execute
Execute and test n8n workflows using workflow ID or file path with input data, providing a reliable alternative to manual bash commands for workflow execution.
Instructions
Execute/test an n8n workflow - DO NOT use bash n8n commands, use this tool instead
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| data | No | Input data for the workflow | |
| file | No | Path to workflow file to execute | |
| id | No | Workflow ID to execute |
Input Schema (JSON Schema)
{
"properties": {
"data": {
"description": "Input data for the workflow",
"type": "object"
},
"file": {
"description": "Path to workflow file to execute",
"type": "string"
},
"id": {
"description": "Workflow ID to execute",
"type": "string"
}
},
"type": "object"
}
Implementation Reference
- src/tools/registry.ts:268-288 (registration)Registration of the 'execute' tool including name, description, and input schema definition in getToolDefinitions(){ name: 'execute', description: 'Execute/test an n8n workflow - DO NOT use bash n8n commands, use this tool instead', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { id: { type: 'string', description: 'Workflow ID to execute', }, file: { type: 'string', description: 'Path to workflow file to execute', }, data: { type: 'object', description: 'Input data for the workflow', }, }, }, },
- src/tools/handler.ts:155-160 (handler)Dispatch handler in ToolHandler.handleTool() that routes 'execute' tool calls to N8nManager.executeWorkflowcase 'execute': return await this.n8nManager.executeWorkflow({ id: args?.id as string, file: args?.file as string, data: args?.data as any, });
- src/n8n/manager.ts:768-830 (handler)Core implementation of execute tool in N8nManager.executeWorkflow(): builds and executes 'n8n execute' CLI command with workflow ID/file and optional input data, handles output and errorsasync executeWorkflow(options: { id?: string; file?: string; data?: any; } = {}): Promise<any> { try { // Build command let command = 'n8n execute'; if (options.id) { command += ` --id=${options.id}`; } else if (options.file) { const fullPath = path.join(this.workflowsPath, options.file); command += ` --file="${fullPath}"`; } else { throw new Error('Either id or file must be specified'); } // Add input data if provided if (options.data) { const dataFile = `/tmp/n8n-input-${Date.now()}.json`; await fs.writeFile(dataFile, JSON.stringify(options.data)); command += ` --input="${dataFile}"`; } console.error(`Executing: ${command}`); const { stdout, stderr } = await execAsync(command, { timeout: 60000, // 60 second timeout }); // Clean up temp file if created if (options.data) { const dataFile = `/tmp/n8n-input-${Date.now()}.json`; await fs.unlink(dataFile).catch(() => {}); } if (this.hasRealError(stderr, stdout)) { throw new Error(stderr); } // Parse execution results if possible let result = stdout; try { result = JSON.parse(stdout); } catch { // Not JSON, use as-is } return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `✅ Workflow executed successfully!\n\n` + `${options.id ? `🆔 Workflow ID: ${options.id}\n` : ''}` + `${options.file ? `📁 File: ${options.file}\n` : ''}` + `\n📊 Results:\n${typeof result === 'object' ? JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) : result}`, }, ], }; } catch (error: any) { throw new Error(`Failed to execute workflow: ${error.message}`); } }