This n8n Workflow Builder MCP server provides an AI-friendly interface for programmatically creating and managing n8n workflows within the Cursor IDE. With it, you can:
Create, list, and manage n8n workflows
Manipulate workflow nodes: Add, edit, delete, and connect nodes
Discover node types: Explore available n8n nodes with optional filtering
Configure node details: Set parameters, type versions, and webhook IDs
Integrate AI components: Connect language models, agents, tools, and memory nodes
Add specialized connections: Support for LangChain nodes and AI-specific components
The server is designed specifically for AI agents to automate workflow creation and modification tasks.
Supports integration with LangChain components in n8n workflows, offering special tools for connecting AI components and establishing connections between agent nodes, model nodes, and tool nodes.
Provides tools for building and manipulating n8n workflows through an AI-friendly interface, including creating new workflows, adding/editing nodes, managing connections between nodes, and discovering available node types.
n8n Workflow Builder MCP
This project provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for building and manipulating n8n workflows JSON in Cursor IDE. It's a way to build n8n workflows just by prompting with AI in chat.
DEMO VIDEO:
Current status of implementation
It's in early development stage. Basically, it's working - MCP server creates JSON file with n8n workflow that you can copy and paste to workflow editor in n8n UI. Current problems:
- sometimes llm agents put wrong parameters in the request. I plan to find a way to fix this.
- sometimes connection between nodes is not setting. I'm working to resolve it.
- not all types of node are checked working. I'm working to resolve it.
- initial prompt does matter. If it's not clear, the agent will go wrong way. I plan to find a way to fix this.
Key Features
- Workflow Management: Create, update, and execute n8n workflows programmatically (execute is not implemented yet)
- Node Discovery: Explore available n8n nodes and their capabilities
- Connection Management: Create connections between workflow nodes
- AI Integration: Special tools for connecting AI components in workflows
- AI-Friendly Interface: Designed specifically for interaction with AI agents
Prerequisites
- Node.js (v14 or higher)
- Cursor IDE (v0.48 or newer)
- npm (for npx command)
Installation & Setup
Recommended: Using npx in mcp.json (Easiest)
The recommended way to install this MCP server is using npx directly in your .cursor/mcp.json
file:
This approach:
- ✅ Automatically installs the latest version
- ✅ Does not require global installation
- ✅ Works reliably across different environments
- ✅ No manual building or path configuration needed
Setup Steps:
- Create the
.cursor
directory in your project root (if it doesn't exist): - Create or update
.cursor/mcp.json
with the configuration above, replacing:N8N_API_URL
: Your n8n instance URL (default:http://localhost:5678
)N8N_API_KEY
: Your n8n API key from the n8n settings
- Restart Cursor IDE for changes to take effect
Getting your n8n API Key:
- Open your n8n instance in a browser
- Go to Settings > API Keys
- Click "Create API Key"
- Copy the generated key and use it in your configuration
Alternative: Development Installation
For development or local testing, you can clone and build from source:
- Clone the repository:
- Install dependencies:
- Build the TypeScript project:
- Configure in
.cursor/mcp.json
: - For development with auto-rebuild:
Cursor IDE Integration
Using Cursor Settings UI (Optional)
Alternatively, you can set up the MCP server through Cursor's interface:
- Start Cursor IDE
- Go to Settings > Features > MCP Servers
- Click "Add Server"
- For npx method: Use command
npx
with args["-y", "n8n-workflow-builder-mcp"]
- Add environment variables:
N8N_API_URL
:http://localhost:5678
N8N_API_KEY
:your-n8n-api-key-here
- Make sure the server is enabled
- Restart Cursor IDE for changes to take effect
Available MCP Tools
The server provides the following tools for working with n8n workflows:
Tool Name | Description | Key Parameters |
---|---|---|
create_workflow | Create a new n8n workflow | workflow_name , workspace_dir |
list_workflows | List all existing workflows | (no parameters) |
get_workflow_details | Get detailed information about a specific workflow | workflow_name , workflow_path (optional) |
add_node | Add a new node to a workflow | workflow_name , node_type , position , parameters , node_name , typeVersion , webhookId , workflow_path (optional) |
edit_node | Edit an existing node in a workflow | workflow_name , node_id , node_type , node_name , position , parameters , typeVersion , webhookId , workflow_path (optional) |
delete_node | Delete a node from a workflow | workflow_name , node_id , workflow_path (optional) |
add_connection | Add a connection between nodes | workflow_name , source_node_id , source_node_output_name , target_node_id , target_node_input_name , target_node_input_index |
add_ai_connections | Add AI connections for LangChain nodes | workflow_name , agent_node_id , model_node_id , tool_node_ids , memory_node_id |
list_available_nodes | List available node types with optional filtering | search_term (optional) |
Troubleshooting Cursor Integration
If you're having trouble getting the MCP server to work with Cursor, try these steps:
For npx installation (Recommended method):
Make sure your .cursor/mcp.json
file is properly formatted:
General troubleshooting:
- Check Cursor MCP settings:
- Open Cursor Settings
- Go to Features > MCP Servers
- Make sure your server is listed and enabled
- If it's listed but not working, try clicking the refresh button
- Check server logs: Look for errors in the Cursor Output panel. Select "Cursor MCP" from the dropdown in the Output panel to see MCP-specific logs.
- Try manual installation: If npx fails, try the global installation method as an alternative:
Common Issues and Solutions
"Failed to create client" or "Module not found"
This usually happens when:
- Internet connection issues prevent npx from downloading the package
- Node.js/npm version compatibility issues
- Cursor MCP service is not running properly
Try:
- Check your internet connection
- Update Node.js to the latest LTS version
- Restart Cursor completely
- Try the global installation method as fallback
MCP Server is not showing up in Cursor
This can happen if:
- The
.cursor/mcp.json
file is not properly formatted - Cursor hasn't detected the configuration change
- File permissions on the
.cursor
directory
Try:
- Validating the JSON format of your
.cursor/mcp.json
file - Restarting Cursor
- Manually selecting the server in Cursor settings (if it appears there)
- Check file permissions:
chmod 755 .cursor
MCP Server shows up but tools aren't available
This can happen if:
- The server isn't properly registering its tools
- Package installation is incomplete
- Version compatibility issues
Try:
- Check the package was downloaded correctly by npx
- Clicking the refresh button in the MCP server settings in Cursor
- Try clearing npm cache:
npm cache clean --force
- Use the development installation method for debugging
Project Structure
/src
: Main source code/src/tools
: MCP tools implementation/src/models
: Data models/src/utils
: Utility functions/src/middleware
: Authentication and middleware/config
: Configuration files/tests
: Test files/workflow_nodes
: n8n node definitions/docs
: Additional documentation
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature'
) - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature
) - Open a Pull Request
License
MIT License
local-only server
The server can only run on the client's local machine because it depends on local resources.
Tools
n8n-workflow-builder-mcp
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