activate_workflow
Enable automatic execution of a workflow by its ID using triggers like schedules or webhooks. Only workflows with automatic triggers can be activated.
Instructions
Activates a workflow by its ID, enabling it to run automatically based on its trigger (schedule, webhook, etc.). Note that only workflows with automatic trigger nodes can be activated - workflows with only manual triggers cannot be activated.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | Yes | ID of the workflow to activate - can be obtained from list_workflows |
Implementation Reference
- The handler function that implements the core logic for the 'activate_workflow' MCP tool. It validates the input arguments, calls the N8nApiClient to activate the workflow, formats the response, and handles specific errors like missing triggers with helpful guidance.
* Handles the activate_workflow tool */ export async function handle_activate_workflow( api_client: N8nApiClient, args: any, ) { if (!args.id) { throw new McpError( ErrorCode.InvalidParams, 'Workflow ID is required', ); } try { const result = await api_client.activate_workflow(args.id); return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Successfully activated workflow "${result.name}" (ID: ${args.id})`, }, ], }; } catch (error: any) { // Check for common activation errors if (error.message && error.message.includes('trigger')) { // This is likely an error about missing trigger nodes const core_principles = WORKFLOW_COMPOSITION_GUIDE.core_principles; return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Error activating workflow: ${error.message}\n\n` + `Note: Only workflows with automatic trigger nodes (Schedule, Webhook, etc.) can be activated. ` + `Workflows with only manual triggers cannot be automatically activated.\n\n` + `Here are some core principles for workflow composition:\n${core_principles}`, }, ], isError: true, }; } return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Error activating workflow: ${ error.message || String(error) }`, }, ], isError: true, }; } } - src/tool-handlers/index.ts:218-233 (registration)Tool registration in the list_tools handler, defining the name, description, and input schema for 'activate_workflow'.
{ name: 'activate_workflow', description: 'Activates a workflow by its ID, enabling it to run automatically based on its trigger (schedule, webhook, etc.). Note that only workflows with automatic trigger nodes can be activated - workflows with only manual triggers cannot be activated.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { id: { type: 'string', description: 'ID of the workflow to activate - can be obtained from list_workflows', }, }, required: ['id'], }, }, - src/tool-handlers/index.ts:330-331 (registration)Dispatch logic in the call_tool handler that routes 'activate_workflow' calls to the handle_activate_workflow function.
case 'activate_workflow': return await handle_activate_workflow(api_client, args); - src/n8n-api-client.ts:160-162 (helper)Supporting helper method in the N8nApiClient class that makes the actual HTTP POST request to the n8n API to activate a workflow by ID.
async activate_workflow(id: string): Promise<any> { return this.request<any>('POST', `/workflows/${id}/activate`); }