SWITCH_WRONG_RULES_KEY

SWITCH_WRONG_RULES_KEY

Error message

${nodeRef} uses 'rules.rules' but the Switch node expects 'rules.values'. Rename the inner key from 'rules' to 'values'.

What it means

Error-level validator issue (code SWITCH_WRONG_RULES_KEY) emitted when a Switch node's parameters.rules object has a nested 'rules' key but no 'values' key. The Switch node expects rules.values[]; using rules.rules (a common LLM mistake) will be silently ignored at runtime, so the validator catches the misnaming explicitly.

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/workflow-sdk/src/workflow-builder/plugins/validators/filter-node-validator.ts:113

		// IF and Filter nodes: conditions is directly on params
		const conditions = params.conditions as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
		if (
			conditions &&
			typeof conditions === 'object' &&
			('conditions' in conditions || 'options' in conditions || 'combinator' in conditions)
		) {
			issues.push(
				...validateFilterValue(conditions, nodeRef, 'conditions', displayName, origForWarning),
			);
		}

		// Switch node: conditions are nested inside rules.values[].conditions
		const rules = params.rules as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
		if (rules && typeof rules === 'object') {
			// Check for wrong key name (common LLM mistake: rules.rules instead of rules.values)
			if ('rules' in rules && !('values' in rules)) {
				issues.push({
					code: 'SWITCH_WRONG_RULES_KEY',
					message: `${nodeRef} uses 'rules.rules' but the Switch node expects 'rules.values'. Rename the inner key from 'rules' to 'values'.`,
					severity: 'error',
					nodeName: displayName,
					originalName: origForWarning,
					parameterPath: 'rules',
				});
			}

			// Validate filter values inside each rule
			const values = (rules.values ?? rules.rules) as Array<Record<string, unknown>> | undefined;
			if (Array.isArray(values)) {
				for (let i = 0; i < values.length; i++) {
					const rule = values[i];
					const ruleConditions = rule?.conditions as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
					if (
						ruleConditions &&
						typeof ruleConditions === 'object' &&
						'conditions' in ruleConditions

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

Rename the inner key from 'rules' to 'values' inside parameters.rules.
Confirm rules.values is an array of rule objects.
Re-run the validator to confirm the error clears.

Example fix

// before
switchNode({ rules: { rules: [...] } })
// after
switchNode({ rules: { values: [...] } })

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const rules = params.rules;
if (rules && typeof rules === 'object' && 'rules' in rules && !('values' in rules)) {
  // error: rename inner 'rules' to 'values'
}

Prevention

Use rules.values[] for the Switch node — never rules.rules[].
Cross-check generated switch config against the Switch node schema.
Run the filter-node validator (which covers Switch rules) before saving.

When it happens

Trigger: Writing a Switch node with parameters: { rules: { rules: [...] } } instead of { rules: { values: [...] } }.

Common situations: LLM/code-generated switch config that mirrors the outer key name; copy-paste error; misunderstanding the Switch node schema.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a0adee84215beb93. Report an issue: GitHub.