I set up the Evolution API configuration and keep getting this error below, I've already checked and everything is correct, but it keeps giving the same error. The Flow is a Webhook and the Evolution API is to receive and send a message on WhatsApp

Questions
1

Error Sending Text Message

404 - {“status”:404,“error”:“Not Found”,“response”:{“message”:[“The instance \“PROTOTYPE\” does not exist”]}}

2

@Milton1 , please check the following:

1)The instance name is case-sensitive​.

  • Check if the instance was actually created as prototype (lowercase) or Prototype (Sentence case), but your n8n node is calling PROTOTYPE (uppercase).
  • Ensure there are no trailing or leading spaces in the instance name field in your n8n configuration.

2)It is possible the instance was not successfully created or was deleted/reset.

  • How to verify: Use your API manager (like Postman, Insomnia, or the Evolution API Dashboard if you have it installed) to call the /instance/fetchInstances endpoint.
  • Check if PROTOTYPE appears in the list of active instances. If it doesn’t, you need to run the Create Instance request again.

3)If you have multiple installations of Evolution API (e.g., a Test server and a Production server), you might be sending the request to Server A, but the instance “PROTOTYPE” was created on Server B.

  • Double-check the Base URL in your n8n HTTP Request node. Ensure it matches the exact IP/Domain where you initialized the instance.

4)While a 404 usually refers to the instance name, ensure you are using the Global ApiKey to manage the instance or the specific Instance Key if the endpoint requires it. If the authentication is wrong, some versions of the API can occasionally return misleading errors, though “Not Found” almost always points to the instance name.

3

Hi @Milton1 Welcome!
Evolution API can delete the instance by itself, so it existed when you set it up and is genuinely gone now. This happens when DEL_INSTANCE is set to a number of minutes (the instance is wiped after the WhatsApp session disconnects) or when the container restarts without database persistence. In the Evolution API .env set:

DEL_INSTANCE=false
DATABASE_SAVE_DATA_INSTANCE=true

Then restart the Evolution container, create and connect the instance one more time, and it will survive disconnects and restarts.
https://doc.evolution-api.com/v2/en/env