Error Trigger Node

Start a separate error-handling workflow automatically when any node in your main workflow throws a non-retriable error. Use it to alert your team, log the failure, and recover gracefully.

How It Works

  1. Add an Error Trigger node as the first node in a dedicated error-handling workflow
  2. When any node in any other workflow throws a NonRetriableError, Nodebase automatically fires this trigger
  3. The error details (node name, error message, workflow ID) are injected into context
  4. Downstream nodes in the error workflow can alert your team, create a support ticket, or send a notification
The Error Trigger fires for non-retriable errors only. Transient errors (network timeouts, rate limits) are automatically retried by Inngest before the Error Trigger fires.

Output Variables

VariableTypeDescriptionExample
{{errorTrigger.message}}stringThe error message from the failed node"Invalid API key"
{{errorTrigger.failedNodeName}}stringHuman-readable name of the node that failed"Shiprocket - Create Order"
{{errorTrigger.failedNodeId}}stringInternal node ID"node_abc123"
{{errorTrigger.failedNodeType}}stringNode type identifier"SHIPROCKET"
{{errorTrigger.failedAt}}stringISO timestamp of the failure"2026-04-01T10:30:00.000Z"
{{errorTrigger.workflowId}}stringID of the workflow that failed"wf_xyz789"
{{errorTrigger.executionId}}stringID of the specific execution that failed"exec_def456"

Complete Workflow Examples

Slack Error Alert

Use case: Alert the engineering team on Slack whenever any workflow node fails.

textWorkflow
Error Trigger
→ Slack — Send Message
    channel: #alerts
    text:    "🚨 *Workflow Error*
              *Node:* {{errorTrigger.failedNodeName}} ({{errorTrigger.failedNodeType}})
              *Error:* {{errorTrigger.message}}
              *Workflow:* {{errorTrigger.workflowId}}
              *Execution:* {{errorTrigger.executionId}}
              *Time:* {{errorTrigger.failedAt}}"

Multi-Channel Error Notification

Use case: For critical payment workflow failures, alert both Slack and email.

textWorkflow
Error Trigger
→ If / Else
    Condition: {{errorTrigger.failedNodeType}} equals "RAZORPAY"
  TRUE  → Gmail — Send Email
            to:      tech@yourcompany.com
            subject: "CRITICAL: Razorpay node failed"
            body:    "Error: {{errorTrigger.message}}
                      Execution: {{errorTrigger.executionId}}"
          → Slack — Send Message
            channel: #critical-alerts
            text: "🔴 CRITICAL: Razorpay failure! {{errorTrigger.message}}"
  FALSE → Slack — Send Message
            channel: #alerts
            text: "⚠️ {{errorTrigger.failedNodeName}} failed: {{errorTrigger.message}}"

Log Errors to Google Sheets

Use case: Maintain a full error log for compliance and debugging.

textWorkflow
Error Trigger
→ Google Sheets — Append Row
    spreadsheetId: {{env.ERROR_LOG_SHEET_ID}}
    values:
      - timestamp:    {{errorTrigger.failedAt}}
      - workflowId:   {{errorTrigger.workflowId}}
      - executionId:  {{errorTrigger.executionId}}
      - nodeName:     {{errorTrigger.failedNodeName}}
      - nodeType:     {{errorTrigger.failedNodeType}}
      - errorMessage: {{errorTrigger.message}}

Common Issues & Solutions

IssueCauseSolution
Error Trigger not firingError is retriable — Inngest is still retryingError Trigger only fires for NonRetriableError after all retries are exhausted
Error Trigger workflow itself failsMisconfigured Slack/Gmail in the error workflowTest your error workflow manually before relying on it in production
Too many Slack messagesHigh-traffic workflow with frequent errorsAdd If/Else to only alert for specific node types, or add a Wait node to debounce

Related Nodes

  • Slack — send error alerts to your team channel
  • Gmail — email critical error details to the dev team
  • If / Else — route on {{errorTrigger.failedNodeType}} for different alert levels
  • Google Sheets — log errors for long-term audit trail
WhatsApp TriggerMSG91