Error fetching workflows with status code 404

Questions
1

My workflows have disappeared. I had 10 workflows ,and now when I try to load them, I get a Request failed with status code 404 error. Please help me recover my workflows

Describe the problem/error/question

What is the error message (if any)?

Please share your workflow

(Select the nodes on your canvas and use the keyboard shortcuts CMD+C/CTRL+C and CMD+V/CTRL+V to copy and paste the workflow.)

Share the output returned by the last node

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version:
  • Database (default: SQLite):
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
  • Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app):
  • Operating system:
2

Hi @Farad_Musa

A “404 Request failed” error in n8n often doesn’t mean your workflows are actually gone; instead, it usually means the system has lost the “map” to find them. In many cases, the data is still sitting safely in your database, but n8n is unable to retrieve it when you click on a workflow, resulting in that frustrating 404 error.

One of the most common technical causes is “index corruption,” particularly if you are using a PostgreSQL database. Think of a database index like a table of contents in a book; if the table of contents is torn or incorrect, you can’t find the chapter you’re looking for, even though the pages are still there. This is often fixed by running a “REINDEX” command on the database tables, which rebuilds that map and makes the workflows visible again.

Another possibility is related to server configuration or recent updates. If you recently updated n8n or changed how you access your server (such as switching between HTTP and HTTPS), the system might struggle with authentication or secure cookies. This can trigger 404 errors because the server doesn’t recognize your permission to view those workflows, making it seem like they have disappeared.

If the workflows were actually deleted or the database was corrupted beyond a simple index fix, n8n does not have a “Trash” folder to restore them. However, there is a secret backup: the Execution History. Every time a workflow runs, n8n saves a snapshot of the workflow’s design. You can often recover a lost workflow by finding a past successful execution in the database and copying the JSON code from that run to recreate the workflow.

To prevent this from happening again, the best practice is to regularly export your workflows as JSON files. Since self-hosted installations are susceptible to database errors or configuration mishaps, having an external backup is the only guaranteed way to recover your work instantly. For now, checking your database health and execution logs is the best way to start the recovery process.

It will be more helpful if you can provide more context

3

Before anything else, do not reinstall, reset, or recreate the instance, that is how people turn “cannot load” into actually gone. As the reply above said, a 404 fetching workflows usually means n8n cannot retrieve them, not that the database lost them. The rows are very likely still sitting in your DB.

First thing to check: are you pointed at the same database you were before? The most common cause of “all my workflows vanished” on self-hosted is the container coming back up against a fresh SQLite file or a different DB connection (a volume that did not remount, an env var that changed on restart). If you are on SQLite, find the .sqlite file and check its size and date, if it is tiny or brand new, your real data is in the old file and n8n is just reading the wrong one.

Tell us: self-hosted or cloud, what database, and did this start right after a restart, update, or migration? That answer points straight at the fix. In most self-hosted cases the data is fine and it is a connection or volume issue, recoverable without losing anything.

4

Welcome to the n8n community @Farad_Musa
Please update your instance, we had updates on 01/06
Release notes | n8n Docs