Control n8n Workflows with Natural Language

n8n MCP Server

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

Overview

This project provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that empowers AI assistants to seamlessly interact with n8n, a popular workflow automation tool. It acts as a bridge, enabling AI assistants to programmatically manage and control n8n workflows and executions using natural language commands.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20 or later
• n8n instance with API access enabled

Install from npm

npm install -g @leonardsellem/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 .

Docker Installation

You can also run the server using Docker:

# Pull the image
docker pull leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server

# Run the container with your n8n API configuration
docker run -e N8N_API_URL=http://your-n8n:5678/api/v1 \
  -e N8N_API_KEY=your_n8n_api_key \
  -e N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME=username \
  -e N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD=password \
  leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server

Updating the Server

How you update the server depends on how you initially installed it.

1. Installed globally via npm

If you installed the server using npm install -g @leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Run the following command to get the latest version:

   npm install -g @leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server@latest
   

3. If the server is currently running (e.g., as a background process or service), you'll need to restart it for the changes to take effect.

2. Installed from source

If you cloned the repository and installed from source:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to the directory where you cloned the project:

   cd path/to/n8n-mcp-server
   

3. If you've made any local changes to the code that you want to keep, consider stashing them (optional):

   git stash
   

   You can apply them later with git stash pop.
4. Pull the latest changes from the repository (assuming you are on the main branch):

   git pull origin main
   

   If you are on a different branch, replace main with your branch name.
5. Install or update any changed dependencies:

   npm install
   

6. Rebuild the project to include the latest updates:

   npm run build
   

7. If you previously installed it globally from this source folder using npm install -g ., you might want to run this command again to update the global link:

   npm install -g .
   

8. Restart the server.
   • If you run the server directly using a command like node build/index.js in your AI assistant's MCP configuration, ensure the path is still correct. Using npm install -g . and then n8n-mcp-server as the command should keep this consistent.

3. Using Docker

If you are running the server using Docker:

1. Pull the latest image from Docker Hub:

   docker pull leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server:latest
   

2. Stop and remove your old container. You'll need your container's name or ID (you can find it using docker ps):

   docker stop <your_container_name_or_id>
   docker rm <your_container_name_or_id>
   

3. Start a new container with the updated image. Use the same docker run command you used previously, including all your necessary environment variables (refer to the "Docker Installation" section for an example command). For instance:

   docker run -e N8N_API_URL=http://your-n8n:5678/api/v1 \
     -e N8N_API_KEY=your_n8n_api_key \
     -e N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME=username \
     -e N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD=password \
     leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server:latest
   

   Ensure you use :latest or the specific version tag you intend to run.

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:

Generating an n8n API Key

1. Open your n8n instance in a browser
2. Go to Settings > API > API Keys
3. Create a new API key with appropriate permissions
4. 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:

1. Create a webhook-triggered workflow in n8n.
2. Set up Basic Authentication on your webhook node.
3. 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 N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME and N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD environment variables.

Workflow Management

• workflow_list: List all workflows
• workflow_get: Get details of a specific workflow
• workflow_create: Create a new workflow
• workflow_update: Update an existing workflow
• workflow_delete: Delete a workflow
• workflow_activate: Activate a workflow
• workflow_deactivate: Deactivate a workflow

Execution Management

• execution_run: Execute a workflow via the API
• run_webhook: Execute a workflow via a webhook
• execution_get: Get details of a specific execution
• execution_list: List executions for a workflow
• execution_stop: Stop a running execution

Resources

The server provides the following resources:

• n8n://workflows/list: List of all workflows
• n8n://workflow/{id}: Details of a specific workflow
• n8n://executions/{workflowId}: List of executions for a workflow
• n8n://execution/{id}: Details of a specific execution

Roadmap

The n8n MCP Server is a community-driven project, and its future direction will be shaped by your feedback and contributions!

Currently, our roadmap is flexible and under continuous development. We believe in evolving the server based on the needs and ideas of our users.

We encourage you to get involved in shaping the future of this tool:

• Suggest Features: Have an idea for a new tool, resource, or improvement?
• Discuss Priorities: Want to weigh in on what we should focus on next?

Please share your thoughts, feature requests, and ideas by opening an issue on our GitHub Issues page. Let's build a powerful tool for AI assistants together!

Development

Building

npm run build

Running in Development Mode

npm run dev

Testing

npm test

Linting

npm run lint

🚀 Join Our Team: Call for Co-Maintainers!

This project is a vibrant, community-driven tool actively used by AI enthusiasts and developers. Currently, it's maintained on a part-time basis by a passionate individual who isn't a seasoned engineer but is dedicated to bridging AI with workflow automation. To help this project flourish, ensure its long-term health, and keep up with its growing user base, we're looking for enthusiastic co-maintainers to join the team!

Why Contribute?

• Learn and Grow: Sharpen your skills in areas like TypeScript, Node.js, API integration, and AI tool development.
• Collaborate: Work alongside other motivated developers and AI users.
• Make an Impact: Directly shape the future of this project and help build a valuable tool for the AI community.
• Open Source: Gain experience contributing to an open-source project.

How You Can Help

We welcome contributions in many forms! Here are some areas where you could make a big difference:

• Bug Fixing: Help us identify and squash bugs to improve stability.
• Feature Development: Implement new tools and functionalities based on user needs and your ideas.
• Documentation: Improve our guides, examples, and API references to make the project more accessible.
• Testing: Enhance our test suite (unit, integration) to ensure code quality and reliability.
• CI/CD: Help streamline our development and deployment pipelines.
• Code Reviews: Provide feedback on pull requests and help maintain code standards.
• Community Support: Assist users with questions and help manage discussions.

Get Involved!

If you're excited about the intersection of AI and workflow automation, and you're looking for a rewarding open-source opportunity, we'd love to hear from you!

Ready to contribute?

1. Check out our GitHub Issues page to find existing tasks, suggest new ideas, or express your interest in becoming a co-maintainer.
2. You can open an issue titled "Co-maintainer Application" to formally apply, or simply start contributing to existing issues.
3. Alternatively, feel free to reach out to the existing maintainers if you have questions.

Let’s build the future of AI-powered workflow automation together! 🙌

Thanks to the community for the support!