Test the failure path before adding live integrations.

WHAT IT TESTS

A small deterministic harness for the paths that usually fail later.

The workflow starts manually and creates only local synthetic data. It checks a ready item, a repeated item, a retryable failure, an exhausted retry, and invalid input. The final node throws unless the expected distribution and every zero-action boundary still hold.

1. 01
   Seed

   Create five deterministic fixtures with no customer or personal data.

2. 02
   Validate

   Check required fields and classify an in-run duplicate before any action is planned.

3. 03
   Route

   Separate ready, duplicate, bounded retry, and accountable review outcomes.

4. 04
   Fail closed

   Throw if seven count and safety invariants do not match the expected result.

IMPORT AND RUN

Use a test instance. Read the notes before extending it.

1. 01
   Download

   Save the static workflow JSON from this page. No form, account, email, or tracking request is involved.

2. 02
   Inspect

   Review the four Sticky Notes and five functional nodes, then import the file into an authorized non-production n8n environment.

3. 03
   Execute

   Run the Manual Trigger. No credential setup is required because the workflow contains no external node.

4. 04
   Verify

   Confirm the final node reports five fixtures, seven assertions, and zero duplicate effects, side effects, and external actions.

n8n documents workflow JSON import in its official import and export guide. The published file was imported and executed locally in n8n 2.26.8 before release.

EXPECTED RESULT

One ready, one duplicate, one retry, and two review items.

• Fixture count5
• Outcome countsready: 1, duplicate: 1, retry: 1, review: 2
• Assertion count7
• Safety resultduplicate_effects: 0, side_effects_executed: 0, external_actions: 0
• Execution capabilitynone. The harness can classify and plan, but it cannot change an outside system.