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enhance: Add HTTP Request node validation suggestions (issue #361)

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Added helpful suggestions for HTTP Request node best practices after thorough investigation of issue #361.

## What's New

1. **alwaysOutputData Suggestion**
   - Suggests adding alwaysOutputData: true at node level
   - Prevents silent workflow failures when HTTP requests error
   - Ensures downstream error handling can process failed requests

2. **responseFormat Suggestion for API Endpoints**
   - Suggests setting options.response.response.responseFormat
   - Prevents JSON parsing confusion
   - Triggered for URLs containing /api, /rest, supabase, firebase, googleapis, .com/v

3. **Enhanced URL Protocol Validation**
   - Detects missing protocol in expression-based URLs
   - Warns about patterns like =www.{{ $json.domain }}.com
   - Warns about expressions without protocol

## Investigation Findings

**Key Discoveries:**
- Mixed expression syntax =literal{{ expression }} actually works in n8n (claim was incorrect)
- Real validation gaps: missing alwaysOutputData and responseFormat checks
- Compared broken vs fixed workflows to identify actual production issues

**Testing Evidence:**
- Analyzed workflow SwjKJsJhe8OsYfBk with mixed syntax - executions successful
- Compared broken workflow (mBmkyj460i5rYTG4) with fixed workflow (hQI9pby3nSFtk4TV)
- Identified that fixed workflow has alwaysOutputData: true and explicit responseFormat

## Impact

- Non-Breaking: All changes are suggestions/warnings, not errors
- Actionable: Clear guidance on how to implement best practices
- Production-Focused: Addresses real workflow reliability concerns

## Test Coverage

Added 8 new test cases covering:
- alwaysOutputData suggestion for all HTTP Request nodes
- responseFormat suggestion for API endpoint detection
- responseFormat NOT suggested when already configured
- URL protocol validation for expression-based URLs
- No false positives when protocol is correctly included

## Files Changed

- src/services/enhanced-config-validator.ts - Added enhanceHttpRequestValidation()
- tests/unit/services/enhanced-config-validator.test.ts - Added 8 test cases
- CHANGELOG.md - Documented enhancement with investigation findings
- package.json - Bump version to 2.22.2

Fixes #361

Conceived by Romuald Członkowski - https://www.aiadvisors.pl/en
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czlonkowski
2025-10-24 16:51:18 +02:00
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CHANGELOG.md
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@@ -7,6 +7,89 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
## [Unreleased]
### ✨ Enhancements
**Issue #361: Enhanced HTTP Request Node Validation Suggestions**
Added helpful suggestions for HTTP Request node best practices to prevent common production issues discovered through real-world workflow analysis.
#### What's New
1. **alwaysOutputData Suggestion**
- Suggests adding `alwaysOutputData: true` at node level (not in parameters)
- Prevents silent workflow failures when HTTP requests error
- Ensures downstream error handling can process failed requests
- Example suggestion: "Consider adding alwaysOutputData: true at node level for better error handling. This ensures the node produces output even when HTTP requests fail, allowing downstream error handling."
2. **responseFormat Suggestion for API Endpoints**
- Suggests setting `options.response.response.responseFormat` for API endpoints
- Prevents JSON parsing confusion
- Triggered when URL contains `/api`, `/rest`, `supabase`, `firebase`, `googleapis`, or `.com/v` patterns
- Example suggestion: "API endpoints should explicitly set options.response.response.responseFormat to 'json' or 'text' to prevent confusion about response parsing"
3. **Enhanced URL Protocol Validation**
- Detects missing protocol in expression-based URLs
- Warns about patterns like `=www.{{ $json.domain }}.com` (missing http://)
- Warns about expressions without protocol: `={{ $json.domain }}/api/data`
- Example warning: "URL expression appears to be missing http:// or https:// protocol"
#### Investigation Findings
This enhancement was developed after thorough investigation of issue #361:
**Key Discoveries:**
- ✅ Mixed expression syntax `=literal{{ expression }}` **actually works in n8n** - the issue report's primary claim was incorrect
- ✅ Real validation gaps identified: missing `alwaysOutputData` and `responseFormat` checks
- ✅ Workflow analysis showed "?" icon in UI caused by missing required URL (already caught by validation)
- ✅ Compared broken vs fixed workflows to identify actual production issues
**Testing Evidence:**
- Analyzed workflow SwjKJsJhe8OsYfBk with mixed syntax - executions successful
- Compared broken workflow (mBmkyj460i5rYTG4) with fixed workflow (hQI9pby3nSFtk4TV)
- Identified that fixed workflow has `alwaysOutputData: true` and explicit `responseFormat: "json"`
#### Impact
- **Non-Breaking**: All changes are suggestions/warnings, not errors
- **Profile-Aware**: Suggestions shown in all profiles for maximum helpfulness
- **Actionable**: Clear guidance on how to implement best practices
- **Production-Focused**: Addresses real workflow reliability concerns from actual broken workflows
#### Test Coverage
Added 8 new test cases covering:
- alwaysOutputData suggestion for all HTTP Request nodes
- responseFormat suggestion for API endpoint detection (various patterns)
- responseFormat NOT suggested when already configured
- URL protocol validation for expression-based URLs
- Protocol warnings for missing http:// in expressions
- No false positives when protocol is correctly included
#### Technical Details
**Files Modified:**
- `src/services/enhanced-config-validator.ts` - Added `enhanceHttpRequestValidation()` implementation
- `tests/unit/services/enhanced-config-validator.test.ts` - Added 8 comprehensive test cases
**Validation Flow:**
1. Check for alwaysOutputData suggestion (all HTTP Request nodes)
2. Detect API endpoints by URL patterns
3. Check for explicit responseFormat configuration
4. Validate expression-based URLs for protocol issues
#### Related
- **Issue**: #361 - validate_node_operation: Missing critical HTTP Request node configuration checks
- **Analysis**: Deep investigation with @agent-Explore and @agent-n8n-mcp-tester
- **Workflows Analyzed**:
- SwjKJsJhe8OsYfBk (mixed syntax test)
- mBmkyj460i5rYTG4 (broken workflow)
- hQI9pby3nSFtk4TV (fixed workflow)
Conceived by Romuald Członkowski - https://www.aiadvisors.pl/en
---
### 🐛 Bug Fixes
**Issue #360: Enhanced Warnings for If/Switch Node Connection Parameters**