n8n-io/n8n · error · Error

Set N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — the judge LL

Error message

Set N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — the judge LLM needs it.

What it means

The pairwise judge LLM is a ChatAnthropic model that requires an API key. The CLI checks N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY first, then ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, and throws if neither is set before constructing the client. No key means the judge cannot score responses.

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/instance-ai/evaluations/cli/pairwise.ts:640

			`Report regeneration failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`,
		);
	}
}

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Main
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

async function main(): Promise<void> {
	const args = parseArgs(process.argv.slice(2));
	const logger = createLogger(args.verbose);
	logger.info(
		`pairwise eval: dataset=${args.dataset} judges=${args.judges} iterations=${args.iterations}`,
	);

	const apiKey = process.env.N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY ?? process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY;
	if (!apiKey) {
		throw new Error('Set N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — the judge LLM needs it.');
	}

	const client = new N8nClient(args.baseUrl);
	await client.login();
	const preRunWorkflowIds = new Set(await client.listWorkflowIds());
	const claimedWorkflowIds = new Set<string>();
	logger.info(`Runner: orchestrator (${args.baseUrl})`);

	const judgeLlm = new ChatAnthropic({
		model: args.judgeModel,
		apiKey,
		temperature: 0,
		maxTokens: 8192,
	});

	const examples = await loadExamples(args, logger);
	let filtered = examples;
	if (args.exampleIds) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

Export N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY (preferred) or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the shell running the CLI.
In CI, add the secret to the job's environment block.
If using a .env file, ensure the loader (e.g. dotenv) runs before the CLI parses env.

Example fix

// before: pnpm pairwise --dataset foo
// after:  N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY=sk-... pnpm pairwise --dataset foo

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const apiKey = process.env.N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY ?? process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error('Set N8N_AI_ANTHROPIC_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY');

Prevention

Add a startup env-check that fails fast with actionable text.
Wire the secret into CI via the secrets manager, not the shell history.
Use a .env loader for local dev.

When it happens

Trigger: Running `pnpm pairwise` in a shell where neither env var is exported; CI secrets not injected; .env file not loaded.

Common situations: Fresh terminal without sourcing the project env; CI matrix job missing the secret; key rotated and old value removed but new not yet added.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2f5123f79880f3c2. Report an issue: GitHub.