N8n MCP

Name: N8n MCP
Author: ratamaha-git

by ratamaha-gitversion 0.3.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.ratamaha-git/n8n-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

MCP server for n8n: generate, lint, explain failed executions, drive live n8n via REST.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Other

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
The registry lists no key to fill in.

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@automatelab/n8n-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add n8n -- npx -y @automatelab/n8n-mcp

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@automatelab/n8n-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "n8n": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@automatelab/n8n-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account ratamaha-git, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 32715 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 9% of the other 32715 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 32715 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is N8n MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.3.0) reached the registry 6 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, First Sale Scout

Alternatives

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README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

n8n-mcp

An MCP server for n8n that gives Claude, Cursor, and other AI agents tools for generating workflows, linting, diagnosing failed executions, and driving live n8n instances.

Why we built this

We use n8n daily inside AutomateLab and kept hitting the same LLM failures: workflow JSON that imports but fails at runtime, AI Agent clusters wired with the wrong connection types, executions that silently drop items with no clue where to look. Dumping the whole n8n catalog into context doesn't fix it - the failure modes are too subtle (typeVersion mismatches, IF v1 schema, credentials that don't survive import).

So we built a small, focused server: encode the failure modes the lint can catch, the cluster topology the generator must respect, and the diagnosis the agent can't do alone. For the historical launch walkthrough, covering the original nine tools with example output, see the launch post on automatelab.tech.

Why it's different

Other n8n MCP servers (notably czlonkowski/n8n-mcp) compete on breadth - 20+ tools and an indexed corpus of every n8n node. They own that niche.

This server is the debugging-and-first-run-correctness MCP for n8n:

`execution_explain` is the wedge. Paste the execution JSON; get back per-node findings: which nodes returned 0 items, which had unresolved ={{ ... }} expressions, error messages with concrete hints. No other MCP server does this well, and it hits the n8n community's #1 debugging pain point (silent data loss between nodes).
`workflow_generate` is opinionated about AI Agent topology - emits proper LangChain clusters with ai_languageModel / ai_memory / ai_tool connections (sub-nodes connect *upward* to the agent, not via main). Imports cleanly on n8n 1.x.
`workflow_lint` catches the silent failures: deprecated node types (Function → Code, spreadsheetFile → convertToFile), AI Agent missing language model, IF v1 schema, Webhook missing webhookId, broken connections across all connection types (not just main).
5 REST tools (gated on N8N_API_URL + N8N_API_KEY) let you list, fetch, create, activate workflows and pull executions - so the lint and explain tools can run against your live workflows, not just JSON pasted in chat.

Plus: a paired Agent Skill that teaches the model when to use which tool and where to load deeper context (split into references/ so it doesn't bloat the prompt).

Tools

Tool names follow dot-notation and form a navigable tree: node.*, workflow.*, execution.*. Every tool declares an outputSchema (so callers can type-check responses) and MCP annotations (read-only / destructive / idempotent / open-world hints).

Stateless (work without a live n8n instance):

Tool	Purpose
`workflow_generate`	Plain-English description → workflow JSON. Detects AI-agent intent.
`node_scaffold`	Description → single `INodeType` TypeScript file for a custom n8n package.
`workflow_lint`	Workflow JSON → list of errors and warnings (20+ rules).
`workflow_diff`	Two workflows → semantic diff (nodes added/removed/modified, connections, settings).
`execution_explain`	Failed execution JSON → per-node diagnosis with hints.
`execution_replay`	Workflow + node → self-contained replay workflow that exercises just that node.
`execution_timeline`	Execution JSON → per-node timeline table (start, duration, items in/out, errors).

Live-instance (require N8N_API_URL + N8N_API_KEY env vars):

Tool	Purpose
`workflow_list`	Paginate workflows; filter by active/tags/name.
`workflow_get`	Fetch a workflow by id.
`workflow_create`	POST a workflow. Strips read-only fields.
`workflow_activate`	Flip active on/off.
`execution_list`	Browse executions; pass `includeData: true` for the full body.

v0.5.0 changes. Three new tools: workflow_diff, execution_replay, execution_timeline. Lint expanded with 10 new rules (rate-limit, credential drift, expression staleness, code sandbox, webhook test path, manualTrigger-in-active, DST schedule risk, disabled-but-wired, empty Set, HTTP method/body mismatch). New runtime policy env vars: N8N_MCP_READ_ONLY, N8N_MCP_DISABLED_TOOLS, N8N_MCP_ALLOWED_WORKFLOW_IDS, N8N_MCP_ALLOWED_TAGS. DXT bundle + Dockerfile + Render/Railway/Fly deploy configs.

v0.4.0 breaking change. Tools were renamed from n8n_* (snake_case) to dot-notation. Update any prompts, agent skills, or scripts that referenced the old names.

Runtime policy (v0.5+)

Constrain the server without forking. Set these env vars before launching:

Env var	Effect
`N8N_MCP_READ_ONLY=1`	Disables `workflow_create`, `workflow_activate`, `node_scaffold`.
`N8N_MCP_DISABLED_TOOLS=workflow_create,workflow_activate`	Skip those tool registrations entirely.
`N8N_MCP_ALLOWED_WORKFLOW_IDS=abc,def`	REST tools refuse to touch any workflow outside the list.
`N8N_MCP_ALLOWED_TAGS=prod,staging`	`workflow_list` filters to workflows carrying at least one tag.

Useful when handing the MCP to a junior agent or wiring it behind a customer-facing assistant.

Deploy

Claude Desktop one-click: build the .dxt bundle from dxt/manifest.json (see dxt/README.md).
Docker: docker build -t n8n-mcp . && docker run --rm -i -e N8N_API_URL=... -e N8N_API_KEY=... n8n-mcp.
Render: drop in render.yaml and click "New from Blueprint".
Railway: railway.toml — railway up in the repo root.
Fly.io: fly.toml — fly launch --copy-config.

Install

Requires Node 20 or later.

As a CLI tool

npm install -g @automatelab/n8n-mcp

As a GitHub Action

Use the n8n MCP GitHub Action to lint workflows, diagnose executions, and generate workflow JSON in your CI/CD pipeline:

- uses: ratamaha-git/n8n-mcp@v1

with: command: 'lint' workflow-json: ${{ env.WORKFLOW_JSON }}

See ACTION.md and GITHUB-ACTION-SETUP.md for examples and publication details.

Configure your MCP host

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json) or Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

"mcpServers": { "n8n": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@automatelab/n8n-mcp"], "env": { "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n.example.com", "N8N_API_KEY": "n8n_..." } } } }

The env block is optional - the 4 stateless tools work without it. Get an API key from n8n: Settings → API → Create API key.

Restart your MCP host. The 12 dot-notation tools (workflow.*, node.*, execution.*) appear in the MCP panel.

Tool examples

`workflow_generate`

Use workflow_generate to build: Stripe webhook → Slack message + new row in Google Sheets.

Returns workflow JSON ready for n8n's "Import from File" dialog.

`execution_explain`

Here's a failed execution from n8n. Why is the Slack node not firing?

[paste JSON]

Returns:

WARNING [Filter] Returned 0 items. Downstream nodes will not execute.

hint: Common causes: (1) IF/Switch routed to the other branch — check parameters.conditions. (2) Filter/Set node dropped everything — inspect its output explicitly.

INFO [Last node executed was "Filter". If the workflow stopped here unexpectedly, check its output items below.]

`workflow_lint`

Lint this workflow JSON.

[paste JSON]

Returns:

ERROR [AI Agent] AI Agent has no `ai_languageModel` sub-node connected. Attach a chat model (e.g. lmChatOpenAi).

WARNING [Webhook] Webhook node has no webhookId. n8n auto-generates one on import, so the production URL will change. WARNING [LegacyFunction] Node type "n8n-nodes-base.function" is deprecated. Use "n8n-nodes-base.code".

Or no issues found.

Examples

The examples/ directory ships with two ready-to-import workflows:

workflow-stripe-to-slack.json - Stripe webhook fans out to Slack and Google Sheets.
workflow-rss-to-discord.json - RSS feed trigger posts new items to a Discord channel.

Import either via n8n's Import from File dialog.

Development

git clone https://github.com/ratamaha-git/n8n-mcp

cd n8n-mcp npm install npm run build npm run smoke

npm run smoke boots the server with a --smoke flag that lists registered tools and exits without binding stdio. Useful for CI or first-run sanity checks.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

Developed by AutomateLab.

Maintenance and verification

See the maintenance guide for interpretation limits, current tool names where applicable, and reproducible verification.

N8n MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

First Sale Scout

README from the maker

n8n-mcp

Why we built this

Why it's different

Tools

Runtime policy (v0.5+)

Deploy

Install

As a CLI tool

As a GitHub Action

Configure your MCP host

Tool examples

workflow_generate

execution_explain

workflow_lint

Examples

Development

License

Maintenance and verification

`workflow_generate`

`execution_explain`

`workflow_lint`