# Workflow only executing twice, does not continue to loop **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions\ **Tags:** looping, loop-over-items\ **Created:** [May 12, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238 "2025-05-12T15:43:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matthatt3r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@matthatt3r](https://community.n8n.io/u/matthatt3r)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238/1 "2025-05-12T15:43:49Z")
## Describe the problem/error/question I have created a workflow that takes a list of names and information about individuals, enriches that data, crafts a personal email, and then saves it to a draft. The problem I’m encountering is that the loop runs the first available item matching the criteria, loops and runs the second item, and then stops. It does not continue to loop through the items that match the criteria. I don’t know why. ## What is the error message (if any)? No error message. ## Please share your workflow I couldn’t figure out how to copy and paste the workflow code. ![Screenshot 2025-05-12 at 10.40.37 AM](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/original/3X/4/e/4e7268bb7bd2e8bcf40549ef5e4573b1c29df239.png) ## Share the output returned by the last node When it loops, the output is expected. The problem is that it isn’t looping. ## Information on your n8n setup - **n8n version:** 1.90.2 - **Database (default: SQLite):** whatever default n8n hosting is - **n8n EXECUTIONS\_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):** whatever default n8n hosting is - **Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app):** n8n cloud - **Operating system:** MacOS 15.4.1 ---
**Author:** ![hubschrauber](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/hubschrauber/32/46788_2.png) [@hubschrauber](https://community.n8n.io/u/hubschrauber)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238/2 "2025-05-12T15:56:45Z")
Why do you have two `Loop Over Items` nodes? The one at the end should probably just be a `No-Op` to combine the true and false paths out of the `If` node. Also, odd things happen if you don’t route the end of your loop directly back to the `Loop Over Items` node, but your return path routes back to a node that **preceeds** that. It might work, but it might also be what is interrupting the completion of each “batch” in the loop. ---
**Author:** ![matthatt3r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@matthatt3r](https://community.n8n.io/u/matthatt3r)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238/3 "2025-05-12T16:43:53Z")
The first `loop over item` node is to limit the API request to prevent it from timing out. I put the second because the process was not re-running so I thought it needed a loop. Could you elaborate on `No-Op`? I’m not sure what you mean in the second paragraph ---
**Author:** ![hubschrauber](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/hubschrauber/32/46788_2.png) [@hubschrauber](https://community.n8n.io/u/hubschrauber)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238/4 "2025-05-12T16:58:51Z")
There is a node called `No Operation, Do Nothing` which is known, for short, as `No-Op`. It is the same kind of node that is included when you add a `Loop Over Items` node to a workflow (but in that case it is labeled `Replace Me`. You can use that whenever you want to converge multiple paths in a workflow but you don’t want to use `Merge` or `Aggregate` or something else like that. Regarding the 2nd paragraph… …stick with this flow for a loop: …but avoid doing this: ---
**Author:** ![matthatt3r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@matthatt3r](https://community.n8n.io/u/matthatt3r)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238/5 "2025-05-15T15:36:06Z")
This was it, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/system/32/195824_2.png) [@system](https://community.n8n.io/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/workflow-only-executing-twice-does-not-continue-to-loop/114238/6 "2025-05-22T15:36:34Z")
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