RecipeAgents / n8n nodes / Schedule Trigger
Node reference · data pulled Oct 26, 2026n8n Schedule Trigger node: what the data shows
Starts a workflow on a timetable: every few minutes, daily, weekly, or by cron expression.
What it does
You pick an interval (seconds up to months) or write a cron expression; several rules can live in one node. It only fires once the workflow is published. It is the main trigger for reports, digests and polling jobs.
Templates that use it lean on Filter, Limit and Data Table, which fits the pattern of fetching a batch, keeping what's new and recording what was processed.
How often public templates use it
4,315 of the 13,574 public templates on n8n.io (31.8%) contain this node, in the snapshot we took on 2026-10-20. The table splits that by the year each template was published. 2026 runs to October 20.
| Year published | Templates with the node | Share of that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 121 of 462 | 26.2% |
| 2025 | 1,769 of 6,564 | 27.0% |
| 2026 | 2,412 of 5,845 | 41.3% |
The median template using this node has 124 views on n8n.io, against 284 for all templates. Template counts show what people publish, not what runs in production.
What it is used with
The most frequent partners are the nodes that appear most often in the same templates. "Lift" compares that with the whole library: 2× means the partner turns up twice as often next to this node as in an average template.
| Most frequent partner | Share of its templates | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Code | 74.9% | 1.26× |
| Edit Fields (Set) | 61.7% | 1.11× |
| If | 58.8% | 1.16× |
| HTTP Request | 58.3% | 1.13× |
| Google Sheets | 46.2% | 1.29× |
| Gmail | 30.4% | 1.35× |
Strong pairings (in at least 5% of its templates, lift 1.5× or more): 4. The top ones:
| Strong partner | Share of its templates | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Data Table | 6.5% | 1.71× |
| Filter | 16.2% | 1.68× |
| Limit | 5.7% | 1.64× |
| Send Email | 8.3% | 1.53× |
Most viewed public templates that use it: Fully automated ai video generation and multi platform publishing (402,403 views); Generate ai viral videos with seedance and upload to tiktok youtube and instagram (349,477 views); Generate ai viral videos with veo 3 and upload to tiktok (305,790 views).
Versions and changes
Node versions from the npm packages n8n-nodes-base and @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain, version 2.44.4. New workflows get the default version; workflows built earlier keep the version they were built with until you replace the node.
| Node | Versions | Default | Credential types | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule Trigger | 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 | 1.4 | none needed | – |
Source on GitHub: packages/nodes-base/nodes/Schedule: 58 commits since 2022-10-18, last on 2026-10-13.
Recent fixes and features
- 2026-08-14: feat(Schedule Trigger Node): Add a per-node missed execution grace period (PR #35771)
- 2026-08-13: feat(Schedule Trigger Node): Add "If Execution Is Missed" option (PR #35626)
- 2026-08-06: fix(Schedule Node): Apply declared interval defaults to stored rules (PR #35271)
- 2026-07-29: fix(Schedule Node): Run non-dividing minute intervals by elapsed time (PR #35062)
- 2026-06-25: fix(Schedule Node): Fix schedules that permanently stop firing (PR #32877)
- 2026-05-11: fix(Schedule Node): Fix hourly intervals that don't divide evenly into 24h (PR #29778)
Merged dates from GitHub. A fix only helps once your n8n instance runs a release that includes it, so check your version.
Known problems
- Cron with six fields. n8n's cron accepts a seconds field, so expressions copied from five-field tools can read differently. Check the expression before publishing. Source: n8n docs
- Runs at the wrong hour. The schedule uses the instance timezone (GENERIC_TIMEZONE) unless the workflow has its own timezone setting. Source: n8n docs
- Changes don't apply. Edits to the interval or to variables take effect only after you publish the workflow again. Source: n8n docs
- Schedules that stop firing. A June 2026 fix addressed schedules that could permanently stop running; older versions should update. Source: n8n PR #32877
- Every N minutes no longer on the clock (n8n 2.45). From n8n 2.45.0 (released Oct 20, 2026; the current stable line on Oct 29) the durable scheduler is on by default, and Seconds and Minutes intervals run a steady N apart counted from the moment you published the workflow, not on clock boundaries. Publish an every-15-minutes workflow at 10:07 and it runs at 10:22, 10:37 and so on, never at :00, :15, :30 or :45. Existing nodes switch on upgrade without republishing, so a report that used to land on the quarter hour can quietly move. If the time matters, use Custom (Cron) with
*/15 * * * *: cron rules keep their timing. Self-hosters can setN8N_SCHEDULER_TRIGGER_NODE_MODE=legacyfor now, but n8n has already deprecated it. Hours, days, weeks and months fire as before. Source: n8n docs - Missed runs. Since August 2026 there is an option for what to do when an execution is missed (for example during downtime). Source: n8n PR #35626
- Runs missed during a restart. On the durable scheduler a run due while n8n was down still fires late if it is within its grace period (one minute by default; nodes added from n8n 2.36 can set their own Missed Execution Grace Period). After that the If Execution Is Missed option decides, and its default, Don't Run Missed Executions, drops the run. For a daily or weekly job, pick Run the Most Recent Missed Execution. Source: n8n docs
Forum trouble signal: not measured. The n8n community forum's terms forbid automated access, so we don't count forum threads.
Our recipes that use it
6 of our 25 importable workflows use this node:
- Monday digest of what's due this weekn8n JSON you can import
- Remind me 30 days before a contract renewsn8n JSON you can import
- Find the questions your FAQ doesn't answern8n JSON you can import
- Weekly link roundup from your saved bookmarksn8n JSON you can import
- Weekly list of newsletters you never openn8n JSON you can import
- Daily Slack channel digest with Clauden8n JSON you can import
Official docs and sources
Usage, pairings, AI share and views: our count of 13,574 public n8n.io templates (snapshot 2026-10-20). Versions: npm packages, version 2.44.4. Changes: n8n's GitHub repository. Docs read and data pulled Oct 26, 2026. We describe each node in our own words; the docs are the authority on settings.
Related nodes
- Chat Trigger761 templates · score 68.1
- Webhook2,676 templates · score 51.0
- n8n Form Trigger1,559 templates · score 50.5
- All 22 nodesSortable table with the scoring method
Questions
- How many n8n templates use the Schedule Trigger node?
- 4,315 of the 13,574 public templates on n8n.io (31.8%), in our snapshot of 2026-10-20.
- What is the Schedule Trigger node most often used with?
- Code, which appears in 74.9% of its templates. The most distinctive partner is Data Table (lift 1.7×).
- Why did my n8n schedule not run?
- Most often the workflow isn't published, the timezone differs from what you expect, or you edited the interval without republishing. Older versions also had a bug that stopped some schedules for good.
- Schedule Trigger or Cron node?
- The Schedule Trigger replaced the old Cron node and accepts cron expressions itself.
- Why does my every-15-minutes n8n schedule run at odd minutes?
- Since n8n 2.45.0, Seconds and Minutes intervals count from when you published the workflow, not from the clock. To run on the quarter hour, use a Custom (Cron) rule such as */15 * * * *.