AI agent vulnerability · n8n

CVE-2026-86996: n8n: Agent Workflow Tool Bypasses Sub-Workflow Caller Policy

mediumCVSS 4.0 5.3GHSA-7hgx-277f-7vmg

Impact A workflow's "This workflow can be called by" setting was enforced by the Execute Workflow node but was not consulted when the same workflow was attached to an Agent as a tool. A user who could build an Agent could therefore call a workflow that its owner had restricted, and read back what it returned. The patch applies the sub-workflow caller policy on the Agent tool path.

Published Sep 8, 2026

Affected packages

n8n

Ecosystem: npm
Affected: >= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2
Fixed in: 2.38.2
Check: npm ls n8n

n8n

Ecosystem: npm
Affected: < 2.37.7
Fixed in: 2.37.7
Check: npm ls n8n

Advisory details

From the GitHub Advisory Database (CC BY 4.0).

Impact

A workflow's "_This workflow can be called by_" setting was enforced by the Execute Workflow node but was not consulted when the same workflow was attached to an Agent as a tool. A user who could build an Agent could therefore call a workflow that its owner had restricted, and read back what it returned. The patch applies the sub-workflow caller policy on the Agent tool path.

Patches

The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 2.37.7 and 2.38.2. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability.

Workarounds

If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:

Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.
Audit workflows attached as Agent tools and review their caller policy settings.
Remove sensitive workflows from Agent tool configurations until the instance is patched.

These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.

Credited to vonypeto.

References

How this page is made: the data panel comes from the GitHub Advisory Database, CISA’s KEV catalog, the NVD and FIRST EPSS, and updates twice a day. No analysis has been written for this entry yet. Methodology

More n8n vulnerabilities

All n8n entries