Switch without fallback in n8n
Why Switch nodes without a default route can silently lose data
What is this issue?
A Switch node routes items based on conditions. When an item doesn't match any defined route and there's no fallback/default route, that item is silently dropped from the workflow without any error or warning.
Silent data loss scenarios:
•New status values not handled by existing routes•Unexpected data formats not matching any condition•Edge cases like null or empty values•Data format changes from upstream APIs
Why is this dangerous?
Silent data loss
Items that don't match any route simply disappear without any error, making issues hard to detect.
Incomplete processing
Some records may be processed successfully while others are silently dropped.
Hard to debug
Without errors or logs, you may not realize data is being lost until much later.
Unexpected behavior
When upstream systems add new values, your workflow breaks silently.
How to fix it
- 1
Add a fallback route
Configure a default/fallback output in your Switch node that catches all non-matching items.
- 2
Handle fallback appropriately
Connect the fallback to a logging node, error handler, or manual review queue.
- 3
Add alerting for fallback
If items hit the fallback route, send a notification so you know to update your Switch conditions.
- 4
Review periodically
Check your fallback logs regularly to identify new cases that need explicit handling.
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