🚀 n8n Workflow Builder MCP Server

An awesome MCP server for n8n that helps you build, optimize, and debug workflows - directly from Claude! 🎯

Latest Release: v1.25.1 (2026-09-01) - Docs in sync + release preflight 📝

🌟 Features

🧠 AI-Powered Workflow Design

• Smart Node Suggestions: Simply describe what you want to build, and the server suggests the perfect nodes

• Template Generator: Generates complete workflow structures from natural language

• Best Practices: Knows n8n best practices and warns you about common mistakes

🔍 Workflow Analysis & Debugging

• Workflow Analyzer: Scans your workflows for issues and optimization potential

• Error Debugger: Helps you understand and fix workflow errors

• Security Checker: Finds hardcoded credentials and other security problems

📊 Workflow Management (Full CRUD)

• List & Filter: Overview of all workflows with status and info

• Details View: Detailed information about each workflow

• Execution Tracking: View past executions with status and errors

• Workflow Creation: Create new workflows from scratch or templates

• Workflow Editing: Smart merge updates - change names, modify nodes, adjust settings

  • ✨ NEW: Intelligent node merging prevents accidental data loss (v1.13.2)

  • ⚠️ Note: tags are read-only via update and can only be changed in the n8n UI

• Activate / Deactivate: Turn a workflow's triggers on and off (v1.24.0)

  • Uses n8n's dedicated /activate and /deactivate endpoints — active cannot be set via update

  • Reports the state before and after, and fails loudly if n8n accepts the request without the flag flipping

• Version History: List saved versions and fetch any earlier one (v1.25.0, needs n8n 2.36+)

  • get_workflow_version also diffs the old node set against the current one

  • ⚠️ Only node names are compared, not their parameters

• Workflow Deletion: Delete/archive workflows safely (v1.14.0)

⚡ Workflow Execution & Monitoring

• Manual Trigger: Start workflows directly from Claude (only for workflows with Manual/Webhook triggers)

• Custom Input Data: Pass dynamic data to your workflows

• Execution Details: Retrieve complete node input/output data for each execution

• Execution History: List of all past executions with status

🔄 Session State & Context Management

• Active Workflow Tracking: Automatically tracks which workflow you're currently working on

• Session History: Logs all your actions (analyze, execute, update, etc.)

• Recent Workflows: Quick access to your last 10 workflows

• Persistent State: Context survives between Claude conversations

• Smart Context: Reference workflows by "current" or "last workflow" instead of IDs

✅ Workflow Validation & Quality Assurance

• Pre-Deployment Validation: Comprehensive checks before deploying workflows

• Schema Validation: Ensures workflow structure is correct (required fields, types, etc.)

• Semantic Validation: Checks logical rules (trigger nodes, connections, duplicates)

• Parameter Validation: Node-specific parameter checks (webhooks, HTTP, databases, etc.)

• Security Checks: Detects hardcoded credentials, missing authentication

• Best Practices: Warns about default names, missing error handling, complexity

🤖 AI Feedback & Error Analysis

• Intelligent Error Analysis: Analyzes failed executions and identifies root causes

• Pattern Recognition: Detects common failure types (auth, network, data, SQL, rate limiting)

• AI-Friendly Feedback: Structured guidance for AI agents generating workflows

• Fix Examples: Wrong vs. Correct code comparisons

• Improvement Suggestions: Node-specific recommendations for fixing failures

• Learning Loop: AI agents learn from errors and generate better workflows

📚 Knowledge Base

• Node Encyclopedia: Detailed explanations of all important n8n nodes

• Use Cases & Examples: Practical examples for each node type

• Configuration Tips: How to optimally configure each node

🔐 Security Audits & Governance (NEW!)

• Hardcoded Secret Detection: Finds API keys, passwords, tokens, AWS keys, private keys, JWTs, database credentials

• 11 Secret Types: Detects AWS keys, GitHub tokens, OpenAI keys, Slack tokens, database URLs, and more

• Entropy Analysis: Uses Shannon entropy to detect high-entropy secrets (encrypted/encoded data)

• Authentication Auditing: Checks for missing/weak authentication, insecure HTTP, Basic Auth over HTTP

• Exposure Analysis: Identifies public webhooks, data leaks, PII exposure, CORS misconfigurations

• Security Scoring: 0-100 score with risk levels (Critical, High, Medium, Low, Excellent)

• Compliance Validation: Check workflows against Basic, Strict, or Enterprise standards

• Detailed Reports: Markdown/JSON/Text reports with findings, recommendations, and remediation steps

• Priority Findings: Get only critical/high severity issues for quick triage

🔬 Semantic Workflow Analysis

• Deep Logic Analysis: Goes beyond schema validation to understand workflow semantics

• 12 Anti-Pattern Checks: HTTP retry, loop completion, timezone config, IF paths, webhook security, infinite loops, credentials, N+1 queries, rate limiting, data validation, and more

• LLM-Friendly Fixes: Copy-paste ready code fixes for AI agents

• Severity Levels: Critical, High, Medium, Low prioritization

• Detailed Explanations: Why each issue matters and how it impacts workflows

• Security Scanning: Detects hardcoded credentials with regex patterns

• Performance Analysis: Identifies bottlenecks like N+1 queries

• Formatted Reports: Structured output optimized for AI consumption

🎯 Template Library & AI Recommendations

• 10+ Pre-Built Templates: Ready-to-use workflow templates for common use cases

• AI-Powered Recommendations: Get intelligent template suggestions based on your description

• Smart Relevance Scoring: Advanced algorithm matches templates to your requirements (70-90% accuracy)

• Category Browse: Templates organized by category (API, Reporting, Integration, etc.)

• Difficulty Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced templates

• Full-Text Search: Search across names, descriptions, tags, and use cases

• Template Details: Complete implementation guides with estimated time and node structure

💭 Intent Metadata & AI Context (NEW!)

• "Why" Documentation: Attach reasoning, assumptions, and risks to each node

• AI Context Continuity: LLMs remember why nodes exist across iterations

• 5 Intent Fields: reason, assumption, risk, alternative, dependency

• Coverage Analysis: Track which nodes have intent metadata

• AI-Generated Suggestions: Get intent templates for undocumented nodes

• Workflow Understanding: Understand existing workflows faster

• Learning Loop: AI agents learn from past decisions

🔄 Execution-Aware Feedback Loop (NEW!)

• Real-Time Monitoring: Watch workflow executions and get instant error feedback

• Error Simplification: Complex n8n errors simplified for AI agents

• Context Extraction: Get full error context (node, input, output, error details)

• Pattern Analysis: Analyze error patterns across multiple executions

• Success Rate Tracking: Monitor workflow reliability over time

• Fix Suggestions: Specific recommendations for fixing failed nodes

• LLM-Optimized Output: Structured feedback designed for AI consumption

📊 Drift Detection & Degradation Analysis (NEW!)

Proactive quality monitoring that detects workflow degradation before it becomes critical

General Drift Detection

• Success Rate Drift: Detects >15% drop in workflow success rate

• Performance Drift: Identifies >50% increase in execution time

• New Error Patterns: Finds new error types that didn't exist before

• Error Frequency Drift: Detects 2x+ increase in existing error rates

• Change Point Detection: Pinpoints exactly when drift started

• Gradual vs Sudden Analysis: Classifies changes as gradual degradation or sudden breaks

Specialized Analyzers

• Schema Drift: API response structure changes (missing fields, type changes, null rate increases)

• Rate Limit Drift: 429 errors, throughput degradation, quota proximity warnings

• Data Quality Drift: Empty values, format violations, completeness degradation

Intelligent Analysis

• Root Cause Detection: 10+ evidence-based root causes (API rate limits, auth changes, schema changes, etc.)

• Confidence Scoring: 0.0-1.0 confidence for all analysis results

• Statistical Comparison: Baseline (first 30%) vs Current (last 30%) period analysis

• Evidence Collection: Tracks concrete metrics supporting each finding

Actionable Fixes

• Node-Specific Suggestions: Concrete fixes for each affected node

• Severity Grouping: Critical, Warning, and Info fixes

• Copy-Paste Ready: Implementation-ready code suggestions

• Testing Recommendations: Step-by-step testing guides

• Confidence Scores: Prioritize fixes by confidence level (85-95%)

Real-World Use Cases

✅ API Provider Changes: Detects when APIs change authentication, schemas, or rate limits ✅ Performance Degradation: Finds external service slowdowns before SLAs breach ✅ Credential Expiry: Identifies auth failures from expired tokens ✅ Data Quality Issues: Tracks increasing null values or format violations ✅ Rate Limit Problems: Catches approaching quota limits early

Requires: 20+ executions for reliable drift detection

📖 Explainability Layer (NEW!)

• Comprehensive Documentation: Automatic, audit-ready workflow documentation

• Purpose Analysis: Explains WHY workflows exist with business domain classification (10 domains)

• Data Flow Tracing: Complete data lineage from sources → transformations → destinations

• Dependency Mapping: Maps internal workflows + 25+ external services (Slack, Stripe, AWS, etc.)

• Risk Assessment: 5 risk categories (data loss, security, performance, availability, compliance)

• Mitigation Plans: Prioritized, actionable recommendations with confidence scores

• Multi-Format Export: Markdown (docs), JSON (APIs), Plain Text (console)

• AI-Native: Designed for LLM consumption with structured, consistent output

• Zero Configuration: Works instantly with any n8n workflow

🔮 Change Simulation & Approval System (NEW!)

• Terraform-Style Preview: Like terraform plan for n8n workflows - see changes before applying

• Breaking Change Detection: Automatically identifies critical changes (trigger removal, connection changes)

• Multi-Dimensional Impact Analysis: Analyzes impact across 5 dimensions (data flow, execution, dependencies, triggers, downstream)

• Risk Scoring: 0-10 risk score with severity levels (low, medium, high, critical)

• Dry-Run Validation: Validates structure, semantics, and performance without applying changes

• Approval Workflow: Create, review, approve/reject change requests with full audit trail

• Change History: Complete history of all workflow changes with timestamps and reviewers

• Color-Coded Output: 🔴 Breaking, 🟡 Structural, 🟢 Safe changes

• Performance Estimation: Predicts execution time, memory usage, complexity

• Recommendations: Actionable suggestions based on impact analysis

🎯 Intelligent Template System v2.0 (NEW!)

• Intent-Based Matching: Describe your goal → get smart template suggestions (not keyword search!)

• Multi-Source Adapters: Official n8n templates, GitHub repos, private repos

• Intent Extraction: Automatically extracts purpose, assumptions, risks, data flow from templates

• Trigger-Aware Scoring: Penalizes wrong trigger types (webhook when you need schedule)

• Template Adaptation: Modernizes 2022 templates → 2025-ready (placeholders, credentials, error handling)

• Provenance Tracking: Trust scores, success rates, usage stats for template reliability

• Semantic Understanding: "AI analysis" matches "machine learning", "telegram" matches "notification"

• Transparent Matching: Shows WHY templates match with detailed explanations

📦 Node Discovery System (NEW!)

Workflow-based learning that discovers available n8n nodes without API dependency

Intelligent Discovery

• Automatic Learning: Analyzes your workflows to discover all node types you use

• Real-World Schemas: Extracts actual parameters from live workflows (not documentation!)

• Usage Insights: Tracks node popularity, parameter types, credential requirements

• SQLite Persistence: Knowledge saved to ~/.n8n-mcp/node_discovery.db

• Zero Configuration: Works on all n8n versions - no API required!

Smart Recommendations

• Task-Based Suggestions: "send slack message" → Telegram, Gmail, chatTrigger

• Advanced Scoring: Exact keyword (5pts), Synonym (2.5pts), Parameter (+1pt), Popularity (+3pts max)

• Bidirectional Synonyms: 40+ mappings (slack↔telegram, excel↔sheets, database↔postgres)

• Reason Generation: "Matches: send, message" or "Similar: slack" explains why nodes match

• Category Classification: ⚡trigger, 📊data_source, 🔄transform, 📬notification, 🌐http, 🔀logic, 🔧utility

Smart Search & Schema

• Keyword Search: Find nodes by name with category icons

• Detailed Schemas: Get parameter names, types, credentials, usage counts

• Parameter Type Inference: Learns types from real data (string, number, boolean, object, array)

• Usage Statistics: See which nodes are most popular in your workflows

Performance

• Fast Discovery: 100 workflows in ~15s

• Quick Recommendations: < 200ms for 100 discovered nodes

• In-Memory Caching: Database loaded on startup for instant queries

4 New Tools: discover_nodes, get_node_schema, search_nodes, recommend_nodes_for_task

🔄 Migration Engine

• Automatic Compatibility Checking: Detects deprecated nodes and parameters in workflows

• Smart Migration Rules: 7 built-in rules for common n8n nodes (HTTP, Postgres, Slack, etc.)

• Version Detection: Identifies compatibility issues from n8n 0.180.0 to 2.2.6

• n8n 2.0+ Support: Detects removed Start node, disabled ExecuteCommand/LocalFileTrigger, Code node security changes

• Dry-Run Mode: Preview changes before applying migrations

• Batch Operations: Check multiple workflows at once with summary statistics

• Severity Levels: Prioritize fixes by impact (critical, high, medium, low)

• Safe Transformations: Validates migrations to prevent data loss

• Detailed Reports: Complete before/after comparison and migration logs

Related MCP server: n8n Workflow Builder MCP Server

🎯 Use Cases

1. From Workflow Idea to Finished Structure

You: "I need a workflow that fetches data from our Postgres DB daily at 9am,
     calculates metrics, and sends a report via Slack"

Claude + MCP: Generates complete workflow structure with:
- Schedule Trigger (daily at 9am)
- Postgres Node (with query example)
- Function Node (metric calculation)
- Set Node (report formatting)
- Slack Node (with best practices)

2. Workflow Debugging

You: "My workflow throws 'timeout exceeded' errors"

Claude + MCP: Analyzes and suggests:
- Increase timeout settings
- Add retry logic
- Process data in batches
- Check external service performance

3. Workflow Optimization

You: "Analyze my workflow 'Daily Report Generator'"

Claude + MCP: Finds:
- 3 hardcoded API Keys (Security Issue!)
- Workflow could be split into 2 sub-workflows
- Missing error handling
- Node "HTTP Request" should be renamed

4. Smart Template Recommendations (NEW!)

You: "I need to send notifications to multiple channels when events occur"

Claude + MCP: Recommends:
1. Multi-Channel Notification System (85% match) - Beginner
   - Perfect for system alerts and status updates
   - Sends to Slack, Telegram, and Email simultaneously
   - Estimated time: 20 minutes

2. Global Error Handler (62% match) - Intermediate
   - Catches workflow errors and alerts team
   - Includes logging and notification features
   - Estimated time: 25 minutes

Use template 'notification_system' to get started!

5. Drift Detection (NEW!)

You: "My workflow was working fine last month, but now it keeps failing. What happened?"

Claude + MCP: Analyzes execution history with detect_workflow_drift:
📊 Drift Detected - Severity: CRITICAL

Metrics Comparison:
- Success Rate: 95% → 62% (-33%)
- Avg Duration: 1200ms → 1850ms (+54%)

Detected Patterns:
🔴 New Error Pattern: "429 Rate Limit Exceeded" (appeared 2 weeks ago)
⚠️ Performance Drift: Response times doubled gradually over 10 days

Next: Use get_drift_root_cause for detailed analysis

You: "What caused this drift?"

Claude + MCP: Uses get_drift_root_cause:
Root Cause: api_rate_limit_introduced
Confidence: 85%

Evidence:
- Rate limit errors appeared where none existed before
- Error started exactly 14 days ago
- Only affects HTTP Request nodes calling external API

Recommended Action:
Add request throttling or implement exponential backoff

You: "How do I fix it?"

Claude + MCP: Uses get_drift_fix_suggestions:
🔧 Suggested Fixes:

1. Add delay between requests (Node: Fetch User Data)
   - Add 'Wait' node with 1-2 second delay
   - Confidence: 85%

2. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
   - Use 'HTTP Request' retry settings: 3 attempts, exponential delay
   - Confidence: 90%

Testing Recommendations:
✅ Test with rate-limited API first
✅ Monitor execution duration after changes
✅ Verify error rate drops below 5%

6. Migration Engine (NEW!)

You: "Check my workflow for compatibility issues"

Claude + MCP: Uses check_workflow_compatibility
✅ Compatibility Check Complete

Status: DEPRECATED (contains deprecated features)

Issues Found:
1. [HIGH] HTTP Request node (v2) - Parameter 'url' deprecated, use 'requestUrl'
2. [HIGH] HTTP Request node (v2) - Parameter 'method' deprecated, use 'requestMethod'
3. [MEDIUM] Slack node (v1) - Message formatting structure changed in v2
4. [LOW] Set node (v1) - New options structure in v2

Recommendation: Run migration to update nodes to latest versions

You: "Show me what would change if I migrate this workflow"

Claude + MCP: Uses get_migration_preview

Migration Preview:

Node: Send API Request (HTTP Request v2 → v3)
Changes:
  - parameters.url → parameters.requestUrl
  - parameters.method → parameters.requestMethod
  - authentication moved to credentials field

Node: Notify Team (Slack v1 → v2)
Changes:
  - parameters.message.text → parameters.text
  - parameters.message.attachments → parameters.blocks
  - markdown enabled by default

Total Changes: 2 nodes, 6 parameters
Risk Level: MEDIUM

You: "Migrate the workflow with dry-run first"

Claude + MCP: Uses migrate_workflow (dry_run=true)

Dry-Run Migration Complete ✅

Changes Applied (preview only):
✓ HTTP Request v2 → v3 (Send API Request)
✓ Slack v1 → v2 (Notify Team)
✓ Set v1 → v2 (Format Data)

Validation: PASSED
All connections preserved
No data loss detected

Ready to apply? Run without dry_run=true

You: "Apply the migration"

Claude + MCP: Uses migrate_workflow

Migration Applied Successfully! ✅

Updated Nodes:
✓ Send API Request (HTTP Request v3)
✓ Notify Team (Slack v2)
✓ Format Data (Set v2)

Workflow updated and saved
Test execution recommended

7. Workflow Explainability (NEW!)

You: "I need to document the 'Payment Processing' workflow for our SOC 2 audit"

Claude + MCP: Uses explain_workflow with markdown format

# Workflow Explanation: Payment Processing

## Executive Summary
Purpose: Automatically responds to events for e-commerce operations |
Business Domain: e-commerce | Type: event_driven |
Data flows from Webhook → 8 transformations → PostgreSQL, Slack, Email |
Depends on 4 external services | Risk Level: MEDIUM

## Purpose Analysis
**Primary Purpose**: Automatically responds to events for e-commerce operations
**Business Domain**: e-commerce
**Workflow Type**: event_driven
**Confidence**: 85%

## Data Flow
Input Sources: Order Webhook
Transformations: Validate Order → Calculate Totals → Check Inventory
Output Destinations: Save Order (PostgreSQL), Notify Team (Slack), Email Customer

## Dependencies
External Services:
- PostgreSQL (database)
- Slack (messaging)
- SendGrid (email)

⚠️ Single Points of Failure:
- Database used by 2 nodes
- High-criticality credential affects 2 nodes

## Risk Assessment
**Overall Risk Level**: MEDIUM (Score: 4.8/10)

🔴 Data Loss Risks:
- [HIGH] Database operation without transaction management (Save Order)

🔐 Security Risks:
- [HIGH] 3 high-criticality credentials in use

⚠️ Performance Risks:
- [MEDIUM] No rate limiting on external API calls (Check Inventory)

🛠️ Mitigation Plan:
1. [HIGH] Add error handling and retry logic
2. [HIGH] Ensure credentials are rotated regularly
3. [MEDIUM] Add rate limiting to API calls

Perfect for: Audit documentation, onboarding, risk assessment

You: "Which workflows will be affected if api.stripe.com goes down?"

Claude + MCP: Uses map_dependencies for all workflows

Affected Workflows (3):
1. Payment Processing
   - Nodes: Process Payment, Refund
   - Severity: CRITICAL

2. Subscription Manager
   - Nodes: Create Subscription, Cancel
   - Severity: HIGH

3. Invoice Generator
   - Nodes: Get Customer, Create Invoice
   - Severity: MEDIUM

Total Impact: 3 workflows, 6 nodes affected
Recommendation: Plan maintenance window and notify stakeholders

8. Change Simulation & Safe Deployments (NEW!)

You: "I want to update the Payment Processing workflow to use the new Stripe API v2"

Claude + MCP: Uses simulate_workflow_changes

================================================================================
WORKFLOW CHANGE PLAN
================================================================================

Total Changes: 5
Risk Level: MEDIUM

🔴 BREAKING CHANGES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • [HIGH] 1 connection(s) removed
    Impact: Data flow will be interrupted
    Recommendation: Verify that removed connections are intentional

🟡 STRUCTURAL CHANGES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ~ Modified node: 'Process Payment'
      parameters.apiVersion: v1 → v2
      parameters.endpoint: /charges → /payment_intents
      credentials: stripe_v1 → stripe_v2

🟢 DATA FLOW CHANGES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  No data flow changes

⚠️  IMPACT ASSESSMENT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Risk Score: 4.5/10 (MEDIUM)

  Dependency Impact:
    • 1 new credential(s) required: stripe_v2
    • 1 new external service(s) added: Stripe API v2

  Downstream Impact:
    • Changes will affect 2 workflow(s) that call this workflow
      - Order Processing (calls this workflow)
      - Refund Handler (calls this workflow)

💡 RECOMMENDATIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  🔑 Configure 1 new credential(s) before deployment
  🌐 Verify connectivity to new external service(s): Stripe API v2
  ⚙️  Review and update 2 downstream workflow(s)
  🧪 Run end-to-end tests to verify execution behavior

================================================================================
⚠️  WARNING: This change contains breaking changes!
Review carefully before applying.
================================================================================

DRY-RUN SIMULATION
================================================================================

✅ Simulation PASSED - Workflow is valid

**Estimated Performance:**
  - Node Count: 8
  - Duration: ~4.0s
  - Memory: ~80MB
  - Complexity: MEDIUM

You: "Create a change request for team review"

Claude + MCP: Uses create_change_request

✅ Change Request Created

**Request ID**: a3b4c5d6
**Workflow**: Payment Processing (8PyhAN1U4JvF5eSb)
**Status**: pending
**Requester**: dev.team
**Reason**: Migrate to Stripe API v2 for PSD2 compliance
**Created**: 2024-12-16T10:30:00Z

[Team Lead reviews and approves]

You: "Show me the change history for this workflow"

Claude + MCP: Uses get_change_history

# Change History

**Total Requests**: 12

Status Summary:
  - applied: 10
  - rejected: 1
  - pending: 1

Recent Changes:

✅ Request a3b4c5d6
- Status: approved
- Requester: dev.team
- Reason: Migrate to Stripe API v2
- Reviewer: team.lead
- Comments: Approved - tested in staging environment
- Reviewed: 2024-12-16T14:20:00Z

✔️ Request x1y2z3a4
- Status: applied
- Requester: dev.team
- Reason: Add retry logic to payment processing
- Reviewer: senior.dev
- Applied: 2024-12-10T09:15:00Z

📦 Installation

1. Install Dependencies

cd n8n-workflow-builder
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Configuration

# Create .env file
cp .env.example .env

# Get n8n API Key:
# 1. Go to your n8n instance: https://your-n8n-instance.com
# 2. Settings > API
# 3. "Create New API Key"
# 4. Copy key and paste into .env

Your .env should look like this:

N8N_API_URL=https://your-n8n-instance.com
N8N_API_KEY=n8n_api_abc123xyz...

3. Test Server

# Quick Test
python server.py
# Should not throw errors - if it does, check your .env!

4. Claude Desktop Integration

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option 1: With Virtual Environment (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-workflow-builder": {
      "command": "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/n8n-workflow-builder/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "n8n_workflow_builder"],
      "env": {
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: With Global Python

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-workflow-builder": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m", "n8n_workflow_builder"
      ],
      "env": {
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
        "PYTHONPATH": "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/n8n-workflow-builder/src"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Direct with server.py (Legacy)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-workflow-builder": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/n8n-workflow-builder/src/n8n_workflow_builder/server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 4: With .env File (Most Secure)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-workflow-builder": {
      "command": "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/n8n-workflow-builder/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "n8n_workflow_builder"],
      "cwd": "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/n8n-workflow-builder"
    }
  }
}

With this option, credentials are read from the .env file.

IMPORTANT:

• Replace /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/ with your actual path!

• Windows users: Use \\ or / as path separator

• Windows Python path: .venv\Scripts\python.exe instead of .venv/bin/python

5. Restart Claude Desktop

Completely quit and reopen - then the MCP server should be available! 🎉

🎮 Usage Examples

Get Node Suggestions

You: "Suggest nodes for: API endpoint that validates data and writes to a database"

Claude uses: suggest_workflow_nodes
→ You get suggestions for Webhook, IF, HTTP Request, Postgres, etc.

Generate Complete Workflow

You: "Generate a workflow for daily sales reports from Postgres to Slack"

Claude uses: generate_workflow_template
→ You get complete structure with all nodes, connections, and config tips

Analyze Workflow

You: "Analyze my workflow with ID abc-123"

Claude uses: analyze_workflow
→ Finds issues, security problems, gives optimization suggestions

Explore Node Details

You: "Explain the HTTP Request node"

Claude uses: explain_node
→ You get detailed explanation, use cases, best practices, examples

Debug Errors

You: "My workflow throws: Error 401 Unauthorized"

Claude uses: debug_workflow_error
→ You get troubleshooting steps, likely causes, solutions

List Workflows

You: "Show me all active workflows"

Claude uses: list_workflows
→ List of all workflows with status, node count, update date

Execute Workflow

You: "Execute workflow 'Test API' with input {userId: 123}"

Claude uses: execute_workflow
→ Workflow is triggered, you see execution status

Create Workflow

You: "Create a workflow called 'Test API' with a manual trigger and HTTP request node"

Claude uses: create_workflow
→ Workflow is created with all nodes and connections
→ Returns workflow ID and next steps

Edit Workflow

You: "Rename workflow abc-123 to 'Production Data Sync'"

Claude uses: update_workflow
→ Workflow is renamed

Get Template Recommendations (NEW!)

You: "Recommend templates for sending automated email notifications"

Claude uses: recommend_templates
→ Gets AI-powered recommendations with relevance scores:
  1. Email Automation & Processing (68% match) - Intermediate
  2. Multi-Channel Notification System (54% match) - Beginner
  3. Global Error Handler (42% match) - Intermediate

Browse Template Library (NEW!)

You: "Show me all templates for API development"

Claude uses: get_templates_by_category (category: "api")
→ Lists:
  - Simple API Endpoint (Beginner)
  - API Rate Limiter & Queue (Advanced)

Search Templates (NEW!)

You: "Find templates about database sync"

Claude uses: search_templates
→ Finds all templates containing 'database' or 'sync'

Get Template Details (NEW!)

You: "Show me details for the notification_system template"

Claude uses: get_template_details
→ Complete template info:
  - Node structure
  - Implementation guide
  - Estimated time: 20 minutes
  - Use cases and best practices

Semantic Workflow Analysis (NEW!)

You: "Analyze workflow 'Payment Processing' for logic issues"

Claude uses: analyze_workflow_semantics
→ Deep semantic analysis report:
  🚨 Critical Issues:
  - SplitInBatches without completion loop (Node: Split Orders)
  - Hardcoded API key detected (Node: Payment Gateway)

  ⚠️ High Priority:
  - HTTP Request without retry logic (Node: Payment Gateway)
  - IF node without false path (Node: Check Amount)
  - Webhook without authentication (Node: Webhook Trigger)

  💡 Recommendations:
  - Add error handling for external API calls
  - Consolidate 3 consecutive Set nodes for better performance

  🤖 LLM Fixes: Copy-paste ready code for each issue

Get Execution Details

You: "Show me details for execution 47885"

Claude uses: get_execution_details
→ Shows complete node input/output data, errors, status, etc.

Important: To see execution data, the following options must be enabled in n8n Settings > Executions:

• ✅ Save manual executions

• ✅ Save execution progress

Context & State Management

You: "What workflow was I working on?"

Claude uses: get_session_state
→ Shows active workflow, recent workflows, and action history

You: "Analyze the current workflow"

Claude: Uses the last active workflow automatically

You: "Show me my recent workflows"

Claude uses: get_recent_workflows
→ List of last 10 workflows with timestamps

You: "What did I do in this session?"

Claude uses: get_session_history
→ Timeline of all actions (analyze, execute, update, etc.)

Workflow Validation

You: "Validate workflow abc-123 before deploying"

Claude uses: validate_workflow
→ Comprehensive validation report with errors and warnings

Example Output:

❌ Validation Failed

Errors (must fix):
1. Webhook node 'API Endpoint': No authentication enabled (security risk)
2. Node 'HTTP Request': Missing 'url' parameter
3. Duplicate node names found: Set

Warnings (should fix):
1. Nodes with default names (should be renamed): HTTP Request, Set
2. Postgres node 'Database Query': Using SELECT * (bad practice)
3. Workflow lacks error handling (Error Trigger node)

You: "Validate this workflow JSON before creating it"

Claude uses: validate_workflow_json
→ Validates structure before workflow creation

Intent Metadata (NEW!)

You: "Add intent to node 'Process Payment' explaining why it exists"

Claude uses: add_node_intent
→ Adds reason, assumptions, risks, alternatives to node metadata

You: "Show me all intent metadata for this workflow"

Claude uses: get_workflow_intents
→ Markdown report showing "why" behind each node

You: "Analyze intent coverage for workflow abc-123"

Claude uses: analyze_intent_coverage
→ Coverage: 75% (6/8 nodes documented)
→ Critical nodes missing intent: Payment Gateway, Error Handler

Migration Engine (NEW!)

You: "Check workflow abc123 for compatibility issues"

Claude uses: check_workflow_compatibility
→ Compatibility report with severity levels and recommendations

You: "What migrations are available for HTTP Request node?"

Claude uses: get_available_migrations
→ Lists all migration rules for HTTP Request (v2→v3, v3→v4)

You: "Migrate workflow abc123 to latest versions"

Claude uses: migrate_workflow
→ Applies migrations, validates changes, updates workflow

You: "Show preview of migration for workflow xyz789"

Claude uses: get_migration_preview
→ Before/after comparison without applying changes

You: "Check all workflows for compatibility"

Claude uses: batch_check_compatibility
→ Summary: X compatible, Y deprecated, Z breaking
→ Prioritized list of workflows needing updates

Execution Monitoring (NEW!)

You: "Watch the execution of workflow 'API Sync'"

Claude uses: watch_workflow_execution
→ Real-time status with simplified error messages if failed

You: "Get detailed error context for execution 47885"

Claude uses: get_execution_error_context
→ Full error context: node, input, output, error details
→ Simplified error message for AI consumption
→ Fix suggestions with confidence scores

You: "Analyze error patterns for workflow 'Payment Processing'"

Claude uses: analyze_execution_errors (with workflow_id)
→ Success rate: 78% (78/100 executions)
→ Most common errors:
  1. "Timeout Error" in node "External API" (12 occurrences)
  2. "401 Unauthorized" in node "Auth Check" (10 occurrences)

AI Error Analysis & Feedback

You: "My workflow failed with execution 12345, what went wrong?"

Claude uses: analyze_execution_errors (with execution_id)
→ AI-friendly error analysis with root cause and fixes

Example Output:

🔍 Execution Error Analysis: API Data Sync

❌ Status: Execution failed
🎯 Root Cause: Authentication/Authorization Error

🔴 Errors Detected:
1. Node: `Fetch User Data` - 401 Unauthorized

🤖 AI Guidance:
When generating workflows, ensure:
1. Use credential references: {{$credentials.name}} not hardcoded values
2. Specify correct authentication type (Bearer, Basic, OAuth)
3. Test credentials before deploying

📝 Fix Examples:
❌ Wrong: "apiKey": "sk-abc123"
✅ Correct: "authentication": "predefinedCredentialType"

You: "Get improvement suggestions for failed workflow"

Claude uses: get_workflow_improvement_suggestions
→ Node-specific fix recommendations

Explainability (NEW!)

You: "Explain the 'Payment Processing' workflow"

Claude uses: explain_workflow
→ Complete documentation: purpose, data flow, dependencies, risks
→ Available formats: markdown (default), json, text

You: "What is the purpose of workflow abc-123?"

Claude uses: get_workflow_purpose
→ Business domain, workflow type, trigger description, expected outcomes

You: "Trace the data flow in this workflow"

Claude uses: trace_data_flow
→ Input sources, transformations, output destinations, critical paths

You: "Show me all dependencies for this workflow"

Claude uses: map_dependencies
→ Internal workflows, external services, credentials, single points of failure

You: "Assess the risks in this workflow"

Claude uses: analyze_workflow_risks
→ 5 risk categories with mitigation plan
→ Overall risk score and level

🧠 Knowledge Base

The server knows these node categories:

Triggers

• Webhook: API endpoints, external integrations

• Schedule: Cron jobs, periodic tasks

• Manual: Testing, manual interventions

Logic Nodes

• IF: Conditional branching

• Switch: Multi-way branching

• Merge: Combine data streams

• Code: Custom JavaScript/Python

Data Operations

• HTTP Request: API calls

• Set: Data transformation

• Function: Complex data processing

Storage

• Postgres: Relational database

• Redis: Caching, session storage

Integrations

• Slack: Messaging & notifications

• Telegram: Bot integration

• Gmail: Email automation

🛠️ Advanced Features

Custom Templates

The server comes with predefined templates:

• api_endpoint: Simple REST API

• scheduled_report: Daily/hourly reports

• data_sync: Database synchronization

Security Checks

• Finds hardcoded credentials

• Warns about missing authentication

• Checks for insecure patterns

Performance Analysis

• Calculate workflow complexity

• Detect oversized workflows

• Suggest splits for better maintainability

💾 State File

The server stores session state in ~/.n8n_workflow_builder_state.json. This file contains:

• Currently active workflow

• Recent workflows (last 10)

• Session history (last 50 actions)

• Timestamps

This allows the server to maintain context between Claude conversations!

To reset state: Use the clear_session_state tool or delete the file manually:

rm ~/.n8n_workflow_builder_state.json

🐛 Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

# Check Python version (should be 3.11+)
python --version

# Reinstall dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt --force-reinstall

# Check .env
cat .env
# Should contain N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY

"Authentication failed"

• Check if your API key is correct

• Go to n8n Settings > API and create a new key

• Make sure there are no spaces in the key

"Connection refused"

• Is your n8n instance reachable?

• Check: curl https://your-n8n-instance.com/healthz

• Firewall/VPN might be blocking

Claude Desktop Doesn't Recognize Server

1. Completely quit Claude (also in background!)

2. Check config file (valid JSON?)

3. Paths absolute (not relative!)

4. Restart Claude

5. Check in Claude: Settings > Developer > MCP Servers

💡 Pro Tips

1. Workflow Naming

• Always rename nodes! "HTTP Request 1" is bad, "Fetch User Data" is good

• Use prefixes for categories: "[API] Get Users", "[DB] Insert Record"

2. Error Handling

• Always add error handling for critical workflows

• Use "Error Trigger" node for global error handling

• Log errors in Slack/Telegram for monitoring

3. Testing

• Always develop with "Manual Trigger" instead of direct webhook

• Use "Pinned Data" for consistent tests

• Split production/development workflows

4. Performance

• Batch API calls where possible

• Use Redis for caching

• Avoid too many sequential HTTP requests

5. Security

• NEVER hardcode API keys - always use credentials

• Enable webhook authentication

• Only store sensitive data encrypted

🔄 State Management Deep Dive

For detailed information about the state management and context tracking system, see:

• State Management Documentation - Complete guide

• State File Example - Example state file

Quick summary:

• Automatically tracks active workflow

• Remembers last 10 workflows

• Logs last 50 actions with timestamps

• Persists between Claude sessions

• Stored in ~/.n8n_workflow_builder_state.json

✅ Workflow Validation Deep Dive

For detailed information about the validation system, see:

• Validation Documentation - Complete validation guide

Quick summary:

• 3-layer validation: Schema, Semantics, Parameters

• 30+ validation rules

• Security checks (credentials, authentication, SQL injection)

• Node-specific parameter validation

• Comprehensive error/warning reports

• Validates before deployment

🤖 AI Feedback Deep Dive

For detailed information about the AI feedback system, see:

• AI Feedback Documentation - Complete AI feedback guide

Quick summary:

• Intelligent error pattern recognition

• Root cause identification (6+ error types)

• AI-friendly structured feedback

• Fix examples (wrong vs. correct)

• Workflow improvement suggestions

• Learning loop for AI agents

🔒 RBAC & Multi-Tenant Security Deep Dive

For detailed information about the security system, see:

• RBAC & Security Documentation - Complete enterprise security guide

Quick summary:

• 5 role types (Admin, Developer, Operator, Viewer, Auditor)

• 20+ granular permissions

• Multi-tenant isolation (separate workflows per tenant)

• Approval workflows for critical operations

• Comprehensive audit logging (SOC2, ISO27001, GDPR ready)

• Cannot approve own requests (separation of duties)

RBAC Usage Examples

You: "Show me the RBAC status"
Claude uses: rbac_get_status
→ Shows users, roles, tenants, pending approvals, audit log

You: "Add user 'bob' as developer in tenant 'acme-corp'"
Claude uses: rbac_add_user
→ Creates user with developer permissions

You: "Check if bob can delete workflows"
Claude uses: rbac_check_permission
→ Shows if developer role has workflow.delete permission

You: "Bob wants to delete workflow abc-123, create approval request"
Claude uses: rbac_create_approval_request
→ Creates pending request for admin approval

You: "Approve request approval-123 as alice"
Claude uses: rbac_approve_request
→ Admin approves, operation can proceed

You: "Show audit log for last 24 hours"
Claude uses: rbac_get_audit_log
→ Shows all security events with timestamps

Enterprise Features

✅ Role-Based Access Control

• 5 built-in roles with predefined permissions

• Granular permission checks before operations

• Flexible role assignment per user

✅ Multi-Tenant Isolation

• Complete data segregation between tenants

• Separate workflows, users, audit logs per tenant

• Tenant-based access control

✅ Approval Workflows

• 4 critical operations require approval

• Cannot approve own requests

• Full audit trail of approval decisions

✅ Audit Logging

• Last 500 security events stored

• Filter by user, action, timestamp

• Compliance-ready (SOC2, ISO27001, GDPR)

✅ Security by Design

• Least privilege principle

• Separation of duties

• Immutable audit logs

• No self-approval

🔄 Updates & Extensions

Add Custom Nodes to Knowledge Base

Edit server.py and extend NODE_KNOWLEDGE:

NODE_KNOWLEDGE["integrations"]["notion"] = {
    "name": "Notion",
    "desc": "Notion database integration",
    "use_cases": ["Knowledge base", "Project management"],
    "best_practices": ["Use database IDs", "Batch updates"]
}

Create Custom Templates

Edit WORKFLOW_TEMPLATES in server.py:

WORKFLOW_TEMPLATES["my_template"] = {
    "name": "My Custom Template",
    "nodes": [...],
    "connections": "custom"
}

🧰 Tool Names

Recently added (the full capability list is above):

⚠️ activate_workflow and deactivate_workflow exist because n8n treats active as read-only on update — the only way through the API are its dedicated /activate and /deactivate endpoints.

📊 API Reference

The server uses the official n8n REST API:

• Base URL: https://your-n8n-instance.com/api/v1

• Docs: https://docs.n8n.io/api/

Used endpoints:

• GET /workflows - List workflows

• GET /workflows/{id} - Get workflow details

• POST /workflows - Create workflow

• PUT /workflows/{id} - Update workflow

• POST /workflows/{id}/run - Execute workflow

• POST /workflows/{id}/activate - Activate a workflow

• POST /workflows/{id}/deactivate - Deactivate a workflow

• GET /workflows/{id}/history - List saved versions (n8n 2.36+)

• GET /workflows/{id}/{versionId} - Fetch one earlier version (n8n 2.36+)

• GET /executions - Get execution history

• GET /executions/{id} - Get execution details

🤝 Contributing

Ideas? Issues? PRs welcome! 🎉

📊 Drift Detection Deep Dive

For detailed information about the drift detection system, see:

• Drift Detection Documentation - Complete drift detection guide

Quick summary:

• Temporal comparison: baseline (first 30%) vs current (last 30%) execution periods

• 4 drift patterns: success rate, performance, new errors, error frequency

• Change point detection: finds when metrics changed significantly

• 7 root cause types: rate limits, dependency failures, schema changes, credentials, resource exhaustion, logic bugs, config drift

• Confidence scoring: 0.0-1.0 for all analysis

• Actionable fixes: error-type specific with testing recommendations

💭 Intent Metadata Deep Dive

For detailed information about the intent metadata system, see:

• Intent Metadata Documentation - Complete intent system guide

Quick summary:

• "Why" documentation for each workflow node

• 5 fields: reason, assumption, risk, alternative, dependency

• AI context continuity across iterations

• Coverage analysis and suggestions

• Stored in node metadata (n8n native field)

🔄 Execution Monitoring Deep Dive

For detailed information about execution monitoring, see:

• Execution Monitoring Documentation - Complete monitoring guide

Quick summary:

• Real-time execution watching with error detection

• Error simplification for AI consumption

• Context extraction (node, input, output, error)

• Pattern analysis across multiple executions

• Fix suggestions with confidence scores

🔄 Migration Engine Deep Dive

For detailed information about the migration system, see:

• Migration Engine Documentation - Complete migration guide

Quick summary:

• Automatic node compatibility checking

• Rule-based transformations for node version upgrades

• 7 built-in migration rules (HTTP Request, Postgres, Slack, Function, Webhook, Set)

• Dry-run mode for safe previews

• Batch compatibility checks across all workflows

• Severity-based issue prioritization (critical, high, medium, low)

• Validates migrations to prevent data loss

📖 Explainability Layer Deep Dive

For detailed information about the explainability layer, see:

• Explainability Layer Documentation - Complete explainability guide

Quick summary:

• Automatic, audit-ready workflow documentation

• Purpose analysis with business domain classification (10 domains)

• Complete data flow tracing (sources → transformations → sinks)

• Dependency mapping (internal workflows + 25+ external services)

• 5-category risk assessment (data loss, security, performance, availability, compliance)

• Multi-format export (Markdown/JSON/Plain Text)

• Zero configuration, works with any workflow

🔮 Change Simulation & Approval Deep Dive

For detailed information about change simulation and approval workflows, see:

• Change Simulation Documentation - Complete change simulation guide

Quick summary:

• Terraform-style workflow change preview (like terraform plan)

• Breaking change detection (trigger removal, connection changes, output nodes)

• Multi-dimensional impact analysis (5 dimensions)

• Risk scoring algorithm (0-10 scale)

• Dry-run validation (structure + semantics + performance)

• Approval workflow with audit trail

• Performance estimation and recommendations

6 New MCP Tools:

1. simulate_workflow_changes - Preview changes with terraform-style plan

2. compare_workflows - Side-by-side workflow comparison

3. analyze_change_impact - Multi-dimensional impact analysis

4. create_change_request - Create approval request

5. review_change_request - Approve/reject changes

6. get_change_history - View workflow change history

🚀 Intelligent Template System v2.0

For detailed information about the template system, see:

• Template System Documentation - Complete intelligent template system guide

Quick summary:

• Multi-source template adapters (n8n official, GitHub, local files)

• AI-powered template recommendations based on intent understanding

• Semantic matching beyond simple keywords

• Template quality scoring and ranking

• Automatic caching and deduplication

• Zero configuration required

📦 Version History

See CHANGELOG.md for complete version history and release notes.

Latest Release: v1.22.1 - Complete n8n 2.2.6 Node Coverage

Recent Releases

• v1.22.1 - Complete node coverage with 61 nodes (Jan 2025)

• v1.22.0 - n8n 2.2.6 compatibility (Jan 2025)

• v1.21.0 - Version tracking system (Dec 2024)

• v1.20.0 - Documentation access & node replacement (Dec 2024)

📁 Example Workflows

Check out the examples/ directory for ready-to-use workflow examples:

1. Simple API Endpoint - Basic webhook with JSON response

2. Daily Sales Report - Scheduled Postgres query → Slack notification

3. User Registration API - Complete CRUD with validation and error handling

Each example includes:

• ✅ Complete working workflow JSON

• ✅ Documentation and setup instructions

• ✅ Best practices and security tips

• ✅ SQL schemas and configuration examples

Browse Examples →

📝 License

MIT - Do whatever you want!

🙏 Credits

• Built for awesome n8n automation 🚀

• Powered by Claude MCP ⚡

• Made with ❤️ for DevOps Engineers

Happy Automating! 🎊

For questions or problems: Just ask Claude! 😉

Maintainer

Schimmi — https://schimmilab.de Issues und Pull Requests willkommen.