Devlog n8n #010: Reconstruction After a Restart (No Panic)
Devlog n8n #010. We implemented n8n a long time ago. And honestly, I didn’t remember exactly how we installed it. What saved us today was a file I started keeping at the very beginning of vibe coding — a full history of sessions with assistants. That log helped us reconstruct the truth from the past.
In the morning, we had a mini‑panic: “the n8n install is gone.” The folder only had a single settings file left, but the app itself was still running. Turns out it wasn’t a disaster — just a mistake in how the app starts.
What we found
n8n wasn’t actually stored in that folder. It was installed globally on the system, and the folder only served as a “working directory” where settings live.
The real issue was that after a server reboot, n8n started without those settings. That’s why it showed up on the wrong port and the web proxy returned an error.
How we fixed it
The quick fix was simple: we started n8n manually so it would read the settings file. The UI came back immediately.
To make sure this never happens again, I created a tiny startup script that always:
- loads the settings first
- and only then starts n8n
Now the app starts correctly after every reboot.
Current state
- n8n is stable on the correct port
- settings load automatically
- data and workflows are intact
For the future
If we ever need to change database passwords or enable a new feature, it’s now just: update the settings, restart the app. Everything is set up to be predictable.
Bottom line: it wasn’t an app bug — it was just missing the right startup settings. That’s now fixed and stable.
One last note: at the beginning I tested n8n mostly to understand how no‑code automation actually works. Over time I built a few interesting workflows — especially for social media automation. If you want advice or access to those workflows, you can join the community.