n8n-io/n8n · error · NodeOperationError

User ID is not available. This node requires an authenticate

Error message

User ID is not available. This node requires an authenticated user session.

What it means

Thrown by ensureUserId/getUserScopedSlot when the execution context has no authenticated user ID. The helper reads context.additionalData.userId and requires a non-empty string; if it is absent the user-scoped slot (collection/table/namespace name) cannot be derived. This guards user-scoped vector stores (e.g. AI memory).

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/nodes-langchain/nodes/vector_store/shared/userScoped.ts:35

): string {
	const userId = ensureUserId(context, itemIndex);
	return `${prefix}_${userId}`.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_]/g, '_');
}

export function ensureUserId(
	context: IExecuteFunctions | ISupplyDataFunctions | ILoadOptionsFunctions,
	itemIndex?: number,
): string {
	const userId =
		'additionalData' in context &&
		typeof context.additionalData === 'object' &&
		context.additionalData !== null &&
		'userId' in context.additionalData
			? context.additionalData.userId
			: undefined;

	if (typeof userId !== 'string' || !userId) {
		throw new NodeOperationError(
			context.getNode(),
			'User ID is not available. This node requires an authenticated user session.',
			{ itemIndex },
		);
	}

	return userId;
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

1. Run the user-scoped memory node from an authenticated UI session so additionalData.userId is populated.
2. If triggering via API/webhook, ensure the execution carries the owning user (check n8n user/owner execution settings).
3. For non-interactive workloads, use a non-user-scoped vector store node instead.
4. Confirm the n8n version propagates additionalData.userId to the execution context for your trigger type.

Example fix

// before: workflow triggered by anonymous webhook -> additionalData.userId undefined
// after:  run from an authenticated session, or switch to a non-user-scoped store node

const ad = (context as any).additionalData; const userId = ad && typeof ad === 'object' && typeof ad.userId === 'string' ? ad.userId : undefined; if (!userId) { /* switch to non-user-scoped node, or abort with a clear message */ }

function hasUserId(c: unknown): c is { additionalData: { userId: string } } { const ad = (c as any)?.additionalData; return !!ad && typeof ad.userId === 'string' && ad.userId.length > 0; }

try { const slot = getUserScopedSlot(context, prefix); } catch (e) { if (/User ID is not available/.test(e.message)) { /* use non-scoped fallback or stop */ } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: getUserScopedSlot or ensureUserId is called in a context where additionalData.userId is undefined or non-string — e.g. executing the workflow via API/trigger without a user session, running in a worker/process that does not propagate the user, or using a user-scoped memory node outside an authenticated UI session.

Common situations: Manual/test run without a logged-in owner; webhook/queue-triggered execution that does not carry a user; self-hosted setup where the user session is not forwarded to the executing process; using a user-scoped node in a context that n8n does not consider user-authenticated.

Understand the failure class

• Authentication and authorization failures — expired tokens, bad credentials, and missing scopes.

Related errors

• Run ${this.runId} is not suspended. Cannot resume.
• Invalid memory configuration. Use: new Memory() for in-proce
• Observational memory requires a storage backend that impleme
• Episodic memory requires a storage backend that implements B
• Invalid filter operator "${operator}" for key "${key}". Supp

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d20a6e3830430525. Report an issue: GitHub.