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This MCP server provides tools and resources for AI assistants to manage n8n workflows and executions, including listing, creating, updating, and deleting workflows, as well as monitoring their execution status.

Source Code

n8n MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants to interact with n8n workflows through natural language.

Overview

This MCP server provides tools and resources for AI assistants to manage n8n workflows and executions. It allows assistants to:

List, create, update, and delete workflows
Activate and deactivate workflows
Execute workflows and monitor their status
Access workflow information and execution statistics

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js 18 or later
n8n instance with API access enabled

Install from npm

npm install -g n8n-mcp-server

Install from source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server.git
cd n8n-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Optional: Install globally
npm install -g .

Configuration

Create a

.env

file in the directory where you'll run the server, using

.env.example

as a template:

cp .env.example .env

Configure the following environment variables:

Variable	Description	Example
`N8N_API_URL`	Full URL of the n8n API, including `/api/v1`	`http://localhost:5678/api/v1`
`N8N_API_KEY`	API key for authenticating with n8n	`n8n_api_...`
`N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME`	Username for webhook authentication (if using webhooks)	`username`
`N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD`	Password for webhook authentication	`password`
`DEBUG`	Enable debug logging (optional)	`true` or `false`

Generating an n8n API Key

Open your n8n instance in a browser
Go to Settings > API > API Keys
Create a new API key with appropriate permissions
Copy the key to your
```
.env
```
file

Usage

Running the Server

From the installation directory:

n8n-mcp-server

Or if installed globally:

n8n-mcp-server

Integrating with AI Assistants

After building the server (

npm run build

), you need to configure your AI assistant (like VS Code with the Claude extension or the Claude Desktop app) to run it. This typically involves editing a JSON configuration file.

Example Configuration (e.g., in VS Code
settings.json
or Claude Desktop
claude_desktop_config.json
):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    // Give your server a unique name
    "n8n-local": {
      // Use 'node' to execute the built JavaScript file
      "command": "node",
      // Provide the *absolute path* to the built index.js file
      "args": [
        "/path/to/your/cloned/n8n-mcp-server/build/index.js"
        // On Windows, use double backslashes:
        // "C:\\path\\to\\your\\cloned\\n8n-mcp-server\\build\\index.js"
      ],
      // Environment variables needed by the server
      "env": {
        "N8N_API_URL": "http://your-n8n-instance:5678/api/v1", // Replace with your n8n URL
        "N8N_API_KEY": "YOUR_N8N_API_KEY", // Replace with your key
        // Add webhook credentials only if you plan to use webhook tools
        // "N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME": "your_webhook_user",
        // "N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD": "your_webhook_password"
      },
      // Ensure the server is enabled
      "disabled": false,
      // Default autoApprove settings
      "autoApprove": []
    }
    // ... other servers might be configured here
  }
}

Key Points:

Replace
```
/path/to/your/cloned/n8n-mcp-server/
```
with the actual absolute path where you cloned and built the repository.
Use the correct path separator for your operating system (forward slashes
```
/
```
for macOS/Linux, double backslashes
```
\\
```
for Windows).
Ensure you provide the correct
```
N8N_API_URL
```
(including
```
/api/v1
```
) and
```
N8N_API_KEY
```
.
The server needs to be built (
```
npm run build
```
) before the assistant can run the
```
build/index.js
```
file.

Available Tools

The server provides the following tools:

Using Webhooks

This MCP server supports executing workflows through n8n webhooks. To use this functionality:

Create a webhook-triggered workflow in n8n.
Set up Basic Authentication on your webhook node.
Use the
```
run_webhook
```
tool to trigger the workflow, passing just the workflow name.

Example:

const result = await useRunWebhook({
  workflowName: "hello-world", // Will call <n8n-url>/webhook/hello-world
  data: {
    prompt: "Hello from AI assistant!"
  }
});

The webhook authentication is handled automatically using the