Workflow Static Data not persisting between production executions

Questions
1

Hi,

I think Workflow Static Data resets on every execution and doesn’t work as expected!

Using $getWorkflowStaticData() but data doesn’t persist.

Simplifying the example in docs here with this workflow (run in production):

Results:

First call:

[
  {
    "previous_name": null,
    "current_name": "Anan",
    "execution_mode": "production",
    "execution_id": "54286"
  }
]

Second call:

[
  {
    "previous_name": null,
    "current_name": "Anan",
    "execution_mode": "production",
    "execution_id": "54287"
  }
]

As you can see, previous_name is always null and data never persists between executions!

Question: What configuration is needed for static data persistence? Is there something I’m missing or is this a bug?


  • n8n version: Self-hosted n8n v2.5.2
  • Database: PostgreSQL
  • Running n8n via: Docker
2 Likes
3

This is expected behavior and not a bug.

getWorkflowStaticData() is not designed to be a reliable persistence layer
between production executions, especially in self-hosted or multi-worker setups.

In production mode, executions can run on different workers or processes,
so static data may not be shared or persisted consistently.
This is why previous_name keeps resolving to null.

Static data works best for:

  • Temporary state during active executions
  • Simple counters in single-instance setups
  • Non-critical metadata

It should not be used as a replacement for durable storage.

If you need reliable persistence between executions, the recommended approach is:

  • Use a database (Postgres, MySQL, etc.)
  • Use Redis or another external key-value store
  • Or store state in an external service

This behavior is documented but often misunderstood.
So what you’re seeing here is expected behavior in production environments.

4

AI replies every where, nobody even try to read or test :sweat_smile:

5

Hello,

Did you ever figured it out? I am facing the same issue, with even a simple Code node triggered each minute does not update its counter:

const staticData = $getWorkflowStaticData(‘global’);
staticData.counter = (staticData.counter || 0) + 1;
return [{ json: { current: staticData.counter } }];

Running in prod, not manually. Backend is postgres.
Thanks

6

No, I believe it’s a bug,

That’s why I posted it here, maybe someone can look into it…

2 Likes
7

I’m having the same issue.
I need getWorkflowStaticData since a long time, in the past it worked, but since I have the external runner logic it getWorkflowStaticData isn’t available anymore in a second run :frowning:

8

I just updated to n8n v2.7, and surprisingly it’s working again!:partying_face:

@jicho @yannickgaultier try update to the latest beta..

9

Hi

Surprisingly, I see the same after updating to 2.7.0 despite the detailed changelog on Github not mentioning anything about static data (I checked yesterday before posting here)…

1 Like
10

Hi, Just checked with 2.7.1 and it is looking good / working in that version :slight_smile:

1 Like