n8n-io/n8n · error · NotFoundError

Target user not found

Error message

Target user not found

What it means

Returned by PATCH /users/:id/role when userRepository.findOne({id,relations:['role']}) returns null — the target user does not exist. Message is the NO_USER constant ('Target user not found') from UsersController.ERROR_MESSAGES.CHANGE_ROLE. HTTP 404. Fires after the self-role and provisioning guards.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/controllers/users.controller.ts:365

		if (await this.provisioningService.isInstanceRoleManaged()) {
			throw new ForbiddenError(
				'Instance roles are managed automatically and cannot be changed manually',
			);
		}

		const { NO_ADMIN_ON_OWNER, NO_USER, NO_OWNER_ON_OWNER, CANNOT_CHANGE_OWN_ROLE } =
			UsersController.ERROR_MESSAGES.CHANGE_ROLE;

		if (req.user.id === id) {
			throw new ForbiddenError(CANNOT_CHANGE_OWN_ROLE);
		}

		const targetUser = await this.userRepository.findOne({
			where: { id },
			relations: ['role'],
		});
		if (targetUser === null) {
			throw new NotFoundError(NO_USER);
		}

		if (
			req.user.role.slug === GLOBAL_ADMIN_ROLE.slug &&
			targetUser.role.slug === GLOBAL_OWNER_ROLE.slug
		) {
			throw new ForbiddenError(NO_ADMIN_ON_OWNER);
		}

		if (
			req.user.role.slug === GLOBAL_OWNER_ROLE.slug &&
			targetUser.role.slug === GLOBAL_OWNER_ROLE.slug
		) {
			throw new ForbiddenError(NO_OWNER_ON_OWNER);
		}

		await this.userService.changeUserRole(targetUser, payload);

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

1. Verify the target user exists (GET /users/:id) before issuing the role change.
2. Do not retry the same id; treat 404 as terminal.
3. Refresh the admin user list and re-select the target.

async function ensureTargetUserExists(id: string) {
  const r = await fetch(`/rest/users/${id}`);
  if (r.status === 404) throw new Error(`Target user ${id} not found; refresh the user list`);
}

try { await fetch(`/rest/users/${id}/role`, { method: 'PATCH', body }); }
catch (e) { if (e.statusCode === 404) { /* refresh list, reselect */ } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: PATCH /users/<unknown-or-deleted-id>/role with a valid RoleChangeRequestDto; target id is not in the users table.

Common situations: Operating on a stale user list; user was deleted between page load and role change; cross-environment id mismatch.

Related errors

• User not found
• User to generate invite link for not found
• Request to delete a user failed because the user to delete w
• Request to delete a user failed because the transferee proje
• Cannot change your own global role

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3115e29e0e07e3f7. Report an issue: GitHub.