Overview
This node acts as a temporary chat message buffer that accumulates incoming messages for a given session and outputs them concatenated after a specified period of inactivity. It is useful in scenarios where multiple short messages need to be combined into a single, coherent message before further processing or sending. For example, it can be used to gather fragmented user inputs in a chatbot conversation and send them as one complete message once the user pauses typing.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Session ID | Unique identifier for the chat session. Messages with the same Session ID are buffered together. |
| Message | The text content of the message to add to the buffer. |
| Timeout (Ms) | Time in milliseconds to wait after the last received message before processing the buffer. |
| Separator | String used to join the buffered messages when concatenating (default is ". "). |
Output
The node outputs an array with one item per processed session buffer. Each output item contains a json object with the following fields:
jid: The session ID corresponding to the buffered messages.textMessageContent: The concatenated string of all buffered messages joined by the separator.messageCount: Number of messages that were concatenated.processedAt: ISO timestamp indicating when the buffer was processed.
No binary data is produced by this node.
Dependencies
- No external services or API keys are required.
- The node relies on internal state management to accumulate messages per session.
- No special environment variables or n8n configurations are needed.
Troubleshooting
Issue: Messages never get output.
- Cause: If new messages keep arriving within the timeout window, the buffer will not process.
- Solution: Increase the timeout or ensure there is a pause in incoming messages.
Issue: Output contains fewer messages than expected.
- Cause: Messages might have different session IDs, causing separate buffers.
- Solution: Verify that the Session ID property correctly identifies related messages.
Error: Node throws exceptions during execution.
- Cause: Possibly due to missing required parameters or invalid input types.
- Solution: Ensure all required properties (
Session ID,Message,Timeout) are provided and valid.