n8n 2.28.5 - Expression Date Preservation

n8n [email protected], published July 2, 2026, is a small bug fix release for workflow operators. The main change is core Date value preservation when data enters the expression isolate, which matters when workflow logic depends on native date semantics instead of serialized strings. The release is not marked as a prerelease.

The full release notes and downloads are on the GitHub release page.

The core fix preserves Date values passed to the expression isolate. That sounds narrow, but expression evaluation is where many n8n workflows turn inbound records into branch decisions, API payloads, and scheduled offsets. If a Date becomes a plain string too early, downstream logic can still run, but it may stop using native date methods or compare values with weaker assumptions.

The release notes point this change at #33363 and commit c3676bd. For data teams, the practical check is simple: workflows that pass dates through expression based transforms should be rerun against representative input. Watch any code that calls methods such as getTime() or builds request bodies for systems that care about date format.

This is also a reminder that workflow engines often fail at the type boundary rather than in the connector itself. A date can survive ingestion, then lose behavior inside a sandboxed expression runtime. This release closes that specific path.

The Salesforce node fix normalizes empty 204 responses on the JWT auth path. Empty success responses are common in API workflows, but they can still break a pipeline if the client path expects a body or emits an inconsistent result shape. In n8n terms, that is the difference between a quiet successful step and a workflow branch that sees an unexpected value.

The release notes attach this to #33355 and commit e194baf. The relevant audience is anyone using Salesforce with JWT auth for automated service flows. After upgrade, pay attention to workflows that rely on the exact output shape from Salesforce calls returning no content.

This fix is not a schema migration. It is client behavior. That makes rollout risk lower than a model change, but it also means tests should assert runtime output, not just credential validity.

The remaining bug fix is in the editor. Tool variant nodes now show the Free credits badge in the node creator panel. That is useful for users building flows in the UI, but it does not change execution semantics, queue behavior, credential handling, or connector output.

The release notes cite #33348 and commit 9625e75. Treat it as a UI correction unless local policy tracks user facing editor changes as part of release acceptance. It should not drive a production rollout on its own.

There are no breaking changes or migration steps listed in the [email protected] notes. The release is a narrow patch set. That means the safer review path is not broad regression hunting; it is targeted workflow replay around expression dates and Salesforce JWT calls.

Start with flows that combine date arithmetic, expression transforms, and outbound API payloads. Then check Salesforce operations that can return 204. If those pass, the editor badge fix is unlikely to affect headless workers or scheduled executions.

The full context remains on the GitHub release page. The notes are short enough that operators should read them directly before pin changes, especially if a fleet has both UI users and worker nodes.