Public Hostname not Populating to connect n8n (locally)
Goal: Expose local Docker n8n (http://localhost:5678) via persistent Cloudflare Tunnel using trycloudflare.com. (Win10, free Cloudflare account, no custom domain).
Setup Steps:
Tunnel Creation: Created named tunnel ("Nick Cloudflared Tunnel") via Zero Trust dashboard.
Service Install (Token): Copied tunnel token from dashboard. Successfully installed "Cloudflared agent" service using cloudflared.exe service install <TOKEN> in Admin prompt. Confirmed service starts/stops (net start/stop cloudflared).
Configuration (config.yml):
Placed config.yml in the service's expected path: C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile.cloudflared.
Ensured config.yml contained only the minimal ingress rule (verified YAML syntax/indent):
ingress:
- service: http://localhost:5678
Use code with caution.
Yaml
Service Restart: Restarted "Cloudflared agent" service after config changes.
Manual Test: Stopped service. Ran manually in Admin prompt: cloudflared.exe --config C:...\systemprofile.cloudflared\config.yml tunnel run --token <TOKEN>. Observed successful connection logs (Registered tunnel connection...) without relevant errors.
Current Status:
Tunnel status in Cloudflare dashboard: Healthy.
"Cloudflared agent" service in Windows: Running.
config.yml with minimal ingress rule exists in the systemprofile path.
Problem:
Despite the Healthy status, Running service, and successful manual test, the "Public Hostname" tab for the tunnel in the Cloudflare dashboard remains empty. The automatic trycloudflare.com URL is not appearing.
Question:
Why would a healthy, token-based tunnel service fail to register/display the automatic trycloudflare.com hostname when it appears to be reading the minimal ingress rule from the correct systemprofile location?
This version cuts down on some narrative and redundant phrases while keeping the essential technical steps and the core problem. Hopefully, this fits better!
1 Reply
I would try removing
C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile.cloudflare. The token means the tunnel should be remote managed and not have config file given