list_credentials

Retrieve credential IDs from n8n for use in workflow nodes to manage authentication and access.

Instructions

List all credentials in n8n with their IDs - use these IDs in workflow nodes

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Implementation Reference

src/tools/handler.ts:165-177 (handler)

The handler case in ToolHandler.handleTool that processes 'list_credentials' tool calls by delegating to N8nManager.listCredentials() and formatting the response as MCP content.

case 'list_credentials':
  const credentials = await this.n8nManager.listCredentials();
  return {
    content: [{
      type: 'text',
      text: credentials.length > 0
        ? `📋 Found ${credentials.length} credentials in n8n:\n\n` +
          credentials.map((c: any) => `• ID: ${c.id}\n  Name: ${c.name}\n  Type: ${c.type}`).join('\n\n') +
          '\n\n💡 Use these IDs in your workflow nodes to reference credentials'
        : '📭 No credentials found in n8n\n\n' +
          '💡 Add credentials in the n8n UI first, then use this command to get their IDs'
    }]
  };

src/n8n/manager.ts:652-763 (helper)

Core implementation in N8nManager that executes n8n CLI commands to list credentials, parses table/JSON output, falls back to API, and handles errors.

async listCredentials(): Promise<any> {
  try {
    // Try different credential listing approaches
    // First try the credentials list command
    let command = 'n8n credential:list';
    console.error(`Executing: ${command}`);

    let stdout: string;
    let stderr: string;

    try {
      ({ stdout, stderr } = await execAsync(command, {
        timeout: 10000,
      }));
    } catch (error: any) {
      // If that fails, try alternative command
      console.error('credential:list failed, trying list:credential');
      command = 'n8n list:credential';
      try {
        ({ stdout, stderr } = await execAsync(command, {
          timeout: 10000,
        }));
      } catch (error2: any) {
        // If both fail, provide helpful message
        throw new Error(
          'Unable to list credentials via n8n CLI. ' +
          'Please check credentials manually in n8n UI at http://localhost:5678/credentials'
        );
      }
    }

    if (this.hasRealError(stderr, stdout)) {
      throw new Error(stderr);
    }

    // Parse the output - n8n outputs credentials as a table or JSON
    const lines = stdout.split('\n').filter(line => line.trim());
    const credentials: Array<{id: string, name: string, type: string}> = [];

    // Try to parse as JSON first
    try {
      const parsed = JSON.parse(stdout);
      if (Array.isArray(parsed)) {
        return parsed;
      }
    } catch {
      // Not JSON, parse as table
      // Skip header lines, typically starts with "ID" or similar
      let inData = false;
      for (const line of lines) {
        if (line.includes('ID') && line.includes('Name')) {
          inData = true;
          continue;
        }
        if (inData && line.trim()) {
          // Parse table row - format is typically: ID | Name | Type | ...
          const parts = line.split(/\s{2,}|\t|\|/).map(s => s.trim()).filter(s => s);
          if (parts.length >= 2) {
            credentials.push({
              id: parts[0],
              name: parts[1],
              type: parts[2] || 'unknown'
            });
          }
        }
      }
    }

    return credentials;
  } catch (error: any) {
    // If CLI doesn't work, try using the API
    console.error('CLI approach failed, trying API approach');

    try {
      // Use curl to access n8n API (if available)
      const apiCommand = 'curl -s http://localhost:5678/rest/credentials';
      const { stdout: apiOutput } = await execAsync(apiCommand, {
        timeout: 5000,
      });

      const apiCredentials = JSON.parse(apiOutput);
      if (Array.isArray(apiCredentials.data)) {
        return apiCredentials.data.map((cred: any) => ({
          id: cred.id,
          name: cred.name,
          type: cred.type
        }));
      }
    } catch (apiError) {
      console.error('API approach also failed');
    }

    // If n8n is not running or command fails
    if (error.message.includes('command not found')) {
      throw new Error('n8n CLI is not installed');
    }
    if (error.message.includes('connect')) {
      throw new Error('n8n is not running. Start it with: n8n start');
    }

    // Return informative error
    throw new Error(
      'Unable to list credentials. The n8n CLI may not support this command. ' +
      'Please check your credentials manually in the n8n UI at http://localhost:5678/credentials\n\n' +
      'To find credential IDs:\n' +
      '1. Open n8n UI\n' +
      '2. Go to Credentials\n' +
      '3. Click on a credential\n' +
      '4. The ID is in the URL (e.g., /credentials/ABC123xyz/edit)'
    );
  }
}

src/tools/registry.ts:297-304 (registration)

Tool registration in getToolDefinitions() array, including name, description, and input schema (empty object).

{
  name: 'list_credentials',
  description: 'List all credentials in n8n with their IDs - use these IDs in workflow nodes',
  inputSchema: {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {},
  },
},

src/tools/registry.ts:300-303 (schema)
Input schema definition for the tool (no required properties).
```
inputSchema: {
  type: 'object',
  properties: {},
},
```

McFlow