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n8n-workflow-builder-mcp

by ifmelate

n8n Workflow Builder MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for building and manipulating n8n workflows. Build n8n workflows just by prompting with AI — works with Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client.

DEMO VIDEO:

Watch the video

Cursor rules

  • File with rules is in rules/n8n-mcp-server-rules.mdc

Related MCP server: mcp-n8n-builder

Key Features

  • Workflow Management: Create, update, and execute n8n workflows programmatically (execute is not implemented yet)

  • Node Discovery: Explore available n8n nodes and their capabilities

  • Connection Management: Create connections between workflow nodes

  • AI Integration: Special tools for connecting AI components in workflows

  • AI-Friendly Interface: Designed specifically for interaction with AI agents

  • N8N Version Management: Automatic version detection and compatibility handling - supports 184+ n8n versions (1.86.0 – 2.6.2) with dynamic node filtering and "closest lower version" matching for backward compatibility

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v18 or higher)

  • npm (for npx command)

  • An MCP-compatible client (Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, etc.)

Installation & Setup

Getting your n8n API Key

  1. Open your n8n instance in a browser

  2. Go to Settings > API Keys

  3. Click Create API Key

  4. Copy the generated key and use it in your configuration

Add the MCP server using the Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add n8n-workflow-builder -- npx -y n8n-workflow-builder-mcp

Then set the environment variables:

claude mcp add n8n-workflow-builder \
  -e N8N_API_URL=http://localhost:5678 \
  -e N8N_API_KEY=your-n8n-api-key-here \
  -- npx -y n8n-workflow-builder-mcp

N8N_VERSION is optional — the server auto-detects it from the API.

VS Code / Cursor

Add to your MCP config file (.vscode/mcp.json for VS Code, .cursor/mcp.json for Cursor):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-workflow-builder": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "n8n-workflow-builder-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "N8N_API_URL": "http://localhost:5678",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-n8n-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart your IDE for changes to take effect.

Development Installation

For development or local testing, clone and build from source:

git clone https://github.com/ifmelate/n8n-workflow-builder-mcp.git
cd n8n-workflow-builder-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Then point your MCP client to the built entry point:

# Claude Code
claude mcp add n8n-workflow-builder -- node /absolute/path/to/n8n-workflow-builder-mcp/dist/index.js

# VS Code / Cursor — use the same JSON config above with "command": "node" and "args": ["/absolute/path/to/dist/index.js"]

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run dev

Available MCP Tools

The server provides the following tools for working with n8n workflows:

Core Workflow Management

Tool Name

Description

Key Parameters

create_workflow

Create a new n8n workflow

workflow_name, workspace_dir

list_workflows

List workflows in the workspace

limit (optional), cursor (optional)

get_workflow_details

Get detailed information about a specific workflow

workflow_name, workflow_path (optional)

validate_workflow

Validate a workflow file against node schemas and connectivity

workflow_name, workflow_path (optional)

Node Management

Tool Name

Description

Key Parameters

add_node

Add a new node to a workflow

workflow_name, node_type, position (optional), parameters (optional), node_name (optional), typeVersion (optional), webhookId (optional), workflow_path (optional), connect_from (optional), connect_to (optional)

edit_node

Edit an existing node in a workflow

workflow_name, node_id, node_type (optional), node_name (optional), position (optional), parameters (optional), typeVersion (optional), webhookId (optional), workflow_path (optional), connect_from (optional), connect_to (optional)

delete_node

Delete a node from a workflow

workflow_name, node_id, workflow_path (optional)

list_available_nodes

List available node types with optional filtering. Supports tag-style synonyms and multi-token OR/AND logic

search_term (optional), n8n_version (optional), limit (optional), cursor (optional), tags (optional, default: true), token_logic (optional: 'or' default, or 'and')

Connection Management

Tool Name

Description

Key Parameters

add_connection

Create a connection between two nodes

workflow_name, source_node_id, source_node_output_name, target_node_id, target_node_input_name, target_node_input_index (optional), workflow_path (optional)

add_ai_connections

Wire AI model, tools, and memory to an agent

workflow_name, agent_node_id, model_node_id (optional), tool_node_ids (optional), memory_node_id (optional), embeddings_node_id (optional), vector_store_node_id (optional), vector_insert_node_id (optional), vector_tool_node_id (optional), workflow_path (optional)

connect_main_chain

Build a minimal main path through AI workflow nodes (Trigger → Model → Memory → Embeddings → Doc Loader → Vector Store → Vector Tool → Agent)

workflow_name, workflow_path (optional), dry_run (optional), idempotency_key (optional)

Workflow Planning & Composition

Tool Name

Description

Key Parameters

plan_workflow

Create a non-destructive plan (nodes and connections) to update a workflow. Does not write files

workflow_name, target (nodes, connections), workspace_dir (optional)

review_workflow_plan

Apply a plan in-memory and return validation errors, warnings, and suggested fixes. Does not write files

workflow_name, plan, workflow_path (optional)

apply_workflow_plan

Apply a previously reviewed plan to the workflow on disk (atomic write)

workflow_name, plan, workflow_path (optional)

compose_ai_workflow

Compose a complex AI workflow (agent + model + memory + embeddings + vector + tools + trigger) in one call, including wiring and basic validation

workflow_name, plan, n8n_version (optional)

Parameter Management

Tool Name

Description

Key Parameters

suggest_node_params

Suggest minimal valid parameters for a node type using defaults and required fields

node_type, typeVersion (optional), existing_parameters (optional)

list_missing_parameters

List required parameters missing for a node considering visibility rules

node_type, typeVersion (optional), parameters

fix_node_params

Return parameters with defaults applied for required fields that are missing

node_type, typeVersion (optional), parameters (optional)

Templates & Discovery

Tool Name

Description

Key Parameters

list_template_examples

List node usage examples extracted from free templates. Filter by node_type or template_name

node_type (optional), template_name (optional), limit (optional), cursor (optional)

get_n8n_version_info

Get current N8N version and capabilities

random_string

Validation behavior

validate_workflow promotes warnings to errors and additionally fails when any enabled node is not connected (directly or via AI ports) to the main chain starting at the inferred startNode. Use connect_from/connect_to or add_ai_connections to fix connectivity.

Troubleshooting

General

  1. Check your MCP config — make sure JSON is valid and the server name matches.

  2. Update Node.js to the latest LTS version.

  3. Clear npm cache if npx fails: npm cache clean --force

  4. Try global install as a fallback: npm install -g n8n-workflow-builder-mcp

Claude Code

  • Run claude mcp list to verify the server is registered.

  • Check logs with claude mcp logs n8n-workflow-builder.

VS Code / Cursor

  • Check the Output panel — select "MCP" from the dropdown to see server logs.

  • Make sure the server is enabled in Settings > Features > MCP Servers.

  • Restart the IDE after config changes.

Project Structure

  • /src: Main source code

  • /src/tools: MCP tools implementation

  • /src/models: Data models

  • /src/utils: Utility functions

  • /src/middleware: Authentication and middleware

  • /config: Configuration files

  • /tests: Test files

  • /workflow_nodes: n8n node definitions

  • /docs: Additional documentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

  1. Fork the repository

  2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)

  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')

  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)

  5. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License

Install Server
A
security – no known vulnerabilities
A
license - permissive license
C
quality - C tier

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