Migrate Make.com scenarios to n8n: audit + PRD checklist

When it’s worth migrating (and when it isn’t)

• Migrate when:
• You need more control over hosting, environments (dev/staging/prod), and versioning.
• You’re hitting governance or security requirements that are easier to meet in a self-hosted setup.
• You have complex logic (branching, loops, custom code) where a more developer-friendly tool will be easier to maintain.
• You’re consistently running at a cost level where moving platform costs less than ongoing optimization.
• Don’t migrate yet when:
• You’re still iterating on the workflow weekly and the architecture is in flux.
• The workflow is stable, the failure rate is low, and the current platform cost is trivial relative to the business value.
• Your bottleneck is not the platform—it’s unclear requirements, messy data, or missing ownership.

Phase 0: Set up migration governance (do this first)

1. Pick an owner and define success
• Who owns “done”? Who approves cutover?
• What’s the success metric: fewer failures, lower cost, faster iteration, better observability?
2. Define environments
• At minimum: dev + prod (staging is ideal).
• Decide how secrets and credentials will be managed per environment.
3. Set a cutover plan
• Big-bang vs parallel run.
• Rollback plan (how you’ll revert to Make if needed).

Phase 1: Audit your Make.com scenario (inventory)

1. List every scenario you’re migrating
• Scenario name, purpose, business owner, and current schedule/trigger.
• Expected daily/weekly volume (runs per day, items per run).
2. Map the trigger and entry conditions
• Webhook vs schedule vs app trigger.
• Any filters that prevent runs or prevent downstream modules.
3. Inventory every module and what it assumes
• Inputs required (fields that must exist).
• Output shape (fields created/renamed).
• Hidden dependencies (connections, data stores, shared variables).
4. Document error-handling behavior
• What happens on retry?
• Which errors are “stop the run” vs “skip and continue”?
• What notifications exist today, and who receives them?
5. Capture rate limits and quotas
• Any APIs that will throttle or lock you out.
• Any Make-specific pacing or queue behavior you rely on.

Phase 2: Export Make blueprints (so you can write PRDs)

1. Export the blueprint JSON for each scenario
• Store it in a versioned place (repo, drive folder, or an internal docs space).
• Keep a “snapshot date” so you know what version you audited.
2. Sanitize before sharing
• Remove or anonymize anything sensitive (webhook URLs, credential names, identifiable customer data).
3. Create a “blueprint index”
• A simple table that links: Scenario → Blueprint file → PRD → n8n workflow.

Phase 3: Convert blueprints into PRDs (the key step)

1. Goal (one paragraph)
• What business outcome the automation creates.
2. Trigger
• Exact start condition and any filtering.
3. Data contracts
• Input schema assumptions.
• Output schema guarantees.
4. Workflow logic
• Step-by-step logic in plain language (including branches).
• Call out any loops, pagination, and idempotency rules.
5. Failure modes
• What can fail, how it should recover, and when to alert a human.
6. Observability
• What you’ll log.
• What success looks like in metrics.
• What dashboards/alerts you need.

Phase 4: Rebuild in n8n (implementation checklist)

1. Create the workflow skeleton
• Trigger node(s) first.
• Add placeholder nodes for each PRD step.
2. Recreate connections and credentials
• Use environment-specific secrets.
• Verify scopes and OAuth settings early.
3. Implement logic with test fixtures
• Save representative input payloads.
• Test success paths and failure paths.
4. Add guards for real-world messiness
• Missing fields, empty arrays, unexpected types.
• Duplicate events (webhooks often retry).
• Partial failures (downstream API returns 429/5xx).
5. Build error handling intentionally
• Decide when to retry vs stop vs notify.
• Route errors to a notification channel and include enough context to debug.

Phase 5: Validate, parallel-run, and cut over

1. Validation checklist
• Output matches Make results for the same test cases.
• Timing matches what the business expects.
• Notifications fire only when they should.
2. Parallel-run (recommended)
• Run Make and n8n in parallel against a controlled subset.
• Compare outputs and failure rates.
3. Cutover
• Freeze changes on the Make scenario.
• Switch production traffic to n8n.
• Keep Make disabled-but-ready for rollback until you’re confident.

A practical note on "AI-assisted" rebuilds

• Use AI to summarize your blueprint and draft a first-pass PRD.
• Don’t use AI to guess missing business rules.
• Treat the PRD as the contract, not the JSON.

Get help migrating to n8n