n8n-MCP

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/mcp/tools-n8n-manager.ts:71-90 (registration)

  Tool registration and input schema definition for n8n_get_workflow, including support for different detail modes
  { name: 'n8n_get_workflow', description: `Get workflow by ID with different detail levels. Use mode='full' for complete workflow, 'details' for metadata+stats, 'structure' for nodes/connections only, 'minimal' for id/name/active/tags.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { id: { type: 'string', description: 'Workflow ID' }, mode: { type: 'string', enum: ['full', 'details', 'structure', 'minimal'], default: 'full', description: 'Detail level: full=complete workflow, details=full+execution stats, structure=nodes/connections topology, minimal=metadata only' } }, required: ['id'] } },
• src/mcp/handlers-n8n-manager.ts:554-587 (handler)

  Primary handler function for fetching full workflow data by ID using N8nApiClient
  export async function handleGetWorkflow(args: unknown, context?: InstanceContext): Promise<McpToolResponse> { try { const client = ensureApiConfigured(context); const { id } = z.object({ id: z.string() }).parse(args); const workflow = await client.getWorkflow(id); return { success: true, data: workflow }; } catch (error) { if (error instanceof z.ZodError) { return { success: false, error: 'Invalid input', details: { errors: error.errors } }; } if (error instanceof N8nApiError) { return { success: false, error: getUserFriendlyErrorMessage(error), code: error.code }; } return { success: false, error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error occurred' }; } }
• src/mcp/tool-docs/workflow_management/n8n-get-workflow.ts:1-66 (schema)

  Detailed tool documentation explaining parameters, modes, returns, examples, best practices, and related tools
  import { ToolDocumentation } from '../types'; export const n8nGetWorkflowDoc: ToolDocumentation = { name: 'n8n_get_workflow', category: 'workflow_management', essentials: { description: 'Get workflow by ID with different detail levels. Use mode to control response size and content.', keyParameters: ['id', 'mode'], example: 'n8n_get_workflow({id: "workflow_123", mode: "structure"})', performance: 'Fast (50-200ms)', tips: [ 'mode="full" (default): Complete workflow with all data', 'mode="details": Full workflow + execution stats', 'mode="structure": Just nodes and connections (topology)', 'mode="minimal": Only id, name, active status, tags' ] }, full: { description: `**Modes:** - full (default): Complete workflow including all nodes with parameters, connections, and settings - details: Full workflow plus execution statistics (success/error counts, last execution time) - structure: Nodes and connections only - useful for topology analysis - minimal: Just id, name, active status, and tags - fastest response`, parameters: { id: { type: 'string', required: true, description: 'Workflow ID to retrieve' }, mode: { type: 'string', required: false, description: 'Detail level: "full" (default), "details", "structure", "minimal"' } }, returns: `Depends on mode: - full: Complete workflow object (id, name, active, nodes[], connections{}, settings, createdAt, updatedAt) - details: Full workflow + executionStats (successCount, errorCount, lastExecution, etc.) - structure: { nodes: [...], connections: {...} } - topology only - minimal: { id, name, active, tags, createdAt, updatedAt }`, examples: [ '// Get complete workflow (default)\nn8n_get_workflow({id: "abc123"})', '// Get workflow with execution stats\nn8n_get_workflow({id: "abc123", mode: "details"})', '// Get just the topology\nn8n_get_workflow({id: "abc123", mode: "structure"})', '// Quick metadata check\nn8n_get_workflow({id: "abc123", mode: "minimal"})' ], useCases: [ 'View and edit workflow (mode=full)', 'Analyze workflow performance (mode=details)', 'Clone or compare workflow structure (mode=structure)', 'List workflows with status (mode=minimal)', 'Debug workflow issues' ], performance: `Response times vary by mode: - minimal: ~20-50ms (smallest response) - structure: ~30-80ms (nodes + connections only) - full: ~50-200ms (complete workflow) - details: ~100-300ms (includes execution queries)`, bestPractices: [ 'Use mode="minimal" when listing or checking status', 'Use mode="structure" for workflow analysis or cloning', 'Use mode="full" (default) when editing', 'Use mode="details" for debugging execution issues', 'Validate workflow after retrieval if planning modifications' ], pitfalls: [ 'Requires N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY configured', 'mode="details" adds database queries for execution stats', 'Workflow must exist or returns 404 error', 'Credentials are referenced by ID but values not included' ], relatedTools: ['n8n_list_workflows', 'n8n_update_full_workflow', 'n8n_update_partial_workflow', 'n8n_validate_workflow'] } };
• src/mcp/handlers-n8n-manager.ts:696-737 (handler)

  Handler for minimal workflow metadata retrieval (supports mode='minimal')
  export async function handleGetWorkflowMinimal(args: unknown, context?: InstanceContext): Promise<McpToolResponse> { try { const client = ensureApiConfigured(context); const { id } = z.object({ id: z.string() }).parse(args); const workflow = await client.getWorkflow(id); return { success: true, data: { id: workflow.id, name: workflow.name, active: workflow.active, isArchived: workflow.isArchived, tags: workflow.tags || [], createdAt: workflow.createdAt, updatedAt: workflow.updatedAt } }; } catch (error) { if (error instanceof z.ZodError) { return { success: false, error: 'Invalid input', details: { errors: error.errors } }; } if (error instanceof N8nApiError) { return { success: false, error: getUserFriendlyErrorMessage(error), code: error.code }; } return { success: false, error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error occurred' }; } }
• src/mcp/tool-docs/index.ts:53-53 (registration)

  Tool documentation export and registration in tool-docs index
  n8n_get_workflow: n8nGetWorkflowDoc,