When Executed by Another Workflow Trigger (Accept all data) does not output items when called by Execute Workflow

[Obito-404]

Bug Description

n8n Version: 1.91.2
Deployment Method: Docker

Description:
I have a parent workflow that uses an Execute Workflow node to call a child workflow. The child workflow starts with a "When executed by another workflow" trigger node, configured with "Input data mode" set to "Accept all data".

The parent workflow's Execute Workflow node receives input data from a previous node (e.g., a Code node outputting 1 item with a JSON structure like { "json": { "extractedUrls": ["..."] } }).

The Execute Workflow node successfully executes and triggers the child workflow. A corresponding execution record exists for the child workflow, starting with the trigger node.

However, when inspecting the execution details of the child workflow, the "When executed by another workflow" trigger node shows 0 output items, even though:

1. The parent workflow's Execute Workflow node had input items to send.
2. The trigger is set to "Accept all data", which should accept all data unconditionally.
3. The call itself was successful (the child workflow execution started).

This prevents any subsequent nodes in the child workflow from processing the data.

(Note: An initial "Invalid URL" error in the Execute Workflow node was resolved by correctly setting N8N_HOST and N8N_PROTOCOL environment variables for the Docker container).

To Reproduce

Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Create a child workflow starting with a "When executed by another workflow" trigger node.
2. Set this trigger node's "Input data mode" to "Accept all data".
3. Add a simple node after the trigger (e.g., a Set node with a fixed value).
4. Save and activate the child workflow.
5. Create a parent workflow. Add a Start node.
6. Add a Set node after the Start node to create some test data (e.g., set a field named testField to "hello").
7. Add an Execute Workflow node after the Set node. Configure it to call the child workflow created in step 1 (Source: Database, select the workflow from the list or by ID).
8. Ensure your n8n Docker environment is configured with correct N8N_HOST and N8N_PROTOCOL environment variables.
9. Run the parent workflow.
10. Go to the "Executions" page, find the parent workflow's execution, click the Execute Workflow node, and use "View sub-execution" to go to the child workflow's execution.
11. In the child workflow's execution details, click the "When executed by another workflow" trigger node.
12. Inspect the "Output Data" for this trigger node.

Expected behavior

Expected behavior:
The "When executed by another workflow" trigger node in the child workflow (with "Accept all data" mode) should output the exact same items that were input to the parent workflow's Execute Workflow node. In the reproduction steps, the Output Data should show 1 item with the data from the parent workflow's Set node (e.g., { "json": { "testField": "hello" } }).

Operating System

Rockey 9.5

n8n Version

1.9.1

Node.js Version

20.19.0

Database

SQLite (default)

Execution mode

main (default)

[Joffcom]

Hey @Obito-404,

We have created an internal ticket to look into this which we will be tracking as "GHC-1999"

[Joffcom]

Thanks for reporting this issue! We’ve attempted to reproduce the problem, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to replicate it. It’s possible there was some environmental or other variable that prevented us from seeing the same behavior.

Can you go to the settings of the Execute workflow nodes both the trigger and the normal node and check the versions to make sure they both say latest?

If you’re still encountering this issue, please provide any additional details or steps to reproduce it, and we’d be happy to investigate further. Thanks for your understanding!

[Joffcom]

As we haven’t heard back from you, we’re going to close this issue to keep things organized. But don’t worry, if you have more information or need further assistance, you’re welcome to reopen the issue anytime or create a new one. We’re always happy to help!

Thanks for reaching out and have a great day! If this was closed by mistake and you have been waiting for us let me know and I can also re-open it.

[Joffcom]

As we haven’t heard back from you, we’re going to close this issue to keep things organized. But don’t worry, if you have more information or need further assistance, you’re welcome to reopen the issue anytime or create a new one. We’re always happy to help!

Thanks for reaching out and have a great day! If this was closed by mistake and you have been waiting for us let me know and I can also re-open it.