Hi all,
it’s my first question here.
I have a simple workflow to back up my workflows with n8n node.
However, the “Get many workflows” doesn’t pull all my workflows (I’m not using any filters). Also, the workflow names doesn’t seem to match.
And right now I’ve just done another test - I’ve deleted many workflows, but “Get many workflows” still pulls them.
Could you help me to understand how this node works? Which workflows is it pulling? When does the system “refreshes”?
Thank you!
Hi @Dom2 Welcome to the community!
The Get many workflows node will just return what is in your n8n database (including archived workflows). which means if you are seeing “deleted” ones or if some are missing, check that Return All is set to true, remove the Return Only Active Workflows filter entirely,
and be aware that the ones you have archived (not permanently deleted) will still return.
@Dom2 this is a common confusion with the n8n node’s “Get Many Workflows” operation.
How it works:
The “Get Many Workflows” operation pulls workflows from another n8n instance, not from the same instance where the workflow is running. This is why you’re seeing mismatched names and workflows that you’ve deleted still appearing.
To back up workflows from your current instance:
Generate an API key for your n8n instance (if you haven’t already)
Go to Settings → API
Create a new API key
Configure the n8n credential:
API Key: Your generated key
Base URL: Your n8n instance URL (e.g., https://your-instance.app.n8n.cloud or http://localhost:5678)
Use “Get Many Workflows” - it will now pull from your own instance
Why deleted workflows still appear:
You’re likely pulling from a different instance or an old backup
Check which instance URL is configured in your n8n credentials
Does this help clarify things?
Thank you for the quick reply, appreciate it!
I have now deleted all the Archived workflows, and my “Get many workflows” now pulls only 6 workflows. So I guess it means that it is connected to my current instance.
However, there are 15 workflows in my instance! Why others are not pulled? What I’m missing?
I’m attaching the screenshot of the node, maybe you can spot something.
Thank you!
Hey, you were right!
Not only “Return only published workflows“ must be turned off, it must be deleted. Now I’m getting all 15 my workflows. This sounds like a n8n bug, right?
Anyway, thank you both for your support!
No, it’s not a bug.
No publish workflow filter - n8n will return all Workflows
If the filter is in the ON state - it will return only published workflows
if the filter is in the OFF state - it will return only unpublished workflows
Thank you, now it’s clear.
I would argue that the filter naming is very confusing. “Return Only Published Workflows” clearly says “Yes” - Return Only Published Workflows, and “No” - Do not Return Only Published Workflows, it means return all. Some kind of name “Publish status of returned workflows: Only published/Only non-published” would work better in my opinion.
However, the functionality and existence of this filter is great, and I hope that with this thread, a “n8n docs’ Chat with AI” would answer related questions correctly.
Thanks!
you can always use the bare API with the HTTP Request node 
API reference | n8n Docs
The bare API and models seem underspecified (at least in the documentation). What is documented in the API reference and OpenAPI spec mismatches the response schema we see in the UI node response.
please see the mismatch between API reference | n8n Docs
and the response schema generated by the n8n node.
{
…truncated for brevity
“active”: false,
“isArchived”: false,
..
}
When can we expect the OpenAPI specification and docs to match the reality of the API implementation?
You should always rely on the docs. The built-in n8n node is not often updated.
The reality is the inverse. I’ve opened a ticket. [DOCS-ISSUE] - Outdated OpenAPI Specification Documentation · Issue #4254 · n8n-io/n8n-docs · GitHub
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