n8n Workflow Builder

# 🛠️ MCP Tools Reference Complete reference of all available tools in the n8n Workflow Builder MCP Server. ## 📋 Table of Contents 1. [Workflow Management](#-workflow-management) - Core CRUD operations 2. [Workflow Design](#-workflow-design) - AI-powered design assistance 3. [Workflow Analysis](#-workflow-analysis) - Quality & security analysis 4. [Workflow Execution](#-workflow-execution) - Execution & monitoring 5. [Template System](#-template-system) - Template discovery & recommendations 6. [Intent Metadata](#-intent-metadata) - Document workflow reasoning 7. [Session Management](#-session-management) - Context & state tracking 8. [Validation](#-validation) - Pre-deployment validation 9. [RBAC & Security](#-rbac--security) - Role-based access control 10. [Drift Detection](#-drift-detection) - Change tracking & analysis --- ## 📊 Workflow Management Complete CRUD operations for n8n workflows. ### `list_workflows` List all workflows with filtering options. **Usage:** ``` "Show me all my workflows" "List active workflows" ``` **Returns:** List of workflows with ID, name, active status, and node count. --- ### `get_workflow_details` Get detailed information about a specific workflow. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Show details for workflow abc123" "Get workflow details for 'Daily Report'" ``` **Returns:** Complete workflow structure including nodes, connections, settings. --- ### `create_workflow` Create a new workflow from scratch or from a template. **Parameters:** - `name` (required): Workflow name - `nodes` (optional): Array of nodes - `connections` (optional): Connection object - `settings` (optional): Workflow settings **Usage:** ``` "Create a new workflow called 'API Handler'" ``` **Returns:** Created workflow with ID and structure. --- ### `update_workflow` ⚡ **v1.13.2 - Smart Merge** Update an existing workflow with intelligent merging. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `name` (optional): New name - `nodes` (optional): Nodes to update/add - `connections` (optional): Connections to merge - `settings` (optional): Settings to update **Smart Merge Features:** - ✅ Updates existing nodes by name - ✅ Preserves other nodes - ✅ Merges connections instead of replacing - ✅ Prevents accidental data loss **Usage:** ``` "Update workflow abc123 - change HTTP node URL to https://api.example.com" "Rename workflow to 'Production API'" ``` **Returns:** Updated workflow with change summary. --- ### `delete_workflow` 🆕 **v1.14.0** Delete (archive) a workflow from n8n. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Delete workflow abc123" "Remove the test workflow" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation with workflow name and ID. ⚠️ **Warning:** Deletion may be irreversible depending on n8n configuration. --- ## 🧠 Workflow Design AI-powered tools to help design workflows. ### `suggest_workflow_nodes` Get AI-powered node suggestions based on your description. **Parameters:** - `description` (required): What you want to build **Usage:** ``` "Suggest nodes for a workflow that fetches data from Postgres and sends via Slack" ``` **Returns:** Recommended nodes with configuration tips. --- ### `generate_workflow_template` Generate a complete workflow template from natural language. **Parameters:** - `description` (required): Workflow description - `template_type` (optional): Type of template (api_endpoint, scheduled_report, etc.) **Usage:** ``` "Generate a workflow template for an API that validates and stores user data" ``` **Returns:** Complete workflow structure ready to deploy. --- ### `explain_node` Get detailed explanation of a specific n8n node type. **Parameters:** - `node_type` (required): Node type (e.g., "HTTP Request", "Postgres", "IF") **Usage:** ``` "Explain the HTTP Request node" "How does the Postgres node work?" ``` **Returns:** Node description, use cases, best practices, examples. --- ## 🔍 Workflow Analysis Analyze workflows for issues, security, and optimization. ### `analyze_workflow` Comprehensive workflow analysis for issues and optimization. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Analyze workflow abc123" "Check my 'Daily Report' workflow for issues" ``` **Returns:** Analysis report with issues, security findings, and recommendations. --- ### `analyze_workflow_semantics` Deep semantic analysis detecting 12+ anti-patterns. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Run semantic analysis on workflow abc123" ``` **Returns:** Detailed anti-pattern report with severity levels and fixes. **Checks:** - HTTP retry logic - Loop completion - Timezone configuration - IF node paths - Webhook security - Infinite loops - Hardcoded credentials - N+1 queries - Rate limiting - Data validation - Error handling - And more... --- ### `get_workflow_improvement_suggestions` Get AI-powered improvement suggestions. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "How can I improve workflow abc123?" ``` **Returns:** Specific, actionable improvement recommendations. --- ### `debug_workflow_error` Debug a specific workflow error. **Parameters:** - `error_message` (required): Error message - `workflow_id` (optional): Workflow ID - `execution_id` (optional): Execution ID **Usage:** ``` "Debug error: 'Connection timeout'" ``` **Returns:** Root cause analysis and fix suggestions. --- ## ⚡ Workflow Execution Execute and monitor workflow runs. ### `execute_workflow` Manually trigger a workflow execution. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `input_data` (optional): Input data for the workflow **Usage:** ``` "Execute workflow abc123" "Run 'Daily Report' with test data" ``` **Returns:** Execution ID and initial status. --- ### `get_executions` List workflow execution history. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (optional): Filter by workflow - `limit` (optional): Number of executions to return **Usage:** ``` "Show executions for workflow abc123" "List last 10 executions" ``` **Returns:** Execution list with status, timestamps, and error info. --- ### `get_execution_details` Get detailed information about a specific execution. **Parameters:** - `execution_id` (required): Execution ID **Usage:** ``` "Show details for execution xyz789" "What happened in the last execution?" ``` **Returns:** Complete execution data including node outputs, errors, timing. --- ### `watch_workflow_execution` Monitor a workflow execution in real-time. **Parameters:** - `execution_id` (required): Execution ID **Usage:** ``` "Watch execution xyz789" ``` **Returns:** Real-time execution progress and status updates. --- ### `get_execution_error_context` Get detailed error context for failed executions. **Parameters:** - `execution_id` (required): Execution ID **Usage:** ``` "Get error context for execution xyz789" ``` **Returns:** Error details, affected nodes, stack traces, and context. --- ### `analyze_execution_errors` Analyze patterns in execution failures. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `limit` (optional): Number of executions to analyze **Usage:** ``` "Analyze errors for workflow abc123" ``` **Returns:** Error pattern analysis with AI-powered root cause detection. --- ## 📚 Template System **Dynamic Template System v2.1** with persistent caching, FTS5 search, and multi-source support. ### `recommend_templates` 🆕 **v1.13.0** Get AI-powered template recommendations based on your description. **Parameters:** - `description` (required): What you want to build - `limit` (optional): Number of recommendations **Usage:** ``` "Recommend templates for building a customer notification system" ``` **Returns:** Ranked template recommendations with relevance scores and reasoning. **Features:** - Multi-source template aggregation - Semantic matching beyond keywords - Intent-based recommendations - Quality scoring --- ### `get_template_library` Browse all available templates. **Usage:** ``` "Show me the template library" ``` **Returns:** Complete list of templates from all sources (n8n official, GitHub, local). --- ### `sync_templates` 🆕 **v1.17.0** Sync templates from remote sources with smart 24-hour caching. **Parameters:** - `source` (optional): Source to sync ("all", "n8n_official", "github", "community") - `force` (optional): Force sync even if recently synced **Usage:** ``` "Sync templates from n8n official" "Force refresh all templates" ``` **Returns:** Sync results with counts and errors. **Features:** - 24-hour smart caching (no unnecessary API calls) - Multi-source support (n8n official, GitHub repos, community URLs) - Persistent SQLite storage - Force refresh option --- ### `search_templates` 🔄 **Enhanced v1.17.0** Search templates with advanced filters and FTS5 full-text search. **Parameters:** - `query` (optional): Full-text search query - `category` (optional): Filter by category - `tags` (optional): Filter by tags (array) - `node_types` (optional): Filter by node types used (array) - `source` (optional): Filter by source - `limit` (optional): Max results (default: 20) **Usage:** ``` "Search templates for 'webhook'" "Find templates with tag 'automation'" "Show me templates using http_request node" ``` **Returns:** Matching templates with full metadata (complexity, nodes, setup time). **Features:** - SQLite FTS5 full-text search (ultra-fast) - Multi-dimensional filtering - Relevance ranking - Source attribution --- ### `get_template_stats` 🆕 **v1.17.0** Get comprehensive statistics about cached templates. **Usage:** ``` "Show template statistics" ``` **Returns:** Stats including: - Total template count - Templates by source - Top categories - Popular tags (15 most used) - Frequently used nodes (top 10) - Sync status for all sources --- ### `get_popular_templates` 🆕 **v1.17.0** Get most popular templates by view count from n8n community. **Parameters:** - `limit` (optional): Max templates (default: 10) **Usage:** ``` "Show me the 5 most popular templates" ``` **Returns:** Top templates sorted by popularity. --- ### `get_recent_templates` 🆕 **v1.17.0** Get most recently added templates. **Parameters:** - `limit` (optional): Max templates (default: 10) **Usage:** ``` "What are the latest templates?" ``` **Returns:** Recent templates sorted by creation date. --- ### `get_template_by_id` 🆕 **v1.17.0** Get specific template by ID with full details. **Parameters:** - `template_id` (required): Template identifier **Usage:** ``` "Get template simple_api_endpoint" ``` **Returns:** Complete template data including nodes, connections, metadata. --- ### `clear_template_cache` 🆕 **v1.17.0** Clear cached templates to force fresh sync. **Parameters:** - `source` (optional): Source to clear ("all", "n8n_official", "github", "community") **Usage:** ``` "Clear template cache" "Clear n8n official templates" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation of cleared cache. --- ### `discover_github_templates` 🆕 **v1.18.0** Discover n8n workflow templates in GitHub repositories. **Parameters:** - `query` (optional): Search query (default: "n8n workflows") - `limit` (optional): Max repositories to return (default: 10) **Usage:** ``` "Find n8n workflow repositories on GitHub" "Search GitHub for 'n8n automation templates'" ``` **Returns:** List of GitHub repositories containing n8n workflows with: - Repository name and owner - Star count and description - Topics and languages - Last update timestamp - Repository URL **Features:** - GitHub Search API integration - Filters for n8n-related content - Sorted by popularity (stars) - Respects GitHub API rate limits --- ### `import_github_repo` 🆕 **v1.18.0** Import n8n workflow templates from a specific GitHub repository. **Parameters:** - `repo_full_name` (required): Repository in format "owner/repo" - `add_to_sync` (optional): Add to regular sync list (default: true) **Usage:** ``` "Import templates from n8n-io/n8n-docs" "Import workflows from awesome-user/n8n-workflows without adding to sync" ``` **Returns:** Import results with: - Number of templates imported - Template details (name, category, complexity, nodes) - Sync list status - Error messages if any **Features:** - Searches common workflow paths (.n8n/workflows/, workflows/, etc.) - Validates n8n workflow structure - Extracts metadata (category, complexity, trigger type) - Caches templates locally - Optional auto-sync for regular updates **Workflow Paths Searched:** 1. `.n8n/workflows/` 2. `workflows/` 3. `n8n-workflows/` 4. `n8n/workflows/` 5. Root directory (`*.json`) --- ### `search_templates_by_intent` 🆕 **v1.18.0** Search templates using intent-based semantic matching (AI-powered). **Parameters:** - `query` (required): Natural language description of what you want to build - `min_score` (optional): Minimum match score 0.0-1.0 (default: 0.3) - `limit` (optional): Max results (default: 20) **Usage:** ``` "I need to automatically respond to customer emails with AI" "Find templates for sending Slack notifications when GitHub issues are created" "Show me workflows that process data from APIs and store in databases" ``` **Returns:** Ranked templates with: - Match percentage (0-100%) - Template details - Why it matched your query **How It Works:** Intent extraction analyzes your query for: - **Goal** (what you want to achieve) - **Trigger type** (webhook, schedule, manual, event) - **Actions** (send, store, fetch, transform, analyze) - **Required/preferred nodes** (Slack, OpenAI, PostgreSQL, etc.) - **Domain** (communication, data pipeline, AI, etc.) - **Complexity** preference Scoring algorithm (multi-dimensional): - Goal similarity: 30% - Node overlap: 25% - Trigger match: 15% - Action match: 15% - Domain match: 10% - Complexity match: 5% **Advantages over keyword search:** - Understands **intent**, not just keywords - Finds semantically similar templates - Example: "notify team" matches Slack, Discord, Telegram templates - Penalizes mismatched triggers (webhook vs. schedule) --- ### `explain_template_match` 🆕 **v1.18.0** Explain why a template matched your query (transparency & debugging). **Parameters:** - `query` (required): Your original search query - `template_id` (required): Template ID to explain **Usage:** ``` "Explain why template abc123 matched my query" "Why did you recommend this template?" ``` **Returns:** Detailed explanation with: - **Total match score** (0-100%) - **Score breakdown** by component: - Goal similarity score - Node overlap score - Trigger match score - Action match score - Domain match score - Complexity match score - **Extracted intent** from your query: - Detected goal - Trigger type preference - Required/preferred nodes - Action types - Domain **Use Cases:** - Understand recommendation logic - Debug unexpected results - Learn how intent matching works - Fine-tune your queries --- ### `get_templates_by_category` Get templates filtered by category. **Parameters:** - `category` (required): Category (API, Reporting, Integration, etc.) **Usage:** ``` "Show me all API templates" ``` **Returns:** Templates in the specified category. --- ### `get_templates_by_difficulty` Get templates filtered by difficulty level. **Parameters:** - `difficulty` (required): Difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced) **Usage:** ``` "Show me beginner templates" ``` **Returns:** Templates matching the difficulty level. --- ### `get_template_details` Get detailed information about a specific template. **Parameters:** - `template_id` (required): Template ID **Usage:** ``` "Show details for template 'email-campaign'" ``` **Returns:** Complete template documentation, structure, and implementation guide. --- ## 💭 Intent Metadata Document the "why" behind workflow design decisions. ### `add_node_intent` Add intent metadata to a node. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `node_name` (required): Node name - `intent` (required): Intent metadata object - `reason`: Why does this node exist? - `assumption`: What assumptions were made? - `risk`: What could go wrong? - `alternative`: What other options were considered? - `dependency`: What does this depend on? **Usage:** ``` "Add intent to HTTP node: reason='Fetch user data from API'" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation with updated intent. --- ### `get_workflow_intents` Get all intent metadata for a workflow. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Show intents for workflow abc123" ``` **Returns:** Complete intent metadata for all nodes. --- ### `analyze_intent_coverage` Analyze how well workflow intents are documented. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Analyze intent coverage for workflow abc123" ``` **Returns:** Coverage report showing which nodes have intents. --- ### `suggest_node_intent` Get AI-powered intent suggestions for a node. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `node_name` (required): Node name **Usage:** ``` "Suggest intent for HTTP Request node" ``` **Returns:** AI-generated intent metadata suggestions. --- ### `update_node_intent` Update existing intent metadata. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `node_name` (required): Node name - `intent` (required): Updated intent metadata **Usage:** ``` "Update intent for HTTP node: risk='API rate limiting'" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation with updated intent. --- ### `remove_node_intent` Remove intent metadata from a node. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `node_name` (required): Node name **Usage:** ``` "Remove intent from HTTP node" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation of removal. --- ## 🔄 Session Management Track context and state across conversations. ### `get_session_state` Get complete session overview. **Usage:** ``` "What's my current session state?" ``` **Returns:** Active workflow, recent workflows, recent actions, last execution. --- ### `set_active_workflow` Set a workflow as active/current. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Set workflow abc123 as active" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation with workflow name. --- ### `get_active_workflow` Get the currently active workflow. **Usage:** ``` "What's the active workflow?" ``` **Returns:** Active workflow name and ID. --- ### `get_recent_workflows` List recently accessed workflows. **Usage:** ``` "Show recent workflows" ``` **Returns:** Last 10 workflows with timestamps. --- ### `get_session_history` View action history. **Usage:** ``` "Show my session history" ``` **Returns:** Complete action timeline with timestamps. --- ### `clear_session_state` Clear session state and start fresh. **Usage:** ``` "Clear my session state" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation of cleared state. --- ## ✅ Validation Pre-deployment validation for workflows. ### `validate_workflow` Comprehensive workflow validation. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID **Usage:** ``` "Validate workflow abc123" ``` **Returns:** Validation report with schema, semantic, and parameter checks. **Validation Layers:** 1. **Schema Validation:** Structure and required fields 2. **Semantic Validation:** Logical rules (triggers, connections, etc.) 3. **Parameter Validation:** Node-specific configuration checks --- ### `validate_workflow_json` Validate workflow JSON before deployment. **Parameters:** - `workflow_json` (required): Workflow JSON object **Usage:** ``` "Validate this workflow JSON: {...}" ``` **Returns:** Validation report for the provided JSON. --- ## 🔒 RBAC & Security Role-based access control and approval workflows. ### `rbac_get_status` Check if RBAC is enabled. **Usage:** ``` "Is RBAC enabled?" ``` **Returns:** RBAC status and configuration. --- ### `rbac_add_user` Add a user with role and permissions. **Parameters:** - `user_id` (required): User ID - `role` (required): Role (admin, editor, viewer, etc.) - `tenant_id` (optional): Tenant ID for multi-tenancy **Usage:** ``` "Add user john@example.com as editor" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation with user details. --- ### `rbac_get_user_info` Get user role and permissions. **Parameters:** - `user_id` (required): User ID **Usage:** ``` "Get user info for john@example.com" ``` **Returns:** User role, permissions, and tenant info. --- ### `rbac_check_permission` Check if user has specific permission. **Parameters:** - `user_id` (required): User ID - `action` (required): Action (create_workflow, update_workflow, etc.) - `resource_id` (optional): Resource ID **Usage:** ``` "Can john@example.com update workflow abc123?" ``` **Returns:** Permission check result (allowed/denied). --- ### `rbac_create_approval_request` Create approval request for workflow changes. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `user_id` (required): Requesting user ID - `changes` (required): Proposed changes - `reason` (required): Reason for changes **Usage:** ``` "Create approval request for workflow changes" ``` **Returns:** Approval request ID and status. --- ### `rbac_approve_request` Approve a pending approval request. **Parameters:** - `request_id` (required): Request ID - `approver_id` (required): Approver user ID **Usage:** ``` "Approve request req123" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation of approval. --- ### `rbac_reject_request` Reject a pending approval request. **Parameters:** - `request_id` (required): Request ID - `approver_id` (required): Approver user ID - `reason` (required): Rejection reason **Usage:** ``` "Reject request req123: 'Security concerns'" ``` **Returns:** Confirmation of rejection. --- ### `rbac_get_pending_approvals` List pending approval requests. **Parameters:** - `user_id` (optional): Filter by user **Usage:** ``` "Show pending approvals" ``` **Returns:** List of pending requests. --- ### `rbac_create_tenant` Create a new tenant for multi-tenancy. **Parameters:** - `tenant_id` (required): Tenant ID - `name` (required): Tenant name **Usage:** ``` "Create tenant for customer ABC" ``` **Returns:** Tenant details. --- ### `rbac_get_audit_log` Get audit log of actions. **Parameters:** - `limit` (optional): Number of entries - `user_id` (optional): Filter by user - `action` (optional): Filter by action **Usage:** ``` "Show audit log for john@example.com" ``` **Returns:** Audit log entries with timestamps and details. --- ## 🔍 Drift Detection Track and analyze workflow changes over time. ### `detect_workflow_drift` Detect changes in workflow compared to baseline. **Parameters:** - `workflow_id` (required): Workflow ID - `baseline_version` (optional): Baseline version to compare **Usage:** ``` "Detect drift in workflow abc123" ``` **Returns:** Drift report showing all changes since baseline. --- ## 📝 Version Information - **Latest Version:** v1.14.0 - **Last Updated:** 2025-12-16 ### Recent Updates: - **v1.14.0:** Added `delete_workflow` tool - **v1.13.2:** Fixed `update_workflow` with smart merge - **v1.13.1:** Intent metadata integration fixes - **v1.13.0:** Intelligent Template System v2.0 --- ## 🔗 Related Documentation - [Quick Start Guide](QUICKSTART.md) - [Examples & Use Cases](EXAMPLES.md) - [Validation System](VALIDATION.md) - [State Management](STATE_MANAGEMENT.md) - [RBAC & Security](RBAC_SECURITY.md) - [AI Feedback](AI_FEEDBACK.md) --- **Need Help?** Just ask Claude! 😉