# Smithery.ai Deployment Guide
This guide explains how to deploy the n8n-workflow-builder MCP server to Smithery.ai for hosted access.
## 🎯 Overview
Smithery.ai is a hosting platform for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that provides:
- **Hosted MCP Servers**: No local installation required
- **Tool Playground**: Interactive testing interface
- **Unified Gateway**: Single API endpoint for multiple MCP servers
- **Managed Authentication**: Simplified configuration management
## 📋 Prerequisites
1. **GitHub Repository**: Your MCP server code must be in a GitHub repository
2. **Smithery Account**: Sign up at [smithery.ai](https://smithery.ai)
3. **Proper Configuration**: `smithery.yaml` and compatible server structure
## 🚀 Deployment Steps
### Step 1: Verify Configuration
Ensure your repository has the required files:
```
├── smithery.yaml # Smithery configuration
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # Smithery-compatible entry point
│ └── server.ts # Original CLI server (optional)
├── package.json # Node.js dependencies
└── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
```
### Step 2: Deploy to Smithery
1. **Go to Smithery**: Visit [smithery.ai/new](https://smithery.ai/new)
2. **Connect GitHub**:
- Click "Connect GitHub Repository"
- Select `makafeli/n8n-workflow-builder`
- Grant necessary permissions
3. **Configure Deployment**:
- Smithery will automatically detect your `smithery.yaml`
- Review the configuration schema
- Set up example configuration values
4. **Deploy**:
- Click "Deploy" button
- Wait for build and deployment to complete
- Your MCP server will be available at a Smithery URL
### Step 3: Test Your Deployment
1. **Tool Playground**: Use Smithery's built-in playground to test your tools
2. **Configuration**: Test with different n8n host and API key configurations
3. **Integration**: Connect to your hosted MCP server from AI agents
## 🔧 Configuration Schema
Your MCP server accepts the following configuration:
```yaml
configSchema:
type: "object"
properties:
n8nHost:
type: "string"
description: "n8n instance URL (e.g., http://localhost:5678)"
default: "http://localhost:5678"
n8nApiKey:
type: "string"
description: "n8n API key for authentication"
required: ["n8nHost", "n8nApiKey"]
```
## 🛠️ Available Tools
Once deployed, your MCP server provides these tools:
### Workflow Management
- `list_workflows` - List all workflows from n8n instance
- `create_workflow` - Create a new workflow in n8n
- `get_workflow` - Get a workflow by ID
- `update_workflow` - Update an existing workflow by ID
- `delete_workflow` - Delete a workflow by ID
### Workflow Control
- `execute_workflow` - Execute a workflow by ID
- `activate_workflow` - Activate a workflow by ID
- `deactivate_workflow` - Deactivate a workflow by ID
## 🔗 Usage Examples
### Connect from Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"n8n-workflow-builder": {
"command": "smithery",
"args": ["run", "@makafeli/n8n-workflow-builder"],
"env": {
"N8N_HOST": "http://your-n8n-instance:5678",
"N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
```
### Connect via Smithery API
```bash
curl -X POST https://api.smithery.ai/v1/servers/@makafeli/n8n-workflow-builder/tools/list_workflows \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SMITHERY_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"config": {
"n8nHost": "http://your-n8n-instance:5678",
"n8nApiKey": "your-api-key"
}
}'
```
## 🐛 Troubleshooting
### Common Issues
1. **Build Failures**:
- Check that `smithery.yaml` is properly formatted
- Ensure `src/index.ts` exports the required function
- Verify TypeScript compilation succeeds locally
2. **Configuration Errors**:
- Validate your configuration schema matches the expected format
- Test configuration values with your n8n instance
3. **Tool Execution Errors**:
- Verify n8n API key has proper permissions
- Check n8n instance is accessible from Smithery's servers
- Review tool parameter validation
### Getting Help
- **Smithery Documentation**: [smithery.ai/docs](https://smithery.ai/docs)
- **Discord Community**: [discord.gg/Afd38S5p9A](https://discord.gg/Afd38S5p9A)
- **GitHub Issues**: [github.com/makafeli/n8n-workflow-builder/issues](https://github.com/makafeli/n8n-workflow-builder/issues)
## 🎉 Benefits of Smithery Hosting
- **No Installation**: Users don't need to install or run your MCP server locally
- **Security**: Smithery handles secure execution and isolation
- **Discovery**: Your server appears in Smithery's marketplace
- **Reliability**: Professional hosting with uptime monitoring
- **Scalability**: Automatic scaling based on usage
## 📊 Monitoring
Once deployed, you can monitor your MCP server:
- **Usage Analytics**: View tool usage statistics
- **Error Logs**: Monitor and debug issues
- **Performance Metrics**: Track response times and success rates
Your n8n-workflow-builder MCP server is now ready for global access via Smithery.ai! 🚀