List workflows with optional filters (active, tag names, project, name) and automatic cursor pagination. Returns id, name, active state, tags and timestamps — never the heavy node data.

Get a workflow by ID, including full nodes and connections JSON. Use mode='summary' to get only metadata and the node list (cheaper for inspection).

Create a new workflow from JSON (name, nodes, connections, settings). Runs offline validation first and refuses to create invalid workflows unless skipValidation=true. New workflows are created inactive — use activate_workflow afterwards.

Update a workflow partially: fetches the current version, merges only the fields you pass (name, nodes, connections, settings), validates offline and PUTs the result. Pass full nodes/connections arrays when changing them — they replace the existing ones.

Permanently delete a workflow by ID. This cannot be undone — consider deactivate_workflow instead if you only want to stop it.

Activate a workflow so its triggers (webhooks, schedules, queue consumers) start running.

Deactivate a workflow — triggers stop firing but the workflow and its history are kept.

Transfer a workflow to another project (requires the Projects feature on the instance).

Search workflows by free text across name, node names and node types (client-side over the listing — finds e.g. every workflow using a given node type or touching a given service).

Duplicate a workflow: fetches the source and creates an inactive copy (same nodes, connections, settings and credential references) under a new name. Useful for safe experimentation on production workflows.

Bulk activate or deactivate every workflow carrying a tag — an operational kill switch (e.g. deactivate everything tagged 'client-x'). Runs as a dry run by default; set dryRun=false to apply. Workflows already in the desired state are skipped.

Validate a workflow JSON offline (no API call): structure, unique node names, connection integrity, orphan nodes, {{ }} expression syntax, webhook .body access, Code node return format and hardcoded secrets. Run before create_workflow/update_workflow.

List executions with filters (status, workflow, project) and automatic pagination. Returns lightweight summaries with duration — use get_execution for full node-level data.

Get one execution by ID. includeData=true returns the full run data (node inputs/outputs and error details) — useful to debug a failed run.

Delete a single execution record by ID (frees DB space; cannot be undone).

Retry a failed or stopped execution by ID. Requires a recent n8n version exposing retry in the public API — if unavailable (404), re-trigger the workflow via run_webhook instead.

Queue-mode view: list executions currently running or waiting in the queue. Tries the API status filter first and falls back to scanning recent executions for ones without a stop time.

Trigger a workflow through its Webhook node. Calls {instance}/webhook/{path} (or /webhook-test/{path} with test=true, which requires the workflow open in 'Listen for test event' mode). In queue mode the call returns according to the webhook's response mode.

Debug a failed execution without flooding the context: fetches the full run data and returns only the failing node, error message/description, a short stack and per-node errors. Use instead of get_execution includeData=true when you only need to know what broke.

Poll an execution until it reaches a terminal state (success/error/crashed/canceled) or the timeout expires. Returns early with waiting=true if the execution pauses on a Wait node. Closes the loop after run_webhook in queue mode, where execution happens asynchronously on workers. The timeout is best-effort: each poll request has its own HTTP timeout, so total wall time can slightly exceed timeoutSeconds.

Bulk-delete finished execution records by filter (status, workflow, older than N days) to reclaim database space. Runs as a dry run by default — set dryRun=false to actually delete. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Running/waiting executions are never touched.

Aggregate execution health over a recent sample: per-workflow success/error/waiting counts, success rate and average duration. The queue-mode dashboard in one call — spot failing or slow workflows.

List all tags on the instance with their IDs (IDs are needed by set_workflow_tags).

Create a new tag.

Rename a tag by ID (all workflows using it see the new name).

Delete a tag by ID (removes it from every workflow; the workflows themselves are untouched).

List the tags attached to a workflow.

Replace the tags of a workflow. Accepts tag NAMES — resolves them to IDs automatically and, with createMissing=true, creates tags that don't exist yet. Pass an empty list to remove all tags.

Create a credential on the instance. Use get_credential_schema first to see which fields the credential type requires. The n8n public API never returns credential secrets — only metadata.

Delete a credential by ID. Workflows that reference it will fail until reassigned.

Get the JSON schema of a credential type — which fields it needs (e.g. 'slackApi' → accessToken). Use before create_credential.

Transfer a credential to another project (requires the Projects feature).

List instance variables (accessible in workflows via $vars.). Requires a licensed n8n plan with the Variables feature.

Create an instance variable (then available in workflows as $vars.).

Update an existing variable's key/value by variable ID (see list_variables for IDs).

Permanently delete a variable by ID — cannot be undone. Workflows reading $vars. will get undefined afterwards.

List projects on the instance (requires the Projects feature, available on licensed plans). Project IDs are used by transfer_workflow / transfer_credential and as filters.

Create a new team project.

Rename a project by ID.

Permanently delete a project by ID — cannot be undone. Move its workflows/credentials out first (transfer_workflow / transfer_credential).

Add a user to a project with a project role (admin/editor/viewer). Find user IDs with list_users and project IDs with list_projects.

Remove a user from a project (the user keeps their instance account).

Change a user's role inside a project (admin/editor/viewer).

List users of the instance with their global roles (requires owner API key).

Get one user by ID or email address.

Invite a new user to the instance with a global role. Returns the invite acceptance URL when email is not configured on the instance.

Permanently remove a user from the instance by ID or email — cannot be undone; the user loses access immediately.

Change a user's global role (admin ↔ member). The instance owner role cannot be reassigned.

Check instance health: /healthz (process up), /healthz/readiness (DB connected & migrated) and REST API reachability/auth. In queue mode this validates the main process — pair with list_running_executions and get_execution_stats to assess queue throughput.

Generate n8n's built-in security audit: flags abandoned workflows, unused credentials, risky nodes (filesystem/instance access), and more. Optionally restrict categories or tune the abandoned-workflow threshold.

Pull changes from the connected source-control repository (requires the Source Control feature configured on the instance). force=true permanently discards local changes on the instance — cannot be undone.