# What does Retry On Fail do in n8n? > Retry On Fail is an n8n node setting that retries a failed step before the run stops. What it means, Max. Tries, Wait Between Tries, and when to skip it. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/retry-on-fail · Updated 2026-10-17 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [n8n and automation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-n8n-and-automation) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) 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 October 17, 2026 [Take the free module →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/n8n-jump-start/7)Module 7 of the free [n8n Jump Start](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/n8n-jump-start) course, about 10 minutes. No account needed. Updated October 17, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) ## 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-error-handling-retry-on-fail-error-workflow), Maple Lane Florist's Supplier price check runs at 6 every morning. Its [HTTP Request](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/http-request-node) 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-error-handling) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-error-handling-retry-on-fail-error-workflow). ## 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-error-handling-retry-on-fail-error-workflow). ## 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/execute-workflow), then [publish](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/publish-workflow) so real runs get the setting. ## Related terms [Error workflow (Error Trigger)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/error-workflow) · [Error handling](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/error-handling) · [HTTP Request node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/http-request-node) · [Rate limit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/rate-limit) · [Publishing a workflow](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/publish-workflow) · [Execute workflow](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/execute-workflow) ## More n8n and automation terms [Scenario (Make)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/make-scenario) · [Schedule Trigger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/schedule-trigger) · [Self-hosting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/self-hosting) · [Split Out node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/split-out-node) ## Where you use it: free lessons - [Get Alerted When an n8n Automation Fails, and Let It Retry by Itself](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-error-handling-retry-on-fail-error-workflow) (n8n, 10 min) ## 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. [All AI glossary terms, A to Z](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) · [Free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts)