a new one

- go back to ClickUp and create a fresh webhook with the new URL n8n gives you

- copy that new secret into n8n again

**4. If its still broken**

this might be a bug on n8ns side with how theyre handling the secret in that specific version. check:

- what version of n8n are you running?

- are you on cloud or self-hosted?

also, post your n8n version number and ill see if theres a known fix or if theres a newer version that addresses this.

lmk if regenerating the webhook helps - that works like 80% of the time for me

1 Like

having the same issue, deleting the node did not work for me.

Hello, Achamm
Thank you so much for the quick response and for confirming this is a known issue. I really appreciate you taking the time to provide detailed troubleshooting steps.
I want to clarify a key point about my setup that might explain why the proposed solutions aren’t applicable here. I am using the native ClickUp Trigger node, not a generic Webhook node.
In the native trigger, n8n handles the entire webhook registration process automatically in the background. This means:
There is no “Signature Secret” field in the node’s UI for me to paste a key into. The node is supposed to manage this secret exchange with ClickUp by itself, and this is the part that seems to be failing.
For the same reason, regenerating the webhook manually in ClickUp isn’t possible, as the entire lifecycle (creation, URL, and secret ) is managed by the n8n node.
I have also double-checked my environment configuration as you suggested:
My N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY is correctly set.
My WEBHOOK_URL is correctly set to my public domain. This is working fine for all my other webhooks.
Given this, it reinforces the conclusion that the bug lies within the node’s internal logic for handling the webhook secret. The node is failing at its automated task.
Thank you again for your help. I hope the team can prioritize a fix for the native trigger soon.

  • what version of n8n are you running?
    Eu estou utilizando as versões: 1.123.10 / 2.3.2 / 2.4.7. Em todas elas o erro persiste, visto que cada versão é uma stack do n8n em servidores separados.
  • are you on cloud or self-hosted?
    Estou utilizando self-hosted.
1 Like

Hello Luis,
I ran into the same issue and unfortunately couldn’t find a proper solution either.
What worked for me was setting up the webhook in Make (Native Clickup node) and the forwarding the request to an n8n webhook.
I know that it is not the ideal setup but it solved the problem for me so I’ll keep it this way for now

You might be right with it being a bug with the node, I haven’t heard of anyone else encountering this issue.