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Readme

n8n-MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with comprehensive access to n8n node documentation, properties, and operations. Deploy in minutes to give Claude and other AI assistants deep knowledge about n8n's 525+ workflow automation nodes.

Overview

n8n-MCP serves as a bridge between n8n's workflow automation platform and AI models, enabling them to understand and work with n8n nodes effectively. It provides structured access to:

📚 525 n8n nodes from both n8n-nodes-base and @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain
🔧 Node properties - 99% coverage with detailed schemas
⚡ Node operations - 63.6% coverage of available actions
📄 Documentation - 90% coverage from official n8n docs (including AI nodes)
🤖 AI tools - 263 AI-capable nodes detected with full documentation

🚀 Quick Start

Get n8n-MCP running in 5 minutes:

Option 1: npx (Fastest - No Installation!) 🚀

Prerequisites: Node.js installed on your system

# Run directly with npx (no installation needed!)
npx n8n-mcp

Add to Claude Desktop config:

Basic configuration (documentation tools only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Full configuration (with n8n management tools):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true",
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: npx will download and run the latest version automatically. The package includes a pre-built database with all n8n node information.

Configuration file locations:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Restart Claude Desktop after updating configuration - That's it! 🎉

Option 2: Docker (Easy & Isolated) 🐳

Prerequisites: Docker installed on your system

📦 Install Docker (click to expand)

macOS:

# Using Homebrew
brew install --cask docker

# Or download from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install Docker
sudo apt-get install docker.io

# Start Docker service
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

# Add your user to docker group (optional, to run without sudo)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in for this to take effect

Windows:

# Option 1: Using winget (Windows Package Manager)
winget install Docker.DockerDesktop

# Option 2: Using Chocolatey
choco install docker-desktop

# Option 3: Download installer from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

Verify installation:

docker --version

# Pull the Docker image (~280MB, no n8n dependencies!)
docker pull ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

⚡ Ultra-optimized: Our Docker image is 82% smaller than typical n8n images because it contains NO n8n dependencies - just the runtime MCP server with a pre-built database!

Add to Claude Desktop config:

Basic configuration (documentation tools only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e", "MCP_MODE=stdio",
        "-e", "LOG_LEVEL=error",
        "-e", "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT=true",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Full configuration (with n8n management tools):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e", "MCP_MODE=stdio",
        "-e", "LOG_LEVEL=error",
        "-e", "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT=true",
        "-e", "N8N_API_URL=https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "-e", "N8N_API_KEY=your-api-key",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Tip: If you’re running n8n locally on the same machine (e.g., via Docker), use http://host.docker.internal:5678 as the N8N_API_URL.

Note: The n8n API credentials are optional. Without them, you'll have access to all documentation and validation tools. With them, you'll additionally get workflow management capabilities (create, update, execute workflows).

Important: The -i flag is required for MCP stdio communication.

Configuration file locations:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Restart Claude Desktop after updating configuration - That's it! 🎉

Option 3: Local Installation (For Development)

Prerequisites: Node.js installed on your system

# 1. Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp.git
cd n8n-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm run rebuild

# 2. Test it works
npm start

Add to Claude Desktop config:

Basic configuration (documentation tools only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/n8n-mcp/dist/mcp/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Full configuration (with n8n management tools):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/n8n-mcp/dist/mcp/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true",
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: The n8n API credentials can be configured either in a .env file (create from .env.example) or directly in the Claude config as shown above.

💡 Tip: If you’re running n8n locally on the same machine (e.g., via Docker), use http://host.docker.internal:5678 as the N8N_API_URL.

🤖 Claude Project Setup

For the best results when using n8n-MCP with Claude Projects, use these enhanced system instructions:

You are an expert in n8n automation software using n8n-MCP tools. Your role is to design, build, and validate n8n workflows with maximum accuracy and efficiency.

## Core Workflow Process

1. **ALWAYS start with**: `tools_documentation()` to understand best practices and available tools.

2. **Discovery Phase** - Find the right nodes:
   - `search_nodes({query: 'keyword'})` - Search by functionality
   - `list_nodes({category: 'trigger'})` - Browse by category
   - `list_ai_tools()` - See AI-capable nodes (remember: ANY node can be an AI tool!)

3. **Configuration Phase** - Get node details efficiently:
   - `get_node_essentials(nodeType)` - Start here! Only 10-20 essential properties
   - `search_node_properties(nodeType, 'auth')` - Find specific properties
   - `get_node_for_task('send_email')` - Get pre-configured templates
   - `get_node_documentation(nodeType)` - Human-readable docs when needed

4. **Pre-Validation Phase** - Validate BEFORE building:
   - `validate_node_minimal(nodeType, config)` - Quick required fields check
   - `validate_node_operation(nodeType, config, profile)` - Full operation-aware validation
   - Fix any validation errors before proceeding

5. **Building Phase** - Create the workflow:
   - Use validated configurations from step 4
   - Connect nodes with proper structure
   - Add error handling where appropriate
   - Use expressions like $json, $node["NodeName"].json
   - Build the workflow in an artifact (unless the user asked to create in n8n instance)

6. **Workflow Validation Phase** - Validate complete workflow:
   - `validate_workflow(workflow)` - Complete validation including connections
   - `validate_workflow_connections(workflow)` - Check structure and AI tool connections
   - `validate_workflow_expressions(workflow)` - Validate all n8n expressions
   - Fix any issues found before deployment

7. **Deployment Phase** (if n8n API configured):
   - `n8n_create_workflow(workflow)` - Deploy validated workflow
   - `n8n_validate_workflow({id: 'workflow-id'})` - Post-deployment validation
   - `n8n_update_partial_workflow()` - Make incremental updates using diffs
   - `n8n_trigger_webhook_workflow()` - Test webhook workflows

## Key Insights

- **VALIDATE EARLY AND OFTEN** - Catch errors before they reach production
- **USE DIFF UPDATES** - Use n8n_update_partial_workflow for 80-90% token savings
- **ANY node can be an AI tool** - not just those with usableAsTool=true
- **Pre-validate configurations** - Use validate_node_minimal before building
- **Post-validate workflows** - Always validate complete workflows before deployment
- **Incremental updates** - Use diff operations for existing workflows
- **Test thoroughly** - Validate both locally and after deployment to n8n

## Validation Strategy

### Before Building:
1. validate_node_minimal() - Check required fields
2. validate_node_operation() - Full configuration validation
3. Fix all errors before proceeding

### After Building:
1. validate_workflow() - Complete workflow validation
2. validate_workflow_connections() - Structure validation
3. validate_workflow_expressions() - Expression syntax check

### After Deployment:
1. n8n_validate_workflow({id}) - Validate deployed workflow
2. n8n_list_executions() - Monitor execution status
3. n8n_update_partial_workflow() - Fix issues using diffs

## Response Structure

1. **Discovery**: Show available nodes and options
2. **Pre-Validation**: Validate node configurations first
3. **Configuration**: Show only validated, working configs
4. **Building**: Construct workflow with validated components
5. **Workflow Validation**: Full workflow validation results
6. **Deployment**: Deploy only after all validations pass
7. **Post-Validation**: Verify deployment succeeded

## Example Workflow

### 1. Discovery & Configuration
search_nodes({query: 'slack'})
get_node_essentials('n8n-nodes-base.slack')

### 2. Pre-Validation
validate_node_minimal('n8n-nodes-base.slack', {resource:'message', operation:'send'})
validate_node_operation('n8n-nodes-base.slack', fullConfig, 'runtime')

### 3. Build Workflow
// Create workflow JSON with validated configs

### 4. Workflow Validation
validate_workflow(workflowJson)
validate_workflow_connections(workflowJson)
validate_workflow_expressions(workflowJson)

### 5. Deploy (if configured)
n8n_create_workflow(validatedWorkflow)
n8n_validate_workflow({id: createdWorkflowId})

### 6. Update Using Diffs
n8n_update_partial_workflow({
  workflowId: id,
  operations: [
    {type: 'updateNode', nodeId: 'slack1', changes: {position: [100, 200]}}
  ]
})

## Important Rules

- ALWAYS validate before building
- ALWAYS validate after building
- NEVER deploy unvalidated workflows
- USE diff operations for updates (80-90% token savings)
- STATE validation results clearly
- FIX all errors before proceeding

Save these instructions in your Claude Project for optimal n8n workflow assistance with comprehensive validation.

Features

🔍 Smart Node Search: Find nodes by name, category, or functionality
📖 Essential Properties: Get only the 10-20 properties that matter (NEW in v2.4.0)
🎯 Task Templates: Pre-configured settings for common automation tasks
✅ Config Validation: Validate node configurations before deployment
🔗 Dependency Analysis: Understand property relationships and conditions
💡 Working Examples: Real-world examples for immediate use
⚡ Fast Response: Average query time ~12ms with optimized SQLite
🌐 Universal Compatibility: Works with any Node.js version

💬 Why n8n-MCP? A Testimonial from Claude

"Before MCP, I was translating. Now I'm composing. And that changes everything about how we can build automation."

When Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant, tested n8n-MCP, the results were transformative:

Without MCP: "I was basically playing a guessing game. 'Is it scheduleTrigger or schedule? Does it take interval or rule?' I'd write what seemed logical, but n8n has its own conventions that you can't just intuit. I made six different configuration errors in a simple HackerNews scraper."

With MCP: "Everything just... worked. Instead of guessing, I could ask get_node_essentials() and get exactly what I needed - not a 100KB JSON dump, but the actual 5-10 properties that matter. What took 45 minutes now takes 3 minutes."

The Real Value: "It's about confidence. When you're building automation workflows, uncertainty is expensive. One wrong parameter and your workflow fails at 3 AM. With MCP, I could validate my configuration before deployment. That's not just time saved - that's peace of mind."

Read the full interview →

📡 Available MCP Tools

Once connected, Claude can use these powerful tools:

Core Tools

tools_documentation - Get documentation for any MCP tool (START HERE!)
list_nodes - List all n8n nodes with filtering options
get_node_info - Get comprehensive information about a specific node
get_node_essentials - Get only essential properties with examples (10-20 properties instead of 200+)
search_nodes - Full-text search across all node documentation
search_node_properties - Find specific properties within nodes
list_ai_tools - List all AI-capable nodes (ANY node can be used as AI tool!)
get_node_as_tool_info - Get guidance on using any node as an AI tool

Advanced Tools

get_node_for_task - Pre-configured node settings for common tasks
list_tasks - Discover available task templates
validate_node_operation - Validate node configurations (operation-aware, profiles support)
validate_node_minimal - Quick validation for just required fields
validate_workflow - Complete workflow validation including AI tool connections
validate_workflow_connections - Check workflow structure and AI tool connections
validate_workflow_expressions - Validate n8n expressions including $fromAI()
get_property_dependencies - Analyze property visibility conditions
get_node_documentation - Get parsed documentation from n8n-docs
get_database_statistics - View database metrics and coverage

n8n Management Tools (Optional - Requires API Configuration)

These powerful tools allow you to manage n8n workflows directly from Claude. They're only available when you provide N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY in your configuration.

Workflow Management

n8n_create_workflow - Create new workflows with nodes and connections
n8n_get_workflow - Get complete workflow by ID
n8n_get_workflow_details - Get workflow with execution statistics
n8n_get_workflow_structure - Get simplified workflow structure
n8n_get_workflow_minimal - Get minimal workflow info (ID, name, active status)
n8n_update_full_workflow - Update entire workflow (complete replacement)
n8n_update_partial_workflow - Update workflow using diff operations (NEW in v2.7.0!)
n8n_delete_workflow - Delete workflows permanently
n8n_list_workflows - List workflows with filtering and pagination
n8n_validate_workflow - Validate workflows already in n8n by ID (NEW in v2.6.3)

Execution Management

n8n_trigger_webhook_workflow - Trigger workflows via webhook URL
n8n_get_execution - Get execution details by ID
n8n_list_executions - List executions with status filtering
n8n_delete_execution - Delete execution records

System Tools

n8n_health_check - Check n8n API connectivity and features
n8n_diagnostic - Troubleshoot management tools visibility and configuration issues
n8n_list_available_tools - List all available management tools

Example Usage

// Get essentials for quick configuration
get_node_essentials("nodes-base.httpRequest")

// Find nodes for a specific task
search_nodes({ query: "send email gmail" })

// Get pre-configured settings
get_node_for_task("send_email")

// Validate before deployment
validate_node_operation({
  nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest",
  config: { method: "POST", url: "..." },
  profile: "runtime" // or "minimal", "ai-friendly", "strict"
})

// Quick required field check
validate_node_minimal({
  nodeType: "nodes-base.slack",
  config: { resource: "message", operation: "send" }
})

💻 Local Development Setup

For contributors and advanced users:

Prerequisites:

Node.js (any version - automatic fallback if needed)
npm or yarn
Git

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

# 2. Clone n8n docs (optional but recommended)
git clone https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n-docs.git ../n8n-docs

# 3. Install and build
npm install
npm run build

# 4. Initialize database
npm run rebuild

# 5. Start the server
npm start          # stdio mode for Claude Desktop
npm run start:http # HTTP mode for remote access

Development Commands

# Build & Test
npm run build          # Build TypeScript
npm run rebuild        # Rebuild node database
npm run test-nodes     # Test critical nodes
npm run validate       # Validate node data
npm test               # Run all tests

# Update Dependencies
npm run update:n8n:check  # Check for n8n updates
npm run update:n8n        # Update n8n packages

# Run Server
npm run dev            # Development with auto-reload
npm run dev:http       # HTTP dev mode

📚 Documentation

Setup Guides

Installation Guide - Comprehensive installation instructions
Claude Desktop Setup - Detailed Claude configuration
Docker Guide - Advanced Docker deployment options
MCP Quick Start - Get started quickly with n8n-MCP

Feature Documentation

Workflow Diff Operations - Token-efficient workflow updates (NEW!)
Transactional Updates - Two-pass workflow editing
MCP Essentials - AI-optimized tools guide
Validation System - Smart validation profiles

Development & Deployment

HTTP Deployment - Remote server setup guide
Dependency Management - Keeping n8n packages in sync
Claude's Interview - Real-world impact of n8n-MCP

Project Information

Change Log - Complete version history
Claude Instructions - AI guidance for this codebase
MCP Tools Reference - Complete list of available tools

📊 Metrics & Coverage

Current database coverage (n8n v1.100.1):

✅ 525/525 nodes loaded (100%)
✅ 520 nodes with properties (99%)
✅ 470 nodes with documentation (90%)
✅ 263 AI-capable tools detected
✅ AI Agent & LangChain nodes fully documented
⚡ Average response time: ~12ms
💾 Database size: ~15MB (optimized)

🔄 Recent Updates

v2.7.4 - Self-Documenting MCP Tools

✅ RENAMED: start_here_workflow_guide → tools_documentation for clarity
✅ NEW: Depth parameter - Control documentation detail with "essentials" or "full"
✅ NEW: Per-tool documentation - Get help for any specific MCP tool by name
✅ CONCISE: Essential info by default, comprehensive docs on demand
✅ LLM-FRIENDLY: Plain text format instead of JSON for better readability
✅ QUICK HELP: Call without parameters for immediate quick reference
✅ 8 TOOLS DOCUMENTED: Complete documentation for most commonly used tools

v2.7.0 - Diff-Based Workflow Editing with Transactional Updates

✅ NEW: n8n_update_partial_workflow tool - Update workflows using diff operations
✅ RENAMED: n8n_update_workflow → n8n_update_full_workflow for clarity
✅ 80-90% TOKEN SAVINGS: Only send changes, not entire workflow JSON
✅ 13 OPERATIONS: addNode, removeNode, updateNode, moveNode, enable/disable, connections, settings, tags
✅ TRANSACTIONAL: Two-pass processing allows adding nodes and connections in any order
✅ 5 OPERATION LIMIT: Ensures reliability and atomic updates
✅ VALIDATION MODE: Test changes with validateOnly: true before applying
✅ IMPROVED DOCS: Comprehensive parameter documentation and examples

v2.6.3 - n8n Instance Workflow Validation

✅ NEW: n8n_validate_workflow tool - Validate workflows directly from n8n instance by ID
✅ FETCHES: Retrieves workflow from n8n API and runs comprehensive validation
✅ CONSISTENT: Uses same WorkflowValidator for reliability
✅ FLEXIBLE: Supports all validation profiles and options
✅ INTEGRATED: Part of complete workflow lifecycle management
✅ SIMPLE: AI agents need only workflow ID, no JSON required

v2.6.2 - Enhanced Workflow Creation Validation

✅ NEW: Node type validation - Verifies node types actually exist in n8n
✅ FIXED: Critical issue with nodes-base.webhook validation - now caught before database lookup
✅ NEW: Smart suggestions for common mistakes (e.g., webhook → n8n-nodes-base.webhook)
✅ NEW: Minimum viable workflow validation - Prevents single-node workflows (except webhooks)
✅ NEW: Empty connection detection - Catches multi-node workflows with no connections
✅ ENHANCED: Error messages with clear guidance and examples
✅ PREVENTS: Broken workflows that show as question marks in n8n UI

See CHANGELOG.md for full version history.

⚠️ Known Issues

Claude Desktop Container Duplication

When using n8n-MCP with Claude Desktop in Docker mode, Claude Desktop may start the container twice during initialization. This is a known Claude Desktop bug (modelcontextprotocol/servers#812).

Symptoms:

Two identical containers running for the same MCP server
Container name conflicts if using --name parameter
Doubled resource usage

Workarounds:

Avoid using --name parameter - Let Docker assign random names:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "-i", "--rm",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use HTTP mode instead - Deploy n8n-mcp as a standalone HTTP server:

docker compose up -d  # Start HTTP server

Then connect via mcp-remote (see HTTP Deployment Guide)

Use Docker MCP Toolkit - Better container management through Docker Desktop

This issue does not affect the functionality of n8n-MCP itself, only the container management in Claude Desktop.

📦 License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Attribution appreciated! If you use n8n-MCP, consider:

⭐ Starring this repository
💬 Mentioning it in your project
🔗 Linking back to this repo

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Run tests (npm test)
Submit a pull request

👏 Acknowledgments

n8n team for the workflow automation platform
Anthropic for the Model Context Protocol
All contributors and users of this project

Built with ❤️ for the n8n community
_{Making AI + n8n workflow creation delightful}