Help: All n8n versions after 1.95.3 fail to start

:sos_button: Help: n8n 1.98.2 Crashes During Startup After Update from 1.95.3

Hi n8n Community! :waving_hand:

I’m experiencing issues after updating from n8n 1.95.3 to 1.98.2 and hoping someone might have encountered similar problems or can provide guidance.

:wrench: My Setup

  • Infrastructure: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on VPS (8 vCPU, 32GB RAM, 400GB NVMe)
  • Docker: Using docker-compose with PostgreSQL 15
  • Previous version: 1.95.3 (working perfectly)
  • Target version: 1.98.2 (latest)
  • Configuration: Setup with 25 credentials configured

:bullseye: What I Did

  1. Clean update process: Changed image: n8nio/n8n:1.95.3 to image: n8nio/n8n:latest in docker-compose.yml
  2. Proper shutdown: docker-compose downdocker-compose up -d
  3. Full backup: Database, credentials, and configuration backed up before update

:cross_mark: The Problem

After update, n8n crashes during startup with these symptoms:

Logs showing:

2025-06-24T08:48:17.495Z | error | Last session crashed
2025-06-24T08:48:27.501Z | info | Initializing n8n process
2025-06-24T08:48:27.623Z | debug | Lazy-loading nodes and credentials from n8n-nodes-base {"nodes":481,"credentials":384}
2025-06-24T08:48:27.634Z | debug | Lazy-loading nodes and credentials from @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain {"nodes":93,"credentials":21}

Then it stops/hangs indefinitely :disappointed_face:

Container status:

  • Status: Up X minutes (unhealthy)
  • Version check: Returns 1.98.2 when container responds
  • Web interface: Returns 502 Bad Gateway
  • Health check: Fails consistently

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: What I’ve Tried

  1. Multiple restarts: docker-compose restart n8n
  2. Clean shutdown/startup: Full docker-compose down/up cycle
  3. Waiting longer: Left it for 10+ minutes to complete initialization
  4. Resource check: Plenty of RAM/CPU available

:thinking: Potential Causes I’m Considering

  • Memory issues during loading 574 nodes (481 base + 93 LangChain)
  • Database migration problems from 1.95.3 to 1.98.2
  • LangChain compatibility issues with existing configuration
  • Credential compatibility (though logs suggest they’re loading)

:gear: My Current n8n Configuration

# Key environment variables:
N8N_EXECUTION_DATA_MAX_SIZE: 64
EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT: 7200
N8N_LANGCHAIN_ENABLED: true
N8N_AI_ENABLED: true
N8N_NODES_INCLUDE: "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain"

:sos_button: Questions for the Community

  1. Has anyone experienced similar crashes when updating to 1.98.2?
  2. Are there known compatibility issues with LangChain nodes in 1.98.2?
  3. Should I increase memory allocation for the container? (currently using Docker defaults)
  4. Is there a recommended upgrade path for production setups with many credentials?
  5. Any specific debug steps to identify the exact crash point?

:counterclockwise_arrows_button: Current Status

I’ve rolled back to 1.95.3 for now (which works perfectly), but I’d love to get the latest features working.

:light_bulb: Additional Context

  • Production environment with business workflows
  • No custom nodes installed (using community standard setup)
  • Standard PostgreSQL setup (no custom configurations)
  • Regular maintenance and updates applied to the host system

:folded_hands: Any Help Appreciated!

Whether it’s troubleshooting tips, similar experiences, or suggestions for a different update approach - all input welcome!

Has anyone successfully updated from 1.95.3 to 1.98.2 with a similar setup? What was your process?

Thanks in advance for any insights! :rocket:


P.S. Happy to provide more logs, configuration details, or run additional diagnostic commands if helpful!

Test Results - n8n Version Compatibility

I’ve conducted systematic testing to reproduce this issue and tested the latest development version.

Environment

  • OS: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS
  • Docker: 27.5.1
  • Database: PostgreSQL 15
  • Test Method: Isolated containers with fresh database instances

Test Results

Version Status Duration LangChain Nodes Notes
1.95.3 :white_check_mark: Working 4s 92 Completes successfully
1.96.0 :cross_mark: Hang 300s+ timeout 92 Stops at LangChain loading
1.100.0 (next) :cross_mark: Loop 120s+ timeout 94 → 481 Repetitive loading cycle

Detailed Findings

n8n:1.95.3 (Working)

2025-06-24T17:58:09.307Z | debug | Lazy-loading nodes and credentials from @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain {"nodes":92,"credentials":21}
✅ Continues to completion, health check responds

n8n:1.96.0 (First broken version)

2025-06-24T17:58:XX.XXXZ | debug | Lazy-loading nodes and credentials from @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain {"nodes":92,"credentials":21}
❌ Hangs at this point, no further progress

n8n:1.100.0 (Latest development)

2025-06-24T18:09:44.882Z | debug | Lazy-loading nodes and credentials from @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain {"nodes":94,"credentials":21}

Then continuous repetition:
LangChain nodes: 481
LangChain nodes: 481
LangChain nodes: 481
[Continues indefinitely]

Observations

  1. Breaking point confirmed: Issue begins with version 1.96.0
  2. Pattern evolution: Problem changed from hang (1.96.0+) to infinite loop (1.100.0)
  3. Node count increase: From ~92-94 LangChain nodes to 481 total nodes in loop
  4. Persistence: Issue remains unresolved in latest development version

The 481 node count suggests the loading mechanism may be processing all available nodes repeatedly rather than completing the LangChain-specific loading.

All tests used identical configuration with clean PostgreSQL instances and full debug logging enabled.