How Do I Correctly Loop Through and Split Items in an n8n Workflow?

Below is some clarification on how n8n handles loops and splitting data into batches:

Using the Loop Over Items Node in n8n

n8n doesn’t have built‑in nodes called "split" or "loop" by those names. Instead, when you need to break an array into batches or iterate over items, you use the Loop Over Items node (officially named “Split in Batches”). This node lets you:

• Specify a batch size so that on every iteration it returns a specific number of items from your input.
• Automatically combine the results when the looping is done.

For example, if you have a JSON with a property called data that is an array and you want to process each item separately, you would use the Loop Over Items node. In its Batch Size parameter you determine how many items to process per iteration.

Revising Your Example

Your provided JSON uses node types called "split" and "loop". In an n8n workflow you would instead see nodes with types such as "n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches". Also, you don’t need to explicitly reference an expression like {{ $json["data"] }} to run over all items if the workflow already passes an array—n8n automatically creates one item per array element (with a few exceptions).

A simplified example (in conceptual form) might look like this:

JSONCopied
{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "1",
      "name": "Start",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [250, 300]
    },
    {
      "id": "2",
      "name": "Loop Over Items",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches",
      "typeVersion": 3,
      "position": [500, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "batchSize": 1
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "3",
      "name": "Process Item",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.log",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [750, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "message": "={{ $json }}"
      }
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Start": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Loop Over Items",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Loop Over Items": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Process Item",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ],
        // For ending the loop, the done output would go back into the Loop Over Items node if needed.
        null
      ]
    }
  }
}

Key Points

• Loop Over Items (a.k.a. Split in Batches) is used when you want to process an array in smaller groups.
• n8n automatically handles multiple items per node execution, but if a node (like an RSS Read node) only processes the first item, then using the Loop Over Items node is necessary.
• Replace custom node types like "split" or "loop" with the official ones provided by n8n.

Let me know if you need further details or additional clarification on configuring these nodes in your workflow!