"Later" button now skips only current workflow step
Workflow setup "Later" button now skips just the current step instead of abandoning all remaining steps — progress on other setup cards is preserved.
In n8n's Instance AI workflow setup, clicking "Later" to defer a credential configuration was skipping not just the current step but every remaining step. Users would lose all progress and have to start over from the beginning.
The function was unconditionally deferring the entire setup to the backend, which treated this as a terminal exit rather than a step-by-step skip. The backend already supported partial applies — it just wasn't being given the chance.
With this fix, wizard mode now handles "Later" differently: it clears only the current card's selection, advances to the next step, and only defers the entire setup if no cards have been completed at all. If it's the last step and some cards have selections, those partial selections are applied. The backend receives a properly constructed payload with data and knows how to handle cards that have no selection.
The change is targeted and surgical — 21 lines added to one function in the frontend editor. No backend modifications were required since partial apply support already existed in State 4 of the setup workflow tooling.
View Original GitHub Description
Summary
Fixes a P0 bug in Instance AI workflow setup where clicking "Later" on a credential setup step skips all remaining steps instead of just the current one.
Root cause: handleLater() called confirmAction(requestId, false) unconditionally, which
sends approved: false to the backend. The backend treats this as a terminal exit and returns
{ deferred: true } without re-suspending for remaining steps.
Fix: In wizard mode, "Later" now:
- Clears the selection for the current card (explicit skip)
- Advances to the next step if there are more
- Auto-applies the partial set if it was the last step and some cards were completed
- Only defers the entire setup when no cards have been completed at all
No backend changes needed — the backend already supports partial applies (partial: true with
skippedNodes) via State 4 in setup-workflow.tool.ts.
Related Linear tickets, Github issues, and Community forum posts
https://www.notion.so/n8n/3355b6e0c94f8016ad04e72e8b3b1f05
Review / Merge checklist
- PR title and summary are descriptive. (conventions)
- Docs updated or follow-up ticket created.
- Tests included.