Workflow settings changes don't activate Save/Publish buttons

[shadmanZero]

Bug Description

When changing workflow settings (e.g., Error Workflow) via the three-dot menu → Settings, clicking "Save" in the settings modal shows a success message ("settings applied"), but the main toolbar Save/Publish buttons remain inactive/disabled.

The workflow is not actually marked as "dirty" (having unsaved changes), so users cannot save the workflow with the new settings unless they also make a visual change like dragging a node.

To Reproduce

1. Open any workflow in the Editor
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the workflow name
3. Click "Settings" to open Workflow Settings modal
4. Change any setting (e.g., select an Error Workflow)
5. Click "Save" in the modal
6. Observe: Modal closes, but Save/Publish buttons in toolbar remain disabled
7. The settings change is lost unless you drag/move a node first to activate the buttons

Expected behavior

After saving workflow settings in the modal, the Save/Publish buttons in the main toolbar should become active, indicating the workflow has unsaved changes that need to be published.

Debug Info

Debug info

core

• n8nVersion: 2.0.2
• platform: docker (self-hosted)
• nodeJsVersion: 22.21.0
• nodeEnv: production
• database: sqlite
• executionMode: regular
• concurrency: -1
• license: enterprise (production)

storage

• success: all
• error: all
• progress: false
• manual: true
• binaryMode: filesystem

pruning

• enabled: true
• maxAge: 336 hours
• maxCount: 10000 executions

client

• userAgent: mozilla/5.0 (macintosh; intel mac os x 10_15_7) applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko) chrome/144.0.0.0 safari/537.36
• isTouchDevice: false

Generated at: 2026-02-05T09:25:35.848Z

Operating System

docker(linux)

n8n Version

2.0.2

Node.js Version

22.21.0

Database

SQLite (default)

Execution mode

main (default)

Hosting

self hosted

[n8n-assistant]

Hey @shadmanZero,

Thank you for reaching out! We’ve received your issue and are looking into it. To help us track this internally, we’ve created a Linear ticket with the reference: "GHC-6683".

We’ll keep you updated as we make progress, but if you have any additional details or context to share, feel free to add them here - it’s always helpful!

Thanks for your patience and for bringing this to our attention.

---

For INTERNAL use only: GHC-6683

[MookieLian]

@shadmanZero Thanks for bringing this up! After reviewing the details, it seems like the behaviour you've reported is actually expected and not a bug. We can understand how this might seem confusing, so we've added a note to clarify things.

If you have any questions or need more details, feel free to reach out again, we're here to help!

Note that workflow settings are saved separately than the actual workflow content. Any changes made in the settings do not specifically require the workflow to be published, and results in the behaviour you have documented.

#closed:working-as-expected