n8n@2.38.4

n8n-io/n8nn8n@2.38.4Sep 7, 2026by n8n-assistant[bot]

AI Summary

A patch release addressing critical stability issues, specifically regarding graceful shutdown processes, external secrets provider failures, and Anthropic agent thread crashes.

Key Highlights

Cap task runner task timeouts to the graceful shutdown window
Keep external secrets provider active when its replacement fails
Prevent Anthropic agent threads from breaking permanently
Stop npm audit from stalling Instance AI sandbox setup

Full Release Notes

## [2.38.4](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/compare/n8n@2.38.3...n8n@2.38.4) (2026-09-07)


### Bug Fixes

* **core:** Cap task runner task timeouts to the graceful shutdown window ([#37765](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/issues/37765)) ([6e12447](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/commit/6e12447f9b747da8f41cf7246e57ca0fa7ed5f16))
* **core:** Keep a serving external secrets provider active when its replacement fails ([#37882](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/issues/37882)) ([1abbd4b](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/commit/1abbd4b8087d8965bf972de731bf8c1b083dea48))
* **core:** Prevent Anthropic agent threads from breaking permanently and keep run errors visible ([#37722](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/issues/37722)) ([1007dff](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/commit/1007dff4befe77fc97aa438b934db0a3e948a360))
* **core:** Stop npm audit from stalling Instance AI sandbox setup ([#37877](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/issues/37877)) ([6120419](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/commit/6120419fdd31cf74e33f2768513e73dbf3023251))
* **core:** Stop task broker before task runner processes on shutdown ([#37886](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/issues/37886)) ([a8fc772](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/commit/a8fc772e483e38969ca6e10117d5b501c607fd18))