n8n-mcp-guard
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| N8N_API_KEY | Yes | API key created under Settings -> n8n API. | |
| N8N_BASE_URL | Yes | Instance root URL, or an explicit /api/v1 URL. | |
| N8N_MCP_ENV_FILE | No | Explicit path to a dotenv file. Values resolve in order: process environment, N8N_MCP_ENV_FILE, a .env beside the package, a user-level .env. | |
| N8N_MCP_BACKUP_DIR | No | Where verified backups are written. | <user config>/backups |
| ENABLE_EXAMPLE_TOOLS | No | Registers two topology-specific reference tools. | false |
| MCP_WRITE_AUTH_TOKEN | No | Long random value. Setting it is what enables the write tools. Required for writes; leave empty for a read-only server. | |
| ENABLE_N8N_WORKFLOW_TOOLS | No | Registers the read-only tools. | true |
| ENABLE_N8N_WORKFLOW_WRITE_TOOLS | No | Set false to force writes off even with a token configured. | true |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {
"listChanged": true
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| n8n_get_workflowA | Read one n8n workflow through the official REST API. Returns a compact summary by default; include_definition returns the updateable workflow definition but never credential secrets. |
| n8n_backup_workflowA | Save a verified local backup of any n8n workflow. Writes nothing to n8n. The backup is read back and checksum-verified, and n8n_apply_workflow_update refuses to run without one matching the exact version being changed. |
| n8n_plan_workflow_updateA | Phase 1 of a guarded update. Reads the live workflow, backs it up, diffs it against your proposed definition, and returns a plan_id plus a structured diff to review. Changes nothing in n8n. Pass the plan_id to n8n_apply_workflow_update to commit. |
| n8n_diff_workflowA | Compare a proposed workflow definition against the live one and return a structured diff. Read-only, and unlike planning it stores nothing. |
| n8n_list_test_clonesA | List leftover temporary test clones created by this server, so nothing is left running. Read-only. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 5 tools
n8n_plan_workflow_update is effectively a superset of n8n_diff_workflow and n8n_backup_workflow (it reads, backs up, and diffs), so boundaries overlap. The descriptions do a good job disambiguating — diff is read-only and stores nothing, backup is standalone, plan orchestrates the guarded update — so an agent can mostly pick correctly.
Every tool follows the same n8n_ prefix plus snake_case verb_noun pattern (diff_workflow, list_test_clones, get_workflow, backup_workflow, plan_workflow_update). Fully predictable and consistent.
Five tools is lean and each earns its place within a guarded-update workflow. It is slightly thin because the commit stage is referenced but absent from the listed surface.
The descriptions repeatedly reference n8n_apply_workflow_update as the commit step, yet it is not in the tool set, leaving the guarded-update lifecycle without its terminal operation. Test-clone management is also only half-present (list exists, no create/cleanup), creating dead ends for agents.