How to migrate Pipedream workflows to n8n

To migrate Pipedream to n8n you export each project from Pipedream, convert every workflow into n8n workflow JSON, import that JSON into n8n, then reconnect credentials and switch your webhook senders to the new URLs. There is no one-click path: Pipedream offers an export tool but names no replacement, and n8n only imports its own JSON format. This guide walks through each step and is honest about which parts can be automated and which stay manual.

The deadline matters. Pipedream Workflows shuts down on March 31, 2027, and all Workflows data, including connected account credentials, is deleted by April 30, 2027. Details are in Pipedream shutdown: dates and what still works.

The short version

1. Export each Pipedream project (Project → Settings → Export Workflows) and download the ZIP from the project's File Store.
2. Get a report of what will convert cleanly and what needs work, before you spend time on it.
3. Convert the workflows to n8n JSON.
4. Import the JSON into n8n (one by one in the editor, or in bulk through the n8n API).
5. Recreate credentials and environment values in n8n.
6. Handle npm packages in code steps (self-hosted n8n, or rewrite).
7. Test, publish, and move webhook senders to the n8n URLs.
8. Turn off the Pipedream workflow once n8n handles live traffic, well before March 31, 2027.

What moves automatically and what stays manual

This table is the core of the migration plan. "Automatic" means the converter produces a working n8n node; you still test it. "Manual" means a person has to do something, usually because Pipedream does not export the data.

Pipedream	n8n	Automatic?	Why
HTTP trigger	Webhook node	Yes	The URL changes, so senders must be updated by hand
Custom HTTP response ($.respond, Return HTTP response)	Webhook set to respond with a Respond to Webhook node	Yes	Check status codes and headers in a test call
Schedule (interval or cron)	Schedule Trigger	Yes	Check the timezone: n8n uses the workflow or instance timezone
Email trigger	Email trigger over IMAP	Partly	Pipedream gave each workflow its own address; in n8n you point it at a mailbox you own
Form trigger	n8n Form Trigger	Mostly	Field labels carry over; styling does not
App event sources (new row, new message…)	Closest n8n trigger node, or a Webhook	Partly	Credential needed; some sources have no n8n trigger
Node.js code step	Code node (JavaScript) with a compatibility layer	Mostly	steps.x, $.export, $.flow.exit, $.respond are emulated; no fetch, URL or process in the n8n sandbox, so test after import
npm packages in code	Code node	Manual on Cloud	n8n Cloud allows only crypto and moment
Python step	Code node (Python)	Partly	Imports need a self-hosted allowlist; Python data stores are not converted
Go and Bash steps	none	Manual	Rewrite in JavaScript or Python
If/else, Switch	If node, Switch node	Partly	We try to rebuild them; check every branch condition by hand after import
Common pre-built actions (HTTP, Slack, Google Sheets…)	HTTP Request node with an n8n credential	Mostly	Response shape can differ from the Pipedream action
Other pre-built actions	Placeholder Code node	Manual	Flagged red in the report
$.flow.delay	Wait node	Manual	Split the step and add a Wait node
$.flow.rerun	none	Manual	Rebuild with Wait + loop or a sub-workflow
Data store calls in JS code	Workflow static data, Data table recommended	Partly	Records are not in the export; move them separately
Connected accounts, OAuth tokens	n8n credentials	Manual	Not exported by Pipedream
Environment variables, secrets	n8n credentials or Variables	Manual	Not exported; secret props are <redacted>
Event history	none	Not possible	Not exported

The rows marked manual are Pipedream's export rules, not converter gaps. The export docs list what is left out: secret values, connected accounts, environment variables, event history, data stores, File Store files and the code of private multi-file components.

Step 1. Export your Pipedream projects

Pipedream's export works per project:

1. Open the project and click Settings in the left navigation.
2. Click Export Workflows at the bottom of the settings panel. The archive is built in the background.
3. Open File Store in the project navigation and download project_export-<project_id>.zip.

Each project holds one export at a time; delete the old ZIP to export again. One export holds up to 500 workflows or 256 MB of workflow content, whichever comes first. If you hit the limit, manifest.json marks the rest as skipped_export_limit, and the docs suggest moving workflows into another project and exporting that one.

Plan requirement. The export lands in a File Store, and the docs say your plan must include File Stores. The File Stores page lists them for the Advanced plan and above. If your workspace has no File Stores but already uses GitHub Sync (the docs don't state its plan tier), the synced repository is the other input you can work from. Otherwise you are copying code steps by hand.

Inside the ZIP:

• manifest.json with every workflow and a status: exported, skipped_never_deployed or skipped_export_limit, plus per-step warnings about values you must re-enter.
• One JSON file per workflow with name, description, inactive, settings, triggers, steps and deployments (the steps inside if/else and switch branches). Each file holds the latest deployed version.

Workflows that were never deployed are skipped. If a draft matters, deploy it before exporting. More detail: How to export Pipedream workflows.

Step 2. Find out what will break before you start

A migration estimate is mostly a count of code steps, npm imports, connected apps, data stores and webhooks. You can read every JSON file yourself, or drop the ZIP into our free report. It runs in your browser and marks each workflow:

• Green: converts without manual edits; you test and publish.
• Yellow: converts, but needs something from you, such as credentials, an npm decision or a data store move.
• Red: some steps need hand work, for example Go steps, $.flow.rerun or actions with no mapping.

The report also lists the credentials to create, the npm packages per workflow, the data stores in use and the webhooks whose URLs will change, with an hour estimate for the manual part.

Step 3. Convert the workflows to n8n JSON

The difficult part is code. A Pipedream Node.js step is a component:

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const order = steps.trigger.event.body;
    $.export("total", order.amount * 1.2);
    return { id: order.id };
  },
});

n8n's Code node works on items instead: you read input with $input.all() or $('Node name') and return an array of { json: {...} } objects. Either you rewrite each step by hand, or a compatibility layer wraps the original run() so steps.<name>.$return_value, $.export, $.flow.exit and $.respond still behave the same. Our converter does the wrapping and keeps step names, so references between steps stay intact. In n8n 2.x the Code node sandbox has no fetch, URL, URLSearchParams, AbortController or process, and built-in modules such as fs are blocked unless allow-listed. Our converter inserts a fetch shim built on this.helpers.httpRequest, a helper n8n doesn't document for the Code node, so test every converted code step after import. More detail: Pipedream code steps to the n8n Code node.

Branches need care too. The export keeps if/else and switch steps in deployments, separate from the main steps list. A converter that only reads steps loses everything inside a branch. Ours reads deployments and tries to rebuild the branches as n8n If, Switch and Merge nodes. We haven't yet seen a real export with branches, so those workflows are marked yellow: check every branch condition by hand after import.

The report and 1 workflow are free. Full export: $3 per workflow, $19 minimum — coming soon. Import the free workflow and see it run first; see pricing.

Step 4. Import the JSON into n8n

For a few workflows, use the editor. In n8n, open the workflow menu and choose Import from File (n8n 2.x also has Import from URL, which the n8n 3.0 notes list as retired), or paste the JSON on the canvas (n8n docs).

For many workflows, use the n8n public API: POST /api/v1/workflows with an API key in the X-N8N-API-KEY header (authentication docs). Create the key under Settings → n8n API. The API is not available during the n8n Cloud free trial. The full export (coming soon) includes an import script that sends every workflow through the API, so you won't post them by hand. Self-hosted instances can also use n8n import:workflow --separate --input=<dir>, which n8n plans to deprecate at some point.

Step-by-step: Import workflow JSON into n8n.

Step 5. Recreate credentials and settings

Pipedream never exports tokens, so every app connection is new in n8n:

• Connected accounts (Slack, Google, HubSpot…): create an n8n credential for each app and select it in the matching nodes. n8n tests a credential when you save it.
• Environment variables: Pipedream does not export them. Put API keys in n8n credentials where a node supports them. n8n Variables ($vars) exist on Cloud Pro and Enterprise and on self-hosted Business and Enterprise.
• Secret props: anything Pipedream marked secret arrives as <redacted>. The warnings list in manifest.json tells you where.

Pipedream never shows secret values again after you save them, so get them from each provider's dashboard or rotate the keys. Non-secret values you can still copy until April 30, 2027. More detail: Pipedream secrets to n8n credentials.

Step 6. Decide what to do with npm packages

Pipedream installs any npm package you import, with no package.json. n8n works differently:

• n8n Cloud: the Code node can load only crypto and moment.
• Self-hosted n8n: with external task runners (the n8nio/runners sidecar that n8n recommends), extend the runners image to install the packages, then allow-list them under NODE_FUNCTION_ALLOW_EXTERNAL in the launcher config file n8n-task-runners.json (docs).

So a workflow with npm imports means one of three things: self-host n8n, replace the package with an n8n node (HTTP Request instead of axios or got), or rewrite the code without it. Full setup: npm packages in n8n.

Step 7. Test, publish and switch webhook senders

In n8n 2.x a workflow goes live when you publish it (n8n docs). Until then, edits are saved as drafts, and production webhooks and schedules don't run.

A safe order for each workflow:

1. Run it in the editor with test data. The Webhook node has a separate test URL (/webhook-test/...) that listens for 120 seconds after you click "Listen for test event".
2. Publish it. The production URL (/webhook/...) is now live.
3. Point the sender (Stripe, GitHub, your app) at the new URL. Many senders let you add a second endpoint, so you can run both for a short time and compare.
4. Watch the n8n Executions tab for a few days.
5. Turn off the Pipedream workflow.

Schedules are easier: publish the n8n version, then turn off the Pipedream one so a job does not run twice. Webhook details: Pipedream HTTP trigger to n8n Webhook.

Step 8. Move the data Pipedream does not export

• Data stores are not in the export. Pipedream's data store docs show a sample action that posts records in chunks to an external endpoint. In n8n, Data tables are the closest match. See Pipedream data stores to n8n.
• File Store files are not in the export either. Download them from the project's File Store.
• Event history cannot be exported. Copy by hand anything you need for audits now.

How long does a migration take?

It depends almost entirely on code. A workflow with an HTTP trigger and two Slack actions takes minutes once credentials exist. A workflow with five code steps, three npm packages and a data store takes hours if you rewrite it. That is why the report comes first: count the red and yellow workflows, then decide whether to convert, rewrite, or drop workflows nobody uses.

Common mistakes

• Exporting too late. Exports need an active workspace with File Stores. Do it now, even if you migrate later.
• Forgetting never-deployed workflows. They are skipped. Deploy drafts you want to keep.
• Assuming webhook URLs carry over. They don't. Make a list of every external sender.
• Choosing n8n Cloud for npm-heavy code. Check the npm list in the report first. See n8n Cloud vs self-hosted.
• Leaving both versions on. A schedule running in Pipedream and n8n sends every email twice.

Where to go next

• Check a single code step for free: code step checker
• Compare the platforms first: Pipedream vs n8n
• Not sure n8n is the right target: Pipedream alternatives
• Start the report: convert your export

moveworkflows is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Pipedream, Workday or n8n. Product names are used only to describe compatibility.