n8n-io/n8n · error · InternalServerError

Email sending must be set up in order to request a password…

Error message

Email sending must be set up in order to request a password reset email

What it means

POST /rest/forgot-password requires SMTP/email to be configured, because the only useful action is sending a reset email. When `mailer.isEmailSetUp` is false, n8n throws InternalServerError (500) — there is no reset path without a mailer.

Solutions

1. Configure SMTP via env vars (N8N_SMTP_HOST, N8N_SMTP_PORT, N8N_SMTP_USER, N8N_SMTP_PASS, etc.) and restart n8n.
2. Alternatively, have an admin reset the user's password directly via CLI (`n8n user:reset`) or the admin users panel, bypassing email.

// Expose mailer.isEmailSetUp via /settings and gate the forgot-password UI.
if (!settings.emailSetUp) {
  showNotice('Email is not configured — ask an admin to reset your password.');
  return;
}
await restApi.post('/forgot-password', { email });

When it happens

Trigger: POST /rest/forgot-password while the UserManagementMailer reports isEmailSetUp === false (no SMTP/connection test config).

Common situations: Fresh install with no SMTP env vars; owner never completed the email setup screen; SMTP host/port env removed in a redeploy.

Related errors

• Please contact your administrator
• 400
• 401
• 403
• Admin cannot reset password of global owner

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e5a98869111ed591. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/controllers/password-reset.controller.ts:79

	@Post('/forgot-password', {
		skipAuth: true,
		ipRateLimit: { limit: 20, windowMs: 5 * Time.minutes.toMilliseconds },
		keyedRateLimit: createBodyKeyedRateLimiter<ForgotPasswordRequestDto>({
			limit: 3,
			field: 'email',
		}),
		middlewares: [createJitterMiddleware({ minMs: 200, maxMs: 1000 })],
	})
	async forgotPassword(
		_req: AuthlessRequest,
		_res: Response,
		@Body payload: ForgotPasswordRequestDto,
	) {
		if (!this.mailer.isEmailSetUp) {
			this.logger.debug(
				'Request to send password reset email failed because emailing was not set up',
			);
			throw new InternalServerError(
				'Email sending must be set up in order to request a password reset email',
			);
		}

		try {
			const { email } = payload;

			// User should just be able to reset password if one is already present
			const user = await this.userRepository.findNonShellUser(email);
			if (!user) {
				this.logger.debug('No user found in the system');
				return;
			}

			if (user.role.slug !== GLOBAL_OWNER_ROLE.slug && !this.license.isWithinUsersLimit()) {
				this.logger.debug(
					'Request to send password reset email failed because the user limit was reached',
				);

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