n8n-io/n8n · error · Error

Sticky notes do not support error handlers

Error message

Sticky notes do not support error handlers

What it means

Sticky notes are canvas annotations with no execution semantics: the StickyNote builder's onError() method always throws because error-workflow wiring cannot attach to a sticky note. Calling it is a builder-API misuse.

Solutions

1. Do not call .onError() on a StickyNoteInstance.
2. Filter stickies out before applying a uniform onError pass.
3. Attach onError only to executable nodes (Code, HTTP, IF, etc.).

Example fix

// before
for (const n of allNodes) n.onError(handler); // throws on sticky
// after
for (const n of allNodes.filter((x) => x.type !== 'n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote')) {
  n.onError(handler);
}

const STICKY = 'n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote';

function safeOnError(node: NodeInstance, handler: NodeInstance): void {
  if (node.type === STICKY) return; // skip stickies
  node.onError(handler);
}

function isStickyNote(node: NodeInstance): node is NodeInstance<'n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote', 'v1', void> {
  return node.type === 'n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote';
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling stickyNode.onError(handler); generic error-wiring pass that calls .onError() on every node including stickies.

Common situations: Applying a uniform error-handling policy across all nodes; assuming every NodeInstance supports onError.

Related errors

• SplitInBatches node error handling is managed by…
• Sticky notes do not support connections
• Sticky notes do not support input connections
• Sticky notes do not support output connections
• Named object syntax does not support .onDone() - branches…

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/30ff081cfb88fba5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/workflow-sdk/src/workflow-builder/node-builders/node-builder.ts:1164

	}

	input(_index: number): InputTarget {
		throw new Error('Sticky notes do not support input connections');
	}

	output(_index: number): OutputSelector<'n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote', 'v1', void> {
		throw new Error('Sticky notes do not support output connections');
	}

	to<T extends NodeInstance<string, string, unknown>>(
		_target: T | T[] | InputTarget,
		_outputIndex?: number,
	): NodeChain<NodeInstance<'n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote', 'v1', void>, T> {
		throw new Error('Sticky notes do not support connections');
	}

	onError<T extends NodeInstance<string, string, unknown>>(_handler: T): this {
		throw new Error('Sticky notes do not support error handlers');
	}

	getConnections(): DeclaredConnection[] {
		return [];
	}
}

/**
 * Create a sticky note for workflow documentation.
 *
 * Like any other node, the returned sticky must be passed to
 * `workflow(...)` (or `.add(...)`) to appear on the canvas. The optional
 * `nodes` array is **only** used to size and anchor the sticky around the
 * given nodes — it does **not** add them to the workflow.
 *
 * @param content - Markdown content for the sticky note
 * @param nodesOrConfig - Optional nodes to wrap (sizes the sticky around them; the nodes themselves still need to be added to the workflow). Pass a config object to skip wrapping.
 * @param config - Optional configuration (color, position, size)

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