N8n MCP

n8n MCP

What This Does

Enables Claude Code to create, validate, test, and manage n8n workflows programmatically.

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop installed

• n8n instance with API access enabled

• n8n API Key (from Settings → API)

Step 1: Create Local Config Folder

mkdir -p ~/.config/mcp/n8n

Step 2: Get Credentials

1. Open your n8n instance

2. Go to Settings → API

3. Click Create API Key

4. Copy the API key (starts with n8n_api_)

5. Note your n8n URL (e.g., https://your-instance.n8n.cloud)

Step 3: Save Credentials Locally

Create ~/.config/mcp/n8n/.env:

cat > ~/.config/mcp/n8n/.env << 'EOF'
N8N_API_URL=https://your-n8n-instance.com
N8N_API_KEY=n8n_api_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
EOF

Replace with your actual values.

Step 4: Pull Docker Image

docker pull ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

Step 5: Test the Connection

# Load env and run
source ~/.config/mcp/n8n/.env && docker run --rm \
  -e N8N_API_URL="$N8N_API_URL" \
  -e N8N_API_KEY="$N8N_API_KEY" \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest \
  --version

Step 6: Add to Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

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

Note: ${HOME} expansion may not work in all environments. If it doesn't, use the full absolute path:

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

Step 7: Verify It Works

Restart Claude Code and test:

List all workflows in n8n

Expected: You should see a list of your n8n workflows.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
n8n_create_workflow	Create new workflows
n8n_get_workflow	Retrieve workflow details
n8n_update_full_workflow	Update entire workflow
n8n_delete_workflow	Delete workflows
n8n_list_workflows	List all workflows
n8n_validate_workflow	Validate workflow structure
n8n_test_workflow	Test/trigger workflow execution
n8n_executions	View execution history
search_nodes	Search available nodes
get_node	Get node documentation

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Verify N8N_API_URL is accessible
401 Unauthorized	Check API key is correct
Image not found	Run docker pull ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest
Workflows not visible	Ensure API key has workflow access
env-file not found	Use absolute path instead of ${HOME}