Bug Description

On n8n 2.16.0 and 2.17.1 with a Postgres backend, the wait-tracker poller crashes with TypeError: dbTime.getTime is not a function every 5 seconds. As a consequence, no waiting execution is ever resumed — every workflow that hits a Wait node stays in waiting status indefinitely.

Root cause is in packages/@n8n/db/src/repositories/clock.repository.ts (dist:
@n8n/db/dist/repositories/clock.repository.js). In the getDbTime() method, the Postgres branch returns
now directly from the raw query result instead of wrapping it in a Date:

  if (this.databaseConfig.type === 'postgresdb') {            
      const [{ now }] = await this.dataSource.query('SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(3) AS now');
      return now;                 // ← should be: return new Date(now);                   
  }                                                                                                       
  // SQLite branch correctly wraps it:                                                                    
  const [{ now }] = await this.dataSource.query("SELECT STRFTIME(...) AS now");                           
  const date = new Date(now);                                                                             
  ...                                                                                                     
  return date;

Patching that single line to return new Date(now); fully resolves the issue — the poller stops crashing, backlog of waiting executions resumes correctly, new Wait-node executions complete normally.

To Reproduce

1. Run n8n 2.16.0 or 2.17.1 with DB_TYPE=postgresdb (Postgres 16).
2. Create any workflow containing a Wait node (e.g. "wait 10 seconds").
3. Trigger the workflow.
4. Observe in container logs: dbTime.getTime is not a function printed every 5s.
5. Check DB: execution stays in waiting status forever; no resume, no success.

Expected behavior

The Wait node should pause execution for the configured interval and then resume the workflow. The
wait-tracker poller should not crash.

Debug Info

Error repeats every 5s (polling interval of wait-tracker):

  dbTime.getTime is not a function

Source of the crash: packages/cli/src/wait-tracker.ts (dist wait-tracker.js:64):

  const [executions, dbTime] = await Promise.all([
      this.executionRepository.getWaitingExecutions(),                                                    
      this.dbClock.getApproximateDbTime(),                    
  ]);                                                                                                     
  const skewMs = dbTime.getTime() - Date.now();   // crash here

DbClock.getApproximateDbTime() calls ClockRepository.getDbTime() which in the Postgres branch returns
the raw query field instead of a Date instance.

Workaround verified: editing clock.repository.js to return new Date(now); in the postgres branch,
restarting the container — poller stops crashing, all stuck waiting executions resume, backlog drains, new
Wait nodes complete normally.

Operating System

Ubuntu Linux (host kernel 5.4), n8n inside Docker (Alpine image)

n8n Version

2.17.1 (also reproduced on 2.16.0)

Node.js Version

24.14.1 (shipped in the official n8n Docker image)

Database

PostgreSQL

Execution mode

main (default)

Hosting

self hosted