The idea is:
Add an option for Sequential processing for each trigger node, Make has this same option, but for the entire scenario, but in n8n, it makes more sense for this to be a trigger-node level option.
My use case:
I have a few webhook based automation, I only want one stream of that automation running at one time, but other automations I want to run simultaneously.
I’ll use this a lot, mainly because I have a lot of webhook based automations, and cron based ones.
This allows for the executions not to overlap.
I think it would be beneficial to add this because:
- It allows more control over executions
- Makes sure If I have an automation running every minute for example, it won’t have 2 instances of it running at the same time, potentially processing the same database records… I think in this case, it should have an option to dismiss the other attempt runs if the current one is still ongoing and not have a qeue at all…
- Makes it easy to manage rate limited APIs (Example: Discord)
- Prevents data conflicts by ensuring only one execution interacts with shared resources at a time
- Improves system stability by reducing the strain from simultaneous executions
- Simplifies workflow design by eliminating the need for custom sequential processing logic
- Enhances data integrity when automations involve writing to databases or files
- Provides flexibility by allowing per-trigger control over execution flows
- Reduces the risk of errors caused by overlapping executions
- Aligns n8n with features available in other automation platforms, making it more competitive
- Helps in managing external systems that don’t handle concurrent requests well
- Optimizes resource utilization by queuing executions instead of running them all at once