Usage guide: recommended workflow for looking up nodes, validating configs, and (if configured) managing a live n8n instance. Call this first if unsure where to start.

Full-text search (SQLite FTS5) across all 538 node types (core + AI/langchain): name, description, keywords. Leave query empty to browse by category/package.

List every category in the node database, with counts.

List the source npm packages the node database was built from (n8n-nodes-base, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain), with node counts.

Get the schema for one node type: short name ('slack') or full type ('n8n-nodes-base.slack' / '@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent'). detail='minimal' (summary), 'standard' (default — cleaned-up properties), or 'full' (every raw property field). Use propertyQuery to search within one node's properties instead.

Check a node's parameters against its schema. mode='minimal' (default) checks required fields given the current resource/operation selection (respects displayOptions.show/hide — the same mechanism n8n's UI uses to decide which fields apply). mode='full' also flags unknown parameters and type mismatches as warnings.

Full validation of an n8n-format workflow: unknown node types, per-node required fields, connection structure (unique names, valid references, cycles, unreached nodes, missing trigger), and expression brace-balance checks.

Just the structural checks: unique node names, valid connection references, cycles, unreached nodes, missing trigger node.

Scan all node parameters for '{{ }}' expressions and flag unbalanced braces or empty expressions.

Verify N8N_API_URL/N8N_API_KEY are set and the instance is reachable and authenticated.

List workflows from your connected n8n instance.

Fetch one workflow (full definition) by id from your connected n8n instance.

Create a new workflow on your connected n8n instance. Consider running validate_workflow first.

Replace a workflow's definition entirely (n8n's public API only supports full-workflow PUT, not partial/diff updates). Fetch it first with n8n_get_workflow, edit, then send the whole thing back.

Permanently delete a workflow from your connected n8n instance.

Activate (publish) a workflow so its triggers start listening.

Deactivate a workflow.

Fetch a workflow from your connected n8n instance by id and run full local validation against it (same checks as validate_workflow).

List recent workflow executions.

Fetch one execution's details by id.

Delete an execution record.

List credentials (metadata only — secrets are never returned by n8n's API).

Fetch one credential's metadata by id (secrets are never returned).

Get the JSON schema (which fields are needed) for a credential type, e.g. 'slackOAuth2Api'. Use this before n8n_create_credential to know what data to send.

Create a new credential. Check n8n_get_credential_schema first to know the required data fields for the credential type.

Permanently delete a credential.

n8n's public API has no 'run workflow now' endpoint — the real way to trigger a workflow over HTTP is calling its own Webhook/Form trigger URL directly. Provide the webhook's path (the part after /webhook/ or /webhook-test/ in the node's Production/Test URL).