n8n Heartbeat Check: Monitor Scheduled Workflow Completion

n8n runs tasks for you. A workflow is a set of steps, such as reading data and saving a file.

How do you know a scheduled workflow finished? You can send a heartbeat: a short signal sent after the work is done. Job Heartbeat can alert you if that signal is late or missing.

Keep the n8n checks and error alerts you already use. Also check your version's tools for handling missed runs.

1. Pick a safe starting point

Choose one scheduled workflow that is safe to pause. Check its schedule and time zone. Save and publish it in n8n.

Set up a matching check in Job Heartbeat. Allow for normal run time and the first scheduled run. Read the browser setup timing note to understand when monitoring starts and alerts are due.

2. Check that all the work is done

Decide what counts as success. Was the file saved? Were all the required records written?

Check every required item and step before sending a heartbeat. Decide whether a run with no items should count as success.

A green run does not prove that the data or AI output is correct. Your workflow must check its own results.

3. Send one heartbeat

Copy your check's unique heartbeat URL. Keep it private. Leave it out of screenshots and shared templates.

Add an HTTP Request node after all success checks. This is a step that contacts a web address. Choose GET and paste the URL. Leave “Never Error” off.

Combine the results so you send one heartbeat for the whole successful run, rather than one per item. Failed or skipped work must not send it. Keep it out of cleanup steps that always run.

Check the response status code and body (the reply's text). Also confirm that Job Heartbeat recorded the signal.

4. Test the alert

Use only that workflow. After a successful run, pause it past the alert deadline. Check that the alert email reaches your inbox.

Turn the workflow back on. Confirm that a later scheduled run finishes and sends a heartbeat.

This guide is based on documentation. We have not run or tested this setup or checked alert receipt. It includes no ready-to-import template.

Does your agent’s report match its evidence?

A heartbeat records a check-in. It does not prove the report is correct.

Consider this fictional pricing-monitoring run:
Before: $29 per seat per month, billed monthly, minimum five seats.
After: $39 per seat per month, billed monthly, minimum five seats.

The agent reports:

“The per-seat price increased by 34.5%.” Supported by these example inputs, rounded to one decimal place.
“Customers can now buy it for $39 per month.” Incorrect: the five-seat minimum makes the advertised minimum $195 per month.
“Existing customers will pay more on their next invoice.” Unsupported: these inputs say nothing about existing customers’ invoices.

All inputs and findings above are fabricated illustrations. No workflow or verification system was executed. This demonstrates a manual review format, not automated verification performance.

Want this kind of check for your agent workflow?

The $250 Workflow Review covers one workflow, one run, and one page of findings. Read the page first; pay if useful.

We use publicly accessible examples only for this experiment. Do not send private documents, credentials, or production access.

Email austinoaksadmin@icloud.com to ask about a pricing-brief review. Include only a public example link. Scope and timing will be confirmed manually before the review begins.