Migrate Pipedream workflows to n8n: step by step

Published November 11, 2026 · Last updated November 11, 2026 · Facts checked against Pipedream's and n8n's docs on November 11, 2026

Pipedream announced that Pipedream Workflows and String will shut down on March 31, 2027 (Pipedream docs). Workflows is in maintenance mode: no new signups or subscriptions and no new features. All Workflows data is deleted by April 30, 2027. Pipedream Connect is not affected.

n8n has a node or setting for almost every Pipedream building block, but nothing converts one into the other. This guide maps each Pipedream concept to its n8n equivalent, walks through the move, and ends with a small workflow shown both ways, with an n8n file you can import.

Pipedream to n8n: what maps to what

Each name links to that product's own documentation. We checked every link on November 11, 2026.

Also see the n8n Switch node (for Pipedream's Switch), the Error Trigger node, the Data Table node and the node settings page, which lists Retry On Fail and the On Error options.

Step by step: from Pipedream to n8n before March 31, 2027

1. Export every Pipedream project

1. Open the project in the Pipedream dashboard and select Settings.
2. Click Export Workflows at the bottom of the settings panel. Pipedream builds the archive in the background.
3. Open File Store in the project and download project_export-<project_id>.zip. Your plan must include File Stores.

Export runs one project at a time, up to 500 workflows or 256 MB per export. Each project can hold one export; to export again, delete the old zip first (export docs).

2. Make a list of what you have to rebuild

The zip holds a manifest.json and one JSON file per workflow with its triggers, steps, code, configured props and control flow branches. In the manifest:

• warnings names every secret prop and connected account you must re-enter.
• skipped_never_deployed means the workflow was never deployed, so there is nothing to export.
• truncated: true means the export hit a limit. Move some workflows to another project and export that one too.

The export does not contain secret values, connected account tokens, environment variables, event history, data store contents, File Store files or the code of private multi-file components. Copy environment variable names, download data store and File Store data, and keep the source of private components before April 30, 2027.

3. Recreate it in n8n

1. Create the credentials first, one per Pipedream connected account and per API key you kept in an environment variable.
2. Move non-secret config into custom variables if your plan has them. Keys allow letters, numbers and underscores, up to 50 characters, and values up to 1,000 characters.
3. Rebuild each workflow node by node with the table above: trigger first, then each step in order, then the If and Switch branches.
4. Rewrite each code step for the n8n Code node. Read input from $input or $json instead of steps, and return items.
5. Recreate data stores as data tables. A data table tab can import a CSV.
6. Create one error workflow that starts with the Error Trigger node, and select it under Settings > Error workflow in each rebuilt workflow.

4. Test with real payloads

In n8n, open the Webhook node, select Listen for test event, and send the same request your app sends to Pipedream to the test URL (n8n workflow development). Copy a few real events from Pipedream's event history before it is gone, and compare the output of each node with the matching Pipedream step. A Schedule Trigger only fires on its own once the workflow is published, so run it by hand while you test.

5. Cut over

1. Publish the n8n workflow. n8n registers the production webhook URL when you publish.
2. Change every sender (app webhook settings, forms, your own code) from the Pipedream endpoint to the n8n production URL.
3. Watch the n8n Executions tab for a few days. Production runs show there, not on the canvas.
4. Turn the Pipedream workflow off in its settings once traffic has moved, and keep it as a reference until March 31, 2027.

Example: a new-lead webhook that posts to Slack

A form or app sends each new lead as JSON. The workflow cleans up the fields in a code step and posts one line to a Slack channel. The same three steps, in each tool.

In Pipedream

1. Trigger: HTTP / Webhook. The request body arrives as steps.trigger.event.body.
2. Node.js code step named normalize_lead:

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const lead = steps.trigger.event.body ?? {}
    const email = String(lead.email ?? '').trim().toLowerCase()
    const name = String(lead.name ?? '').trim() || 'Unknown'
    const company = String(lead.company ?? '').trim() || 'n/a'
    return { email, name, company, slackText: `New lead: ${name} (${email}) from ${company}` }
  },
})

3. A Slack action that sends a message to #new-leads, with the text set to {{steps.normalize_lead.$return_value.slackText}} and the Slack account connected to the step.

In n8n

1. Webhook node, POST, path new-lead. n8n hands the request on as { body, headers, params, query }, so the lead is in $json.body.
2. Code node in JavaScript, Run Once for All Items. Same logic, but it reads $input.all() and returns a list of items with a json key (n8n data structure).
3. Slack node, Message > Send, channel #new-leads, text {{ $json.slackText }}. The file turns off the node's Include Link to Workflow option, so the message holds only the lead.

Download the workflow: pipedream-to-n8n-lead-to-slack.json. In n8n, use Import from File from the editor menu, or copy the JSON below and paste it on the canvas (n8n import docs). It holds no credentials. After import, open the Slack node and pick your Slack credential (Slack credentials).

{
  "name": "Pipedream migration example: new lead webhook to Slack",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "httpMethod": "POST",
        "path": "new-lead",
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "1a028272-e210-42f1-a09a-7efd4f41fec3",
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "typeVersion": 2.1,
      "position": [
        0,
        0
      ],
      "webhookId": "3ef70781-157d-4339-934a-9ddfe20bb49c"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "jsCode": "// Pipedream: steps.trigger.event.body. n8n: the Webhook node puts the request body in $json.body.\nreturn $input.all().map((item) => {\n  const lead = item.json.body ?? {};\n  const email = String(lead.email ?? '').trim().toLowerCase();\n  const name = String(lead.name ?? '').trim() || 'Unknown';\n  const company = String(lead.company ?? '').trim() || 'n/a';\n  return {\n    json: {\n      email,\n      name,\n      company,\n      slackText: `New lead: ${name} (${email}) from ${company}`,\n    },\n  };\n});"
      },
      "id": "201f42c0-7636-4676-b33f-1bf43d1b47fe",
      "name": "Normalize lead",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [
        220,
        0
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "select": "channel",
        "channelId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "#new-leads",
          "mode": "name"
        },
        "text": "={{ $json.slackText }}",
        "otherOptions": {
          "includeLinkToWorkflow": false
        }
      },
      "id": "bfc129ea-168e-45e9-98ba-6d3f94616946",
      "name": "Post to Slack",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "typeVersion": 2.3,
      "position": [
        440,
        0
      ]
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Webhook": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Normalize lead",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Normalize lead": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Post to Slack",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "pinData": {},
  "settings": {
    "executionOrder": "v1"
  }
}

We imported this file into n8n 2.46.4 with n8n import:workflow on a clean machine, checked each parameter against the node definitions in that release, and ran the Code node logic on a sample lead. Send a test lead with:

curl -X POST "<your test or production URL>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Ada Lovelace","email":" Ada@Example.com ","company":"Analytical Engines"}'

The Slack message reads New lead: Ada Lovelace (ada@example.com) from Analytical Engines.

Gotchas both docs agree on

• npm packages. A Pipedream Node.js step can import most npm packages, and Pipedream downloads them each time you deploy (Node.js docs). On n8n Cloud the Code node cannot import external npm modules, only crypto and moment. Self-hosted n8n can allow more with NODE_FUNCTION_ALLOW_EXTERNAL (enable modules).
• HTTP calls from code. Pipedream code steps make HTTP requests directly (HTTP requests in Node.js). n8n's Code node docs say you cannot make HTTP requests or access the file system from it, and point you to the HTTP Request and Read/Write File From Disk nodes (Code node). Split those steps into a Code node plus an HTTP Request node.
• Python. Pipedream runs Python 3.12 and installs PyPI packages you import (Python docs). n8n's native Python on n8n Cloud cannot import any library, supports only _items and _item, and needs bracket access such as item["json"].
• Go and Bash. Pipedream code steps also run Go and Bash (code steps). The n8n Code node runs JavaScript or Python, so rewrite those steps in one of the two.
• Auth in code. In Pipedream a code step reads a connected account's token from this.slack.$auth (connecting apps). In n8n, the credential goes on an app node or the HTTP Request node, since the Code node cannot make HTTP calls.
• Variables. Pipedream environment variable values can be up to 64 KB, scoped to the workspace or to one project (environment variables). n8n custom variables hold up to 1,000 characters, are read-only strings, and need a Pro or Enterprise Cloud plan or a Business or Enterprise self-hosted license.
• Retries. Pipedream auto-retry reruns a failed step up to 8 times over 10 hours with exponential backoff, on the Advanced plan. n8n's Retry On Fail allows at most 5 tries with at most 5 seconds between them (n8n rate limits).
• Secrets in exports. Pipedream replaces secrets with <redacted>. n8n workflow exports include credential names and IDs, and HTTP Request nodes imported from cURL can hold auth headers, so clean a file before you share it.

Start from a template

These AY N8N templates cover the same patterns, so you can start from a working workflow:

• Slack messages from a webhook
• Webhook to Google Sheets
• JavaScript data processing in the Code node
• Error handling with Slack alerts
• Attach a default error workflow to all active workflows

If you would rather hand the rebuild to a team, AY Automate builds and migrates n8n workflows.

FAQ

Sources: Pipedream Workflows shutdown notice, Pipedream export docs, Pipedream triggers, Pipedream error handling, n8n Code node, n8n Webhook node, n8n Slack node and n8n error handling, all checked November 11, 2026.