# Development Quick Reference
## n8n API Endpoints
```bash
# List workflows
curl -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" http://localhost:5678/api/v1/workflows
# Import workflow (POST to /api/v1/workflows)
# Remove fields: active, tags, id
# Required fields: name, nodes, connections
# Workflow structure:
{
"name": "Workflow Name",
"nodes": [...],
"connections": {...},
"settings": {},
"staticData": {}
}
```
## MCP Server Testing
```bash
# Test MCP functions in order:
1. mcp_n8n-video-compilation_list_workflows
2. mcp_n8n-video-compilation_compile_video
3. mcp_n8n-video-compilation_get_workflow_status
```
## Environment Variables
```bash
# Required for n8n MCP integration
export N8N_API_KEY="your-jwt-token-here"
export N8N_BASE_URL="http://localhost:5678/api"
```
## Common Workflow Import Issues
- Remove `active: false/true` (read-only)
- Remove `tags: []` (read-only)
- Remove `id` field (auto-generated)
- Keep `connections`, `nodes`, `name`, `settings`, `staticData`
## Webhook Path Patterns
- n8n webhook: `/webhook/{path}`
- Test webhook: `/webhook-test/{path}`
- API webhook: `/api/webhook/{path}`
## Error Handling Patterns
```javascript
// API calls with multiple endpoint fallback
const endpoints = ['/rest/workflows', '/api/v1/workflows', '/api/workflows'];
for (const endpoint of endpoints) {
try {
const result = await makeRequest(url + endpoint);
if (result.ok) return result;
} catch (error) {
console.log(`Failed ${endpoint}: ${error.message}`);
}
}
```
## MCP Function Parameters
```javascript
// Video compilation
{
query: "search terms",
max_clips: 5,
quality_threshold: 7,
duration_preference: "medium" // short|medium|long
}
```
## Debugging Commands
```bash
# Check n8n status
curl -s http://localhost:5678 | head -20
# Test API auth
curl -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" http://localhost:5678/api/v1/workflows
# Check environment
echo "API Key: ${N8N_API_KEY:0:8}..."
```
## File Structure
```
project/
├── .cursorrules # Development rules
├── README.md # Main documentation
├── PROJECT-STRUCTURE.md # Directory organization guide
├── package.json # Node.js project config
├── config/
│ └── mcp-config.json # MCP server configuration
├── scripts/
│ ├── import-workflows.js # Workflow import script
│ ├── mcp-server.js # MCP server implementation
│ └── test-mcp-server.js # MCP testing utilities
├── workflows/
│ ├── insurance-claims-workflow.json
│ └── video-generation-workflow.json
└── docs/
├── dev-quick-reference.md # This file
└── *.md # Other documentation
```
