feat(core): Increase Cron observability (#17626)

packages/@n8n/config/src/configs/logging.config.ts

@@ -19,10 +19,22 @@ export const LOG_SCOPES = [
 	'insights',
 	'workflow-activation',
 	'ssh-client',
+	'cron',
 ] as const;
 
 export type LogScope = (typeof LOG_SCOPES)[number];
 
+@Config
+export class CronLoggingConfig {
+	/**
+	 * Interval in minutes to log currently active cron jobs. Set to `0` to disable.
+	 *
+	 * @example `N8N_LOG_CRON_ACTIVE_INTERVAL=30` will log active crons every 30 minutes.
+	 */
+	@Env('N8N_LOG_CRON_ACTIVE_INTERVAL')
+	activeInterval: number = 0;
+}
+
 @Config
 class FileLoggingConfig {
 	/**
@@ -79,6 +91,9 @@ export class LoggingConfig {
 	@Nested
 	file: FileLoggingConfig;
 
+	@Nested
+	cron: CronLoggingConfig;
+
 	/**
 	 * Scopes to filter logs by. Nothing is filtered by default.
 	 *

packages/@n8n/config/src/index.ts

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export { MfaConfig } from './configs/mfa.config';
 export { HiringBannerConfig } from './configs/hiring-banner.config';
 export { PersonalizationConfig } from './configs/personalization.config';
 export { NodesConfig } from './configs/nodes.config';
+export { CronLoggingConfig } from './configs/logging.config';
 
 const protocolSchema = z.enum(['http', 'https']);
 

packages/@n8n/config/test/config.test.ts

@@ -275,6 +275,9 @@ describe('GlobalConfig', () => {
 				location: 'logs/n8n.log',
 			},
 			scopes: [],
+			cron: {
+				activeInterval: 0,
+			},
 		},
 		multiMainSetup: {
 			enabled: false,

packages/core/src/execution-engine/__tests__/scheduled-task-manager.test.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { Logger } from '@n8n/backend-common';
 import { mock } from 'jest-mock-extended';
 import type { Workflow } from 'n8n-workflow';
 
@@ -5,6 +6,8 @@ import type { InstanceSettings } from '@/instance-settings';
 
 import { ScheduledTaskManager } from '../scheduled-task-manager';
 
+const logger = mock<Logger>({ scoped: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(mock<Logger>()) });
+
 describe('ScheduledTaskManager', () => {
 	const instanceSettings = mock<InstanceSettings>({ isLeader: true });
 	const workflow = mock<Workflow>({ timezone: 'GMT' });
@@ -16,14 +19,14 @@ describe('ScheduledTaskManager', () => {
 	beforeEach(() => {
 		jest.clearAllMocks();
 		jest.useFakeTimers();
-		scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(instanceSettings);
+		scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(instanceSettings, logger, mock());
 	});
 
 	it('should throw when workflow timezone is invalid', () => {
 		expect(() =>
 			scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(
 				mock<Workflow>({ timezone: 'somewhere' }),
-				everyMinute,
+				{ expression: everyMinute },
 				onTick,
 			),
 		).toThrow('Invalid timezone.');
@@ -36,17 +39,21 @@ describe('ScheduledTaskManager', () => {
 		).toThrow();
 	});
 
-	it('should register valid CronJobs', async () => {
+	it('should register valid CronJobs', () => {
-		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, everyMinute, onTick);
+		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, { expression: everyMinute }, onTick);
 
 		expect(onTick).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 		jest.advanceTimersByTime(10 * 60 * 1000); // 10 minutes
 		expect(onTick).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(10);
 	});
 
-	it('should should not invoke on follower instances', async () => {
+	it('should not invoke on follower instances', () => {
-		scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(mock<InstanceSettings>({ isLeader: false }));
+		scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(
-		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, everyMinute, onTick);
+			mock<InstanceSettings>({ isLeader: false }),
+			logger,
+			mock(),
+		);
+		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, { expression: everyMinute }, onTick);
 
 		expect(onTick).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 		jest.advanceTimersByTime(10 * 60 * 1000); // 10 minutes
@@ -54,18 +61,26 @@ describe('ScheduledTaskManager', () => {
 	});
 
 	it('should deregister CronJobs for a workflow', async () => {
-		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, everyMinute, onTick);
+		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, { expression: everyMinute }, onTick);
-		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, everyMinute, onTick);
+		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, { expression: everyMinute }, onTick);
-		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, everyMinute, onTick);
+		scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, { expression: everyMinute }, onTick);
 
-		expect(scheduledTaskManager.cronJobs.get(workflow.id)?.length).toBe(3);
+		expect(scheduledTaskManager.cronMap.get(workflow.id)).toHaveLength(3);
 
 		scheduledTaskManager.deregisterCrons(workflow.id);
 
-		expect(scheduledTaskManager.cronJobs.get(workflow.id)?.length).toBe(0);
+		expect(scheduledTaskManager.cronMap.get(workflow.id)).toBeUndefined();
 
 		expect(onTick).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 		jest.advanceTimersByTime(10 * 60 * 1000); // 10 minutes
 		expect(onTick).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 	});
+
+	it('should not set up log interval when activeInterval is 0', () => {
+		const configWithZeroInterval = mock({ activeInterval: 0 });
+		const manager = new ScheduledTaskManager(instanceSettings, logger, configWithZeroInterval);
+
+		// @ts-expect-error Private property
+		expect(manager.logInterval).toBeUndefined();
+	});
 });

packages/core/src/execution-engine/active-workflows.ts

@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ export class ActiveWorkflows {
 		};
 
 		// Get all the trigger times
-		const cronTimes = (pollTimes.item || []).map(toCronExpression);
+		const cronExpressions = (pollTimes.item || []).map(toCronExpression);
 		// The trigger function to execute when the cron-time got reached
 		const executeTrigger = async (testingTrigger = false) => {
 			this.logger.debug(`Polling trigger initiated for workflow "${workflow.name}"`, {
@@ -177,15 +177,15 @@ export class ActiveWorkflows {
 		// Execute the trigger directly to be able to know if it works
 		await executeTrigger(true);
 
-		for (const cronTime of cronTimes) {
+		for (const expression of cronExpressions) {
-			const cronTimeParts = cronTime.split(' ');
+			const cronTimeParts = expression.split(' ');
 			if (cronTimeParts.length > 0 && cronTimeParts[0].includes('*')) {
 				throw new ApplicationError(
 					'The polling interval is too short. It has to be at least a minute.',
 				);
 			}
 
-			this.scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, cronTime, executeTrigger);
+			this.scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, { expression }, executeTrigger);
 		}
 	}
 

packages/core/src/execution-engine/node-execution-context/utils/__tests__/scheduling-helper-functions.test.ts

@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@ describe('getSchedulingFunctions', () => {
 
 	describe('registerCron', () => {
 		it('should invoke scheduledTaskManager.registerCron', () => {
-			schedulingFunctions.registerCron(cronExpression, onTick);
+			schedulingFunctions.registerCron({ expression: cronExpression }, onTick);
 
 			expect(scheduledTaskManager.registerCron).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
 				workflow,
-				cronExpression,
+				{ expression: cronExpression },
 				onTick,
 			);
 		});

packages/core/src/execution-engine/node-execution-context/utils/scheduling-helper-functions.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import { ScheduledTaskManager } from '../../scheduled-task-manager';
 export const getSchedulingFunctions = (workflow: Workflow): SchedulingFunctions => {
 	const scheduledTaskManager = Container.get(ScheduledTaskManager);
 	return {
-		registerCron: (cronExpression, onTick) =>
+		registerCron: (cron, onTick) => scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, cron, onTick),
-			scheduledTaskManager.registerCron(workflow, cronExpression, onTick),
 	};
 };

packages/core/src/execution-engine/scheduled-task-manager.ts

@@ -1,44 +1,115 @@
+import { Logger } from '@n8n/backend-common';
+import { CronLoggingConfig } from '@n8n/config';
+import { Time } from '@n8n/constants';
 import { Service } from '@n8n/di';
 import { CronJob } from 'cron';
-import type { CronExpression, Workflow } from 'n8n-workflow';
+import type { Cron, Workflow } from 'n8n-workflow';
 
 import { InstanceSettings } from '@/instance-settings';
 
 @Service()
 export class ScheduledTaskManager {
-	constructor(private readonly instanceSettings: InstanceSettings) {}
+	readonly cronMap = new Map<string, Array<{ job: CronJob; displayableCron: string }>>();
 
-	readonly cronJobs = new Map<string, CronJob[]>();
+	private readonly logInterval?: NodeJS.Timeout;
+
+	constructor(
+		private readonly instanceSettings: InstanceSettings,
+		private readonly logger: Logger,
+		private readonly config: CronLoggingConfig,
+	) {
+		this.logger = this.logger.scoped('cron');
+
+		if (this.config.activeInterval === 0) return;
+
+		this.logInterval = setInterval(
+			() => this.logActiveCrons(),
+			this.config.activeInterval * Time.minutes.toMilliseconds,
+		);
+	}
+
+	private logActiveCrons() {
+		const activeCrons: Record<string, string[]> = {};
+		for (const [workflowId, cronJobs] of this.cronMap) {
+			activeCrons[`workflow-${workflowId}`] = cronJobs.map(
+				({ displayableCron }) => displayableCron,
+			);
+		}
+
+		if (Object.keys(activeCrons).length === 0) return;
+
+		this.logger.debug('Currently active crons', { activeCrons });
+	}
+
+	registerCron(workflow: Workflow, { expression, recurrence }: Cron, onTick: () => void) {
+		const recurrenceStr = recurrence?.activated
+			? `every ${recurrence.intervalSize} ${recurrence.typeInterval}`
+			: undefined;
+
+		const displayableCron = recurrenceStr ? `${expression} (${recurrenceStr})` : expression;
 
-	registerCron(workflow: Workflow, cronExpression: CronExpression, onTick: () => void) {
 		const cronJob = new CronJob(
-			cronExpression,
+			expression,
 			() => {
-				if (this.instanceSettings.isLeader) onTick();
+				if (this.instanceSettings.isLeader) {
+					this.logger.debug('Executing cron for workflow', {
+						workflowId: workflow.id,
+						cron: displayableCron,
+						instanceRole: this.instanceSettings.instanceRole,
+					});
+					onTick();
+				}
 			},
 			undefined,
 			true,
 			workflow.timezone,
 		);
-		const cronJobsForWorkflow = this.cronJobs.get(workflow.id);
+
-		if (cronJobsForWorkflow) {
+		const workflowCronEntries = this.cronMap.get(workflow.id);
-			cronJobsForWorkflow.push(cronJob);
+		const cronEntry = { job: cronJob, displayableCron };
+
+		if (workflowCronEntries) {
+			workflowCronEntries.push(cronEntry);
 		} else {
-			this.cronJobs.set(workflow.id, [cronJob]);
+			this.cronMap.set(workflow.id, [cronEntry]);
 		}
+
+		this.logger.debug('Registered cron for workflow', {
+			workflowId: workflow.id,
+			cron: displayableCron,
+			instanceRole: this.instanceSettings.instanceRole,
+		});
 	}
 
 	deregisterCrons(workflowId: string) {
-		const cronJobs = this.cronJobs.get(workflowId) ?? [];
+		const cronJobs = this.cronMap.get(workflowId) ?? [];
+
+		if (cronJobs.length === 0) return;
+
+		const crons: string[] = [];
+
 		while (cronJobs.length) {
-			const cronJob = cronJobs.pop();
+			const cronEntry = cronJobs.pop();
-			if (cronJob) cronJob.stop();
+			if (cronEntry) {
+				crons.push(cronEntry.displayableCron);
+				cronEntry.job.stop();
+			}
 		}
+
+		this.cronMap.delete(workflowId);
+
+		this.logger.info('Deregistered all crons for workflow', {
+			workflowId,
+			crons,
+			instanceRole: this.instanceSettings.instanceRole,
+		});
 	}
 
 	deregisterAllCrons() {
-		for (const workflowId of Object.keys(this.cronJobs)) {
+		for (const workflowId of this.cronMap.keys()) {
 			this.deregisterCrons(workflowId);
 		}
+
+		if (this.logInterval) clearInterval(this.logInterval);
 	}
 }

packages/nodes-base/nodes/Cron/Cron.node.ts

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export class Cron implements INodeType {
 		};
 
 		// Get all the trigger times
-		const cronTimes = (triggerTimes.item || []).map(toCronExpression);
+		const expressions = (triggerTimes.item || []).map(toCronExpression);
 
 		// The trigger function to execute when the cron-time got reached
 		// or when manually triggered
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export class Cron implements INodeType {
 		};
 
 		// Register the cron-jobs
-		cronTimes.forEach((cronTime) => this.helpers.registerCron(cronTime, executeTrigger));
+		expressions.forEach((expression) => this.helpers.registerCron({ expression }, executeTrigger));
 
 		return {
 			manualTriggerFunction: async () => executeTrigger(),

packages/nodes-base/nodes/Schedule/ScheduleTrigger.node.ts

@@ -451,7 +451,8 @@ export class ScheduleTrigger implements INodeType {
 		if (this.getMode() !== 'manual') {
 			for (const { interval, cronExpression, recurrence } of rules) {
 				try {
-					this.helpers.registerCron(cronExpression, () => executeTrigger(recurrence));
+					const cron = { expression: cronExpression, recurrence };
+					this.helpers.registerCron(cron, () => executeTrigger(recurrence));
 				} catch (error) {
 					if (interval.field === 'cronExpression') {
 						throw new NodeOperationError(this.getNode(), 'Invalid cron expression', {

packages/nodes-base/test/nodes/TriggerHelpers.ts

@@ -24,6 +24,17 @@ import {
 	type Workflow,
 } from 'n8n-workflow';
 
+const logger = mock({
+	scoped: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(
+		mock({
+			debug: jest.fn(),
+			info: jest.fn(),
+			warn: jest.fn(),
+			error: jest.fn(),
+		}),
+	),
+});
+
 type MockDeepPartial<T> = Parameters<typeof mock<T>>[0];
 
 type TestTriggerNodeOptions = {
@@ -70,7 +81,11 @@ export async function testTriggerNode(
 	) as INode;
 	const workflow = mock<Workflow>({ timezone: options.timezone ?? 'Europe/Berlin' });
 
-	const scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(mock<InstanceSettings>());
+	const scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(
+		mock<InstanceSettings>(),
+		logger as any,
+		mock(),
+	);
 	const helpers = mock<ITriggerFunctions['helpers']>({
 		createDeferredPromise,
 		returnJsonArray,
@@ -130,7 +145,11 @@ export async function testWebhookTriggerNode(
 	) as INode;
 	const workflow = mock<Workflow>({ timezone: options.timezone ?? 'Europe/Berlin' });
 
-	const scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(mock<InstanceSettings>());
+	const scheduledTaskManager = new ScheduledTaskManager(
+		mock<InstanceSettings>(),
+		logger as any,
+		mock(),
+	);
 	const helpers = mock<ITriggerFunctions['helpers']>({
 		returnJsonArray,
 		registerCron: (cronExpression, onTick) =>

packages/workflow/src/interfaces.ts

@@ -843,8 +843,19 @@ type CronUnit = number | '*' | `*/${number}`;
 export type CronExpression =
 	`${CronUnit} ${CronUnit} ${CronUnit} ${CronUnit} ${CronUnit} ${CronUnit}`;
 
+type RecurrenceRule =
+	| { activated: false }
+	| {
+			activated: true;
+			index: number;
+			intervalSize: number;
+			typeInterval: 'hours' | 'days' | 'weeks' | 'months';
+	  };
+
+export type Cron = { expression: CronExpression; recurrence?: RecurrenceRule };
+
 export interface SchedulingFunctions {
-	registerCron(cronExpression: CronExpression, onTick: () => void): void;
+	registerCron(cron: Cron, onTick: () => void): void;
 }
 
 export type NodeTypeAndVersion = {