fix(engine): Report the recorded finish time on execution end events (#39963)

Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com>

packages/@n8n/engine/src/database/__tests__/workflow-execution.integration.test.ts

@@ -205,10 +205,10 @@ describe('workflow_execution table (integration)', () => {
 
 		const finished = await new TypeOrmExecutionStore(repo).finishExecution(created.id, 'failed');
 
-		expect(finished).toBe(true);
 		const row = await repo.findOneOrFail({ where: { id: created.id } });
 		expect(row.status).toBe('failed');
 		expect(row.finishedAt).toBeInstanceOf(Date);
+		expect(finished).toEqual({ finishedAt: row.finishedAt });
 	});
 
 	it.each<ExecutionStatus>(['completed', 'queued'])(
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ describe('workflow_execution table (integration)', () => {
 
 			const finished = await new TypeOrmExecutionStore(repo).finishExecution(created.id, 'failed');
 
-			expect(finished).toBe(false);
+			expect(finished).toBeNull();
 			const row = await repo.findOneOrFail({ where: { id: created.id } });
 			expect(row.status).toBe(status);
 			expect(row.finishedAt).toEqual(finishedAt);
@@ -248,10 +248,11 @@ describe('workflow_execution table (integration)', () => {
 
 			const cancelled = await new TypeOrmExecutionStore(repo).cancelExecution(id);
 
-			expect(cancelled).toBe(true);
 			const row = await repo.findOneOrFail({ where: { id } });
 			expect(row.status).toBe('cancelled');
 			expect(row.finishedAt).toBeInstanceOf(Date);
+			// the caller reports the time the row records, not a second reading of the clock
+			expect(cancelled).toEqual({ finishedAt: row.finishedAt });
 		},
 	);
 
@@ -264,7 +265,7 @@ describe('workflow_execution table (integration)', () => {
 
 			const cancelled = await new TypeOrmExecutionStore(repo).cancelExecution(id);
 
-			expect(cancelled).toBe(false);
+			expect(cancelled).toBeNull();
 			const row = await repo.findOneOrFail({ where: { id } });
 			expect(row.status).toBe(status);
 			expect(row.finishedAt).toEqual(finishedAt);

packages/@n8n/engine/src/database/typeorm-execution-store.ts

@@ -49,21 +49,26 @@ export class TypeOrmExecutionStore implements ExecutionStore {
 		return result.affected === 1;
 	}
 
-	async finishExecution(id: string, status: 'completed' | 'failed'): Promise<boolean> {
+	async finishExecution(
+		id: string,
+		status: 'completed' | 'failed',
+	): Promise<{ finishedAt: Date } | null> {
 		// A waiting execution can end too: a failure elsewhere cancels its waits.
+		const finishedAt = new Date();
 		const result = await this.repo.update(
 			{ id, status: In([...LIVE_EXECUTION_STATUSES]) },
-			{ status, finishedAt: new Date() },
+			{ status, finishedAt },
 		);
-		return result.affected === 1;
+		return result.affected === 1 ? { finishedAt } : null;
 	}
 
-	async cancelExecution(id: string): Promise<boolean> {
+	async cancelExecution(id: string): Promise<{ finishedAt: Date } | null> {
+		const finishedAt = new Date();
 		const result = await this.repo.update(
 			{ id, status: In(['queued', ...LIVE_EXECUTION_STATUSES] satisfies ExecutionStatus[]) },
-			{ status: 'cancelled', finishedAt: new Date() },
+			{ status: 'cancelled', finishedAt },
 		);
-		return result.affected === 1;
+		return result.affected === 1 ? { finishedAt } : null;
 	}
 
 	async refreshLiveStatus(id: string): Promise<void> {

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/__tests__/cancel-execution.service.test.ts

@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@ function makeExecutionStore(overrides: Partial<ExecutionStore> = {}): ExecutionS
 		loadExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ...execution, status: 'cancelled' }),
 		transitionStatus: vi.fn(),
 		finishExecution: vi.fn(),
-		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+		cancelExecution: vi
+			.fn()
+			.mockResolvedValue({ finishedAt: new Date('2026-09-30T08:00:00.000Z') }),
 		refreshLiveStatus: vi.fn(),
 		...overrides,
 	};
@@ -60,7 +62,7 @@ describe('CancelExecutionService', () => {
 			type: 'execution:cancelled',
 			executionId: 'exec-1',
 			workflowId: 'wf-1',
-			at: expect.any(String),
+			at: '2026-09-30T08:00:00.000Z',
 		});
 	});
 
@@ -68,7 +70,7 @@ describe('CancelExecutionService', () => {
 		'reports the status of an execution that already ended %s and announces nothing',
 		async (status) => {
 			const executionStore = makeExecutionStore({
-				cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false),
+				cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 				loadExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ...execution, status }),
 			});
 			const { service, stepStore, publisher } = makeService(executionStore);
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ describe('CancelExecutionService', () => {
 
 	it('throws for an unknown execution', async () => {
 		const executionStore = makeExecutionStore({
-			cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false),
+			cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 			loadExecution: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new ExecutionNotFoundError('exec-404')),
 		});
 		const { service, stepStore } = makeService(executionStore);

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/__tests__/execution-start-handler.test.ts

@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ function makeExecutionStore(overrides: Partial<ExecutionStore> = {}): ExecutionS
 		createExecution: vi.fn(),
 		loadExecution: vi.fn(),
 		transitionStatus: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 		refreshLiveStatus: vi.fn(),
 		...overrides,
 	};

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/__tests__/start-execution.service.test.ts

@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ function makeStore(overrides: Partial<ExecutionStore> = {}): ExecutionStore {
 		createExecution: vi.fn(),
 		loadExecution: vi.fn(),
 		transitionStatus: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 		refreshLiveStatus: vi.fn(),
 		...overrides,
 	};

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/__tests__/step-ready-handler.test.ts

@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ function makeExecutionStore(overrides: Partial<ExecutionRecord> = {}): Execution
 		createExecution: vi.fn(),
 		loadExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(execution),
 		transitionStatus: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 		refreshLiveStatus: vi.fn(),
 	};
 }

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/__tests__/step-settled-handler.test.ts

@@ -65,8 +65,10 @@ function makeExecutionStore(
 		createExecution: vi.fn(),
 		loadExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(execution),
 		transitionStatus: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
-		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+		finishExecution: vi
+			.fn()
+			.mockResolvedValue({ finishedAt: new Date('2026-09-30T08:00:00.000Z') }),
+		cancelExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 		refreshLiveStatus: vi.fn(),
 		...storeOverrides,
 	};
@@ -456,7 +458,7 @@ describe('StepSettledHandler', () => {
 		const stepStore = makeStepStore({ status: 'failed' });
 		const executionStore = makeExecutionStore(
 			{},
-			{ finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false) },
+			{ finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null) },
 		);
 		const { handler } = makeHandler(stepStore, { executionStore });
 
@@ -514,7 +516,7 @@ describe('StepSettledHandler', () => {
 });
 
 describe('StepSettledHandler lifecycle events', () => {
-	const finished = { executionId: 'exec-1', workflowId: 'wf-1', at: expect.any(String) as string };
+	const finished = { executionId: 'exec-1', workflowId: 'wf-1', at: '2026-09-30T08:00:00.000Z' };
 
 	it('announces execution:completed when it records the completion', async () => {
 		const stepStore = makeStepStore(
@@ -639,7 +641,7 @@ describe('StepSettledHandler lifecycle events', () => {
 		// Another worker already wrote the outcome, so it announces it.
 		const executionStore = makeExecutionStore(
 			{},
-			{ finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false) },
+			{ finishExecution: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null) },
 		);
 		const { handler, lifecycleEventPublisher, responseSender } = makeHandler(
 			makeStepStore({ status: 'failed' }),

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/cancel-execution.service.ts

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export class CancelExecutionService {
 				type: 'execution:cancelled',
 				executionId,
 				workflowId: execution.workflowId,
-				at: new Date().toISOString(),
+				at: cancelled.finishedAt.toISOString(),
 			});
 		}
 

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/execution-store.ts

@@ -59,12 +59,17 @@ export interface ExecutionStore {
 	/**
 	 * Record an execution's outcome: writes the final status and the finish time
 	 * together, as a compare-and-set on the live statuses, so they can't be
-	 * observed apart.
+	 * observed apart. Returns the finish time it wrote, so the caller reports the
+	 * time the row records, or `null` when the compare-and-set lost.
 	 */
-	finishExecution(id: string, status: 'completed' | 'failed'): Promise<boolean>;
+	finishExecution(id: string, status: 'completed' | 'failed'): Promise<{ finishedAt: Date } | null>;
 
-	/** End an execution on request, from any status that has not ended. */
-	cancelExecution(id: string): Promise<boolean>;
+	/**
+	 * End an execution on request, from any status that has not ended. Returns
+	 * the finish time it wrote, so the caller reports the time the row records,
+	 * or `null` when the execution had already ended.
+	 */
+	cancelExecution(id: string): Promise<{ finishedAt: Date } | null>;
 
 	/**
 	 * Sets a live execution's status from the state of its steps: `waiting` when

packages/@n8n/engine/src/execution/step-settled-handler.ts

@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ export class StepSettledHandler {
 				type: 'execution:failed',
 				executionId: execution.id,
 				workflowId: execution.workflowId,
-				at: new Date().toISOString(),
+				at: finished.finishedAt.toISOString(),
 			});
 			this.announceEnd(execution, step, node, 'failed');
 		}
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ export class StepSettledHandler {
 				type: failed ? 'execution:failed' : 'execution:completed',
 				executionId: execution.id,
 				workflowId: execution.workflowId,
-				at: new Date().toISOString(),
+				at: finished.finishedAt.toISOString(),
 			});
 			this.announceEnd(execution, step, node, failed ? 'failed' : 'completed');
 		}