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Institution → Search

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Overview

This node integrates with the Plaid API to search for financial institutions based on a user-provided query string. It is useful when you want to find and retrieve information about banks or other financial institutions supported by Plaid, such as when building financial apps that require institution selection or verification.

A practical example: A user inputs a partial bank name like "Chase" into the node, and it returns a list of matching institutions including their IDs and details, which can then be used to link accounts or display options in an app.

Properties

Name Meaning
Access Token The Plaid access token associated with the user's account, required for authentication.
Search Query The text query string used to search for institutions (e.g., bank name or keyword).

Output

The output is an array of JSON objects, each representing a financial institution matching the search query. Each institution object contains detailed information such as institution ID, name, and other metadata provided by the Plaid API.

Example output structure snippet:

{
  "institution_id": "ins_123456",
  "name": "Chase Bank",
  "products": ["transactions"],
  "country_codes": ["US"],
  ...
}

No binary data is output by this operation.

Dependencies

  • Requires an API key credential for Plaid (client ID and secret) configured in n8n.
  • The node makes HTTP POST requests to the Plaid API endpoints.
  • No additional external dependencies beyond the Plaid API and valid credentials.

Troubleshooting

  • Common issues:

    • Invalid or expired access token: Ensure the access token is correct and active.
    • Network or connectivity errors: Verify internet connection and Plaid service status.
    • API errors returned from Plaid (e.g., invalid query): Check error messages for specific codes and adjust input accordingly.

  • Error messages:

    • Plaid API Error (error_code): error_message — Indicates a problem reported by Plaid; review the error code and message for resolution.
    • Plaid API Request Failed: message — General request failure, possibly due to network or configuration issues.

To resolve errors, verify credentials, input parameters, and ensure the Plaid environment matches your setup (sandbox, development, production).

Links and References

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