EXECUTE_WORKFLOW_INVALID_INPUT_MAPPING

EXECUTE_WORKFLOW_INVALID_INPUT_MAPPING

Error message

${nodeRef} has an invalid ${WORKFLOW_INPUTS_VALUE_PATH}. When parameters.workflowInputs.mappingMode is '${DEFINE_BELOW_MODE}', an explicitly provided ${WORKFLOW_INPUTS_VALUE_PATH} must be an object. If the selected sub-workflow accepts all data, omit parameters.workflowInputs. Otherwise set parameters.workflowInputs to a full Resource Mapper mapping whose value and schema match the declared inputs, such as ${VALID_MAPPING_EXAMPLE}.

What it means

Error-level validator issue (code EXECUTE_WORKFLOW_INVALID_INPUT_MAPPING, violationLevel 'major') emitted when an Execute Workflow node has parameters.workflowInputs.mappingMode set to 'defineBelow' (DEFINE_BELOW_MODE) AND an explicitly provided parameters.workflowInputs.value is not a record/object. In defineBelow mode the value must be a full Resource Mapper mapping object; otherwise it must be omitted entirely (which lets the sub-workflow accept all data).

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/workflow-sdk/src/workflow-builder/plugins/validators/execute-workflow-validator.ts:70

			return [];
		}

		if (isRecord(workflowInputs)) {
			const mappingMode = workflowInputs.mappingMode ?? DEFINE_BELOW_MODE;
			const value = workflowInputs.value;
			if (mappingMode !== DEFINE_BELOW_MODE || value === undefined || isRecord(value)) return [];
		}

		const mapKey = findMapKey(graphNode, ctx);
		const originalName = node.name;
		const renamed = isAutoRenamed(mapKey, originalName);
		const displayName = renamed ? mapKey : originalName;
		const origForWarning = renamed ? originalName : undefined;
		const nodeRef = formatNodeRef(displayName, origForWarning, node.type);

		return [
			{
				code: 'EXECUTE_WORKFLOW_INVALID_INPUT_MAPPING',
				message:
					`${nodeRef} has an invalid ${WORKFLOW_INPUTS_VALUE_PATH}. ` +
					`When parameters.workflowInputs.mappingMode is '${DEFINE_BELOW_MODE}', an explicitly provided ${WORKFLOW_INPUTS_VALUE_PATH} must be an object. ` +
					`If the selected sub-workflow accepts all data, omit parameters.workflowInputs. Otherwise set parameters.workflowInputs to a full Resource Mapper mapping whose value and schema match the declared inputs, such as ${VALID_MAPPING_EXAMPLE}.`,
				severity: 'error',
				violationLevel: 'major',
				nodeName: displayName,
				parameterPath: WORKFLOW_INPUTS_VALUE_PATH,
				originalName: origForWarning,
			},
		];
	},
};

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

If the sub-workflow accepts all data, omit parameters.workflowInputs entirely.
Otherwise set parameters.workflowInputs to a full Resource Mapper mapping whose value and schema match the declared inputs (see VALID_MAPPING_EXAMPLE).
Ensure mappingMode 'defineBelow' is paired with an object value, not a primitive.

Example fix

// before
executeWorkflow({
  workflowId: '123',
  workflowInputs: { mappingMode: 'defineBelow', value: 'hardcoded' }
})
// after
executeWorkflow({
  workflowId: '123'
  // omit workflowInputs to accept all data
})

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const wi = params.workflowInputs;
const DEFINE_BELOW_MODE = 'defineBelow';
if (wi && wi.mappingMode === DEFINE_BELOW_MODE && wi.value !== undefined && typeof wi.value !== 'object') {
  // error: value must be an object or omitted
}

Type guard

function isValidWorkflowInputs(wi: unknown): boolean {
  if (wi == null) return true;
  if (typeof wi !== 'object') return false;
  const v = (wi as any);
  if (v.mappingMode !== 'defineBelow') return true;
  return v.value === undefined || (typeof v.value === 'object' && !Array.isArray(v.value));
}

Prevention

Omit workflowInputs when the sub-workflow accepts all data.
When using 'defineBelow', provide a full Resource Mapper mapping object.
Validate executeWorkflow config against the Resource Mapper schema before saving.

When it happens

Trigger: Setting mappingMode: 'defineBelow' with a non-object value (e.g. a string, array, or number) under workflowInputs.value; providing a partial mapping that is not a complete Resource Mapper shape.

Common situations: Hand-writing executeWorkflow config without the Resource Mapper schema; LLM-generated mapping that uses a primitive where an object is required; partial migration from an older mapping format.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/08648140143146aa. Report an issue: GitHub.