How to Integrate the Latest Puppeteer with an n8n Custom Node in Docker

It sounds like the issue is that your locally updated node isn’t being built and copied over into n8n’s custom nodes directory correctly. When you cloned the repository and updated the Puppeteer version in package.json, you’ll need to:

1. Build the Custom Node:
   Make sure you run the build process (for example, using npm run build) so that the updated code (including your corrected dependency version) is compiled into the dist folder. The compiled output is what n8n will actually load.

2. Copy the Built Files Correctly:
   As outlined in the n8n documentation, you need to copy the compiled node and credential folders from the dist folder into the container’s ~/.n8n/custom/ directory. If you instead install the package from the repository’s main directory (without building and moving the output), n8n doesn’t see it. In other words, your Dockerfile should copy the custom node’s built assets, not just run npm install on the source.

3. Follow the Private Node Installation Instructions:
   The recommended approach for Docker is to create a Dockerfile (or modify the existing one in the /docker folder) that:

   • Uses the official n8n Dockerfile as a starting point
   • Adds a build step for your custom node (or builds it externally)
   • Copies the built custom node assets into the ~/.n8n/custom/ directory

   For example, your Dockerfile might include steps like:

   DOCKERFILECopied
   # Start from the official n8n image
   FROM docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
   
   # Copy your built custom node into the custom node directory
   COPY path/to/your/dist/node /home/node/.n8n/custom/node
   COPY path/to/your/dist/credential /home/node/.n8n/custom/credential

4. Confirm the Dependency Version:
   Double-check that your custom node package.json is updated to require Puppeteer version 24.2.1. If you build before making this change or if the build process references the published package version from npm, you will not see your updated dependency.

In summary, you were likely installing the repository source code without building it and without copying the compiled node folders. The best practice is to update your custom node’s package.json, run the build process, and then include the built assets in your custom nodes directory as described in the private node installation guide. This way, when n8n starts in your Docker container, it will load the custom node with the updated Puppeteer version.