Common n8n workflow leaks — and how to fix them

Automations rarely fail loudly. They leak — a lead here, a run there — with everything showing green. Each guide below covers one common leak: why it happens, how to fix it, and how to confirm it's gone.

Your n8n workflow isn't sending leads — and nothing is telling you why

Capture leakIf your n8n automation 'works' but leads aren't reaching your CRM, the loss is usually silent. The 4 places leads vanish — and how to find yours in 30 seconds.

n8n webhook returns an empty 200 (and the lead is lost)

Capture leakAn empty 200 from an n8n webhook makes the sending form believe the submit failed, so it never retries. Here's why it happens and how to fix it.

An n8n node is failing silently and killing the whole run

Error leakNodes without an error branch let an n8n run die in silence — no alert, no recovery. Find every unguarded node and add proper error handling.

One API blip and your n8n HTTP Request drops the lead

Delivery leakWithout Retry On Fail, a single timeout or 5xx makes an n8n HTTP Request drop the lead for good. How to add retries and a sensible timeout.

n8n is writing duplicate leads into your CRM

Data leakRetries and double submits write the same lead twice when there's no dedupe step. How to dedupe in n8n before the record reaches your CRM.

Auditing an n8n workflow you didn't build

ReliabilityInherited an n8n workflow? Here's a fast reliability checklist — capture, errors, delivery and data — to find the silent leaks before they cost you.