NeahNew/N8N_API_KEY_MISSING_FIX.md

N8N_API_KEY Missing - Server Configuration Error

🔍 Problem Identified

Error: 500 - "Server configuration error"

Cause: N8N_API_KEY is NOT set in the server's environment variables.

---

✅ Solution: Add N8N_API_KEY to Environment Variables

The Error

Looking at app/api/missions/mission-created/route.ts (lines 34-39):

if (!expectedApiKey) {
  logger.error('N8N_API_KEY not configured in environment');
  return NextResponse.json(
    { error: 'Server configuration error' },
    { status: 500 }
  );
}

This error means: process.env.N8N_API_KEY is undefined or empty.

---

🔧 How to Fix

Step 1: Determine Your Environment

Are you running:

• Local development?
• Production server?
• Docker container?
• Vercel/other hosting?

Step 2: Add N8N_API_KEY

Option A: Local Development (.env.local)

Create or edit .env.local file in your project root:

N8N_API_KEY=LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4

Then restart your development server:

# Stop the server (Ctrl+C)
# Restart
npm run dev
# or
yarn dev

Option B: Production Server

If using Docker: Add to docker-compose.yml:

services:
  app:
    environment:
      - N8N_API_KEY=LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4

Or in .env file (if using docker-compose with env_file):

N8N_API_KEY=LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4

If using CapRover:

1. Go to App Settings
2. App Configs → Environment Variables
3. Add: N8N_API_KEY = LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4
4. Save and restart the app

If using Vercel:

1. Go to Project Settings
2. Environment Variables
3. Add: N8N_API_KEY = LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4
4. Redeploy

If using other hosting:

• Add N8N_API_KEY to your hosting platform's environment variables
• Restart/redeploy the application

---

🧪 Verification

Step 1: Check if Variable is Set

Create a test endpoint to verify:

// app/api/test-env/route.ts
import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';

export async function GET() {
  return NextResponse.json({
    hasN8NApiKey: !!process.env.N8N_API_KEY,
    n8nApiKeyLength: process.env.N8N_API_KEY?.length || 0,
    // Don't expose the actual key!
  });
}

Then visit: http://localhost:3000/api/test-env (or your production URL)

Expected:

{
  "hasN8NApiKey": true,
  "n8nApiKeyLength": 32
}

Step 2: Test the Endpoint Manually

After adding the variable and restarting:

curl -X POST https://hub.slm-lab.net/api/missions/mission-created \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4" \
  -d '{
    "missionId": "test-mission-id",
    "name": "Test Mission",
    "creatorId": "test-user-id"
  }'

Expected:

• ✅ 200 OK with JSON response (if mission exists)
• ❌ 500 error if N8N_API_KEY is still not set
• ❌ 401 error if API key doesn't match

Step 3: Check Server Logs

After adding the variable, check your server logs. You should NOT see:

N8N_API_KEY not configured in environment

You SHOULD see (when endpoint is called):

Mission Created Webhook Received
Received mission-created data: { ... }

---

🔍 Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Variable Not Loading

Symptom: Still getting 500 error after adding variable

Possible causes:

1. Wrong file: Using .env instead of .env.local (Next.js prefers .env.local)
2. Not restarted: Server needs restart after adding env variable
3. Wrong location: .env.local must be in project root (same level as package.json)
4. Syntax error: Check for quotes, spaces, or special characters

Fix:

# Correct
N8N_API_KEY=LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4

# Wrong (with quotes)
N8N_API_KEY="LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4"

# Wrong (with spaces)
N8N_API_KEY = LwgeE1ntADD20OuWC88S3pR0EaO7FtO4

Issue 2: Different Key in N8N

Symptom: 401 Unauthorized error

Cause: The API key in N8N workflow doesn't match the one in environment

Fix:

• Use the same key in both places
• Or update N8N workflow to use the key from environment

Issue 3: Production vs Development

Symptom: Works locally but not in production

Cause: Environment variable only set in development

Fix: Add the variable to production environment as well

---

📋 Complete Checklist

• N8N_API_KEY added to .env.local (development) or production environment
• Variable has correct value (no quotes, no spaces)
• Application restarted after adding variable
• Test endpoint shows hasN8NApiKey: true
• Manual curl test returns 200 (not 500)
• Server logs show "Mission Created Webhook Received" (not "N8N_API_KEY not configured")
• N8N workflow uses same API key in header

---

🎯 Expected Flow After Fix

1. Mission created ✅
2. N8N workflow triggered ✅
3. N8N creates integrations ✅
4. N8N calls /api/missions/mission-created ✅
5. Endpoint receives request ✅
6. API key validated ✅
7. IDs saved to database ✅
8. Mission has integration IDs ✅

---

📝 Summary

Problem: 500 "Server configuration error"

Root Cause: N8N_API_KEY environment variable is not set

Solution:

1. Add N8N_API_KEY to environment variables
2. Use the same key value that N8N is sending in the x-api-key header
3. Restart the application
4. Test the endpoint

After Fix: The endpoint should return 200 OK and save integration IDs to the database.

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Document Created: $(date) Priority: CRITICAL - Blocks integration IDs from being saved