How can I ensure the chatbot returns the validated response after the Wait Node?

Below is one approach to ensure that the final validated response (after waiting for the human input via Slack and processing it with your if condition) is returned to the customer, rather than an intermediate node’s output:

1. Make the Chat Trigger Use a Custom Response Mode

By default the Chat Trigger node sends the output of the last executed node. To override this, switch from the default response mode (e.g. “When Last Node Finishes”) to using the “Respond to Webhook” node.

• In your Chat Trigger node, change the Response Mode setting to “Using ‘Respond to Webhook’ Node.”

2. Add a Dedicated Respond to Webhook Node at the End of the Branch

Ensure that only the output from your final validation branch (with the Wait node and if condition) connects to a dedicated Respond to Webhook node. This node should be the last node in the workflow, and its role is to send the final response back to the chat.

For example, in the branch that processes the human approval:

JSONCopied
{
  "parameters": {
    "response": "={{ $json.output }}"
  },
  "name": "Respond to Customer",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.respondToWebhook",
  "typeVersion": 1,
  "position": [X, Y]
}

• Make sure that the output coming out of the Slack approval branch (after your Wait node and if condition logic) is routed to this Respond to Webhook node.

3. Remove or Isolate the Slack Node Output

Since the Slack node is returning a value that’s being passed back to the customer, you need to ensure that it is used only to trigger the human interaction and that its output does not continue directly in the chain.

• You can do this by disconnecting the Slack node from the main output chain or by placing it in a parallel branch that does not connect to the final return path.

• Alternatively, if the Slack node is needed to trigger the human intervention, have it connected only to fire off the message. Then use subsequent nodes (like your Wait node) to gather the final response.

4. Verify Node Execution Order

Remember, in n8n the final output is taken from the last node in the execution chain. So, ensure that:

• Your main branch goes from the Chat Trigger → AI Agent → (Slack node branch trigger human override) → Wait node → if-condition to check the returned human decision → final Respond to Webhook node.

• Double-check that no other branch (for example, the Slack node’s default output) directly connects to Chat Trigger’s final output.

Recap

• Set Chat Trigger to Manual Response Mode: This way you control exactly what the customer sees.
• Add a final Respond to Webhook node: Place it after the Slack Wait and if-condition branch to send the final response.
• Isolate the Slack node’s output: Prevent its output from being the last node’s output in the chain.

By reordering your nodes and explicitly controlling the final response via a Respond to Webhook node, you can ensure that the validated response (for example, “accepted” or any other message based on your if condition) is sent back to the customer instead of an earlier Slack-related output.