AI setup wizard now preserves nested parameter edits

aalises

·Apr 10, 2026·#28239fix(editor): Address high-severity issues in parity of Instance AI setup wizard (no-changelog)

Nested parameter edits in the AI setup wizard are preserved on apply. Credentials re-test automatically when selections change, and parent/subnode grouping now shares credential state correctly.

The AI setup wizard in n8n had five gaps in parity with the old AI builder setup panel. Edits to nested parameters (collections, fixedCollections, resourceMappers) made via the Node Detail View were silently dropped when users clicked Apply. Credential testing was static—relying on stale backend results instead of re-testing when selections changed. Group-level credential changes weren't propagating to all nodes in a group, and parent nodes weren't correctly grouped with their AI sub-nodes during display.

The setup wizard now falls back to the workflow store when building node parameters, so NDV edits survive apply. A live validation system watches for newly discovered conditional required fields and adds them to a tracked set. When a credential is selected, it triggers a background test and the UI shows spinner/check/warning states in real time. Shared credentials now sync across all nodes in a credential group. Parent AI nodes and their sub-nodes (connected via non-Main connections) are grouped together for navigation and rendering, with each group section getting its own expression context.

The changes span the @n8n/instance-ai package, the editor frontend's AI features, and the workflow SDK. The work addresses tickets AI-2338 through AI-2342.

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Summary

Closes 5 parity gaps between the Instance AI SetupWorkflow wizard and the old AI builder setup panel. The wizard now handles credential testing, parameter validation, credential propagation, NDV edits, and AI agent node grouping correctly.

NDV edit persistence: buildNodeParameters() now falls back to workflowsStore node parameters, so edits made via the Node Detail View for nested/complex parameters (collection, fixedCollection, resourceMapper, etc.) are no longer silently dropped on Apply.

Live parameter validation & field discovery: Replaced static card.hasParamIssues with a live cardHasParamWork() helper backed by trackedParamNames — a sticky set that grows as getNodeParametersIssues() discovers new conditional required fields. Added liveEscalatedCredTypes to dynamically split shared credential cards into per-node cards when any node gains parameter work at runtime.

Credential re-testing on selection change: Added testCredentialInBackground() with store-derived state. getEffectiveCredTestResult() trusts the credential store first and only falls back to backend-provided results when the selection is unchanged. Testable credentials now require a positive test result for card completion. Removed the credTestOverrides mutable map entirely.

Group-level credential state: Replaced per-card selections ref with credGroupSelections keyed by credential group key. All credential mutations (select, deselect, delete, create, skip) go through setCredentialForGroup() / clearCredentialForGroup(), which sync credentials to all workflow store nodes in the group and trigger background testing.

AI parent/subnode grouping: Added displayCards computed that groups parent nodes with AI sub-nodes (connected via non-Main connections). Navigation and rendering use displayCards; apply and partial-apply logic stays on flat leaf cards. Each group section gets its own ExpressionContextProvider for correct expression resolution. Added activeCredentialTarget for targeted credential creation within grouped card sections.

Related Linear tickets, Github issues, and Community forum posts

Review / Merge checklist

PR title and summary are descriptive. (conventions)
Docs updated or follow-up ticket created.
Tests included.