What does Retry On Fail do in n8n?
Quick answer
Retry On Fail is a setting on every n8n node that makes a failed step try again before the whole run fails. You turn it on in the node's Settings tab and choose Max. Tries, how many attempts in all, and Wait Between Tries (ms), the pause between them.
Last updated
Take the free module →Module 7 of the free n8n Jump Start course, about 10 minutes. No account needed.
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters for a small business
Most failures in small-business automations are not bugs. A supplier's server is busy for a few seconds, an API is briefly rate limited, a connection drops. A person would simply try again, and Retry On Fail does exactly that without waking anyone.
It is a quiet setting with a real payoff: fewer false alarms and fewer morning runs that stop for no lasting reason. Real problems still fail after the last try, so they still reach your error workflow.
In a real lesson: Get Alerted When an n8n Automation Fails, and Let It Retry by Itself
In the n8n error handling lesson, Maple Lane Florist's Supplier price check runs at 6 every morning. Its HTTP Request step fetches the supplier's prices, and one busy morning it stopped the whole run.
You open that step, click Settings and turn on Retry On Fail. Max. Tries appears at 3, which the lesson keeps, and Wait Between Tries (ms) at 1000. You change the wait to 5000, the highest it allows, so each retry gives the supplier five seconds to recover.
Try this lesson free or read the step-by-step guide.
How AI helps
When a step keeps failing, I paste the error text from the execution into ChatGPT or Claude and ask whether it looks temporary, like a timeout or a 429, or permanent, like a 401 or a bad field. Temporary errors get Retry On Fail. Permanent ones need a fix, not more tries. Practice the setting in the error handling lesson.
Common confusions
Retry On Fail vs retrying an execution
Retry On Fail repeats one step inside the same run. Retrying from the Executions list reruns a failed execution later, from the node with the error.
Retry On Fail vs On Error
Retry decides how many times to try. On Error, on the same tab, decides what happens after the last try fails: stop, continue, or use an error output.
Tips
- Use it on steps that call outside services, not on steps that charge a card or send a message twice.
- Test it with Execute workflow, then publish so real runs get the setting.
Related terms
More n8n and automation terms
Where you use it: free lessons
Frequently asked questions
- What does Retry On Fail mean in n8n?
- It means a failed node tries again, up to Max. Tries, before the run counts as failed.
- What are the limits for Max. Tries and Wait Between Tries?
- Max. Tries runs from 2 to 5 and starts at 3. Wait Between Tries runs from 0 to 5000 milliseconds and starts at 1000.
- Should I turn on Retry On Fail for every node?
- No. Use it where a short wait can fix the problem, such as calls to another service. Skip it on steps that would do harm if they ran twice.