RecipeAgents / n8n nodes / Structured Output Parser
Node reference · data pulled Oct 26, 2026n8n Structured Output Parser node: what the data shows
Makes an AI chain or agent return JSON in a shape you define.
What it does
You give it a JSON example or a JSON Schema, and it tells the model to answer in that shape and checks the result. Since mid-2025 it can retry with an auto-fix step when the model's output doesn't match.
It pairs most with the Basic LLM Chain and with Gemini and OpenRouter models.
How often public templates use it
2,181 of the 13,574 public templates on n8n.io (16.1%) 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 | 38 of 462 | 8.2% |
| 2025 | 1,166 of 6,564 | 17.8% |
| 2026 | 975 of 5,845 | 16.7% |
The median template using this node has 286 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AI Agent | 75.0% | 2.40× |
| Edit Fields (Set) | 70.1% | 1.26× |
| Code | 56.9% | 0.96× |
| OpenAI Chat Model | 55.6% | 2.43× |
| If | 53.0% | 1.05× |
| HTTP Request | 52.1% | 1.01× |
Strong pairings (in at least 5% of its templates, lift 1.5× or more): 14. The top ones:
| Strong partner | Share of its templates | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-fixing Output Parser | 5.5% | 6.22× |
| Basic LLM Chain | 32.2% | 3.13× |
| OpenRouter Chat Model | 10.9% | 2.74× |
| Gemini Chat Model | 24.3% | 2.57× |
| Anthropic Chat Model | 8.3% | 2.53× |
| OpenAI Chat Model | 55.6% | 2.43× |
| AI Agent | 75.0% | 2.40× |
| Aggregate | 19.5% | 2.09× |
Most viewed public templates that use it: Automate multi platform social media content creation with ai (442,651 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Output Parser | 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 | 1.3 | none needed | – |
Source on GitHub: packages/@n8n/nodes-langchain/nodes/output_parser/OutputParserStructured: 31 commits since 2023-11-29, last on 2026-09-09.
Recent fixes and features
- 2025-07-29: fix(Structured Output Parser Node): Handle passed objects that do not match schema (PR #17774)
- 2025-06-05: feat(Structured Output Parser Node): Mark all parameters as required for schemas generated from JSON example (PR #15935)
- 2025-06-05: feat(Structured Output Parser Node): Add notice about $refs support in JSON schema (PR #15973)
- 2025-06-04: feat(Structured Output Parser Node): Add auto-fix support to Strucutred Output Parser (PR #15915)
- 2024-10-22: feat(Structured Output Parser Node): Refactor Output Parsers and Improve Error Handling (PR #11148)
Merged dates from GitHub. A fix only helps once your n8n instance runs a release that includes it, so check your version.
Known problems
- Unreliable with agents. The docs say parsing is more reliable with a separate LLM chain after the agent than attached to the agent itself. Source: n8n docs
- Turn on the required format. The parent node must be set to require a specific output format, or the parser isn't used. Source: n8n docs
- Not for intermediate steps. It shapes the final answer, not an agent's steps in between. Source: n8n docs
- Objects that don't match. Handling of returned objects that don't fit the schema was fixed in July 2025. Source: n8n PR #17774
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
1 of our 25 importable workflows uses this node:
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
- Simple Memory1,086 templates · score 71.7
- AI Agent4,246 templates · score 69.9
- OpenAI Chat Model3,104 templates · score 69.6
- Google Gemini Chat Model1,285 templates · score 65.1
- All 22 nodesSortable table with the scoring method
Questions
- How many n8n templates use the Structured Output Parser node?
- 2,181 of the 13,574 public templates on n8n.io (16.1%), in our snapshot of 2026-10-20.
- What is the Structured Output Parser node most often used with?
- AI Agent, which appears in 75.0% of its templates. The most distinctive partner is Auto-fixing Output Parser (lift 6.2×).
- How do I get JSON out of an AI node in n8n?
- Attach a Structured Output Parser to a Basic LLM Chain, turn on the required output format, and describe the shape with an example or schema.
- JSON example or JSON Schema?
- An example is quicker; a schema lets you mark fields required and set types precisely.