n8n-mcp Documentation

/* Detailed source-code truncated for AI context efficiency. */
```json
// FAILS at runtime
{resource: "message", operation: "post", text: "Hello"}

// WORKS - all parameters explicit
{resource: "message", operation: "post", select: "channel", channelId: "C123", text: "Hello"}

[Silent tool execution in parallel]

Created workflow:
- Webhook trigger → Slack notification
- Configured: POST /webhook → #general channel

Validation: All checks passed

[Silent tool execution]

Updated workflow:
- Added error handling to HTTP node
- Fixed required Slack parameters

Changes validated successfully.

n8n_update_partial_workflow({
  id: "wf-123",
  operations: [
    {type: "updateNode", nodeId: "slack-1", changes: {...}},
    {type: "updateNode", nodeId: "http-1", changes: {...}},
    {type: "cleanStaleConnections"}
  ]
})

n8n_update_partial_workflow({id: "wf-123", operations: [{...}]})
n8n_update_partial_workflow({id: "wf-123", operations: [{...}]})

{
  "type": "addConnection",
  "source": "node-id-string",
  "target": "target-node-id-string",
  "sourcePort": "main",
  "targetPort": "main"
}

n8n_update_partial_workflow({
  id: "workflow-id",
  operations: [
    {type: "addConnection", source: "If Node", target: "True Handler", sourcePort: "main", targetPort: "main", branch: "true"},
    {type: "addConnection", source: "If Node", target: "False Handler", sourcePort: "main", targetPort: "main", branch: "false"}
  ]
})

{
  "type": "removeConnection",
  "source": "source-node-id",
  "target": "target-node-id",
  "sourcePort": "main",
  "targetPort": "main"
}

Save these instructions in your Claude Project for optimal n8n workflow assistance with intelligent template discovery.

## Available MCP Tools

### Core Tools (7 tools)
- **`tools_documentation`** - Get documentation for any MCP tool (START HERE!)
- **`search_nodes`** - Full-text search across all nodes. Use `source: 'community'|'verified'` for community nodes, `includeExamples: true` for configs
- **`get_node`** - Unified node information tool with multiple modes:
  - **Info mode** (default): `detail: 'minimal'|'standard'|'full'`, `includeExamples: true`
  - **Docs mode**: `mode: 'docs'` - Human-readable markdown documentation
  - **Property search**: `mode: 'search_properties'`, `propertyQuery: 'auth'`
  - **Versions**: `mode: 'versions'|'compare'|'breaking'|'migrations'`
- **`validate_node`** - Unified node validation:
  - `mode: 'minimal'` - Quick required fields check (<100ms)
  - `mode: 'full'` - Comprehensive validation with profiles (minimal, runtime, ai-friendly, strict)
- **`validate_workflow`** - Complete workflow validation including AI Agent validation
- **`search_templates`** - Unified template search:
  - `searchMode: 'keyword'` (default) - Text search with `query` parameter
  - `searchMode: 'by_nodes'` - Find templates using specific `nodeTypes`
  - `searchMode: 'by_task'` - Curated templates for common `task` types
  - `searchMode: 'by_metadata'` - Filter by `complexity`, `requiredService`, `targetAudience`
- **`get_template`** - Get complete workflow JSON (modes: nodes_only, structure, full)

### n8n Management Tools (16 tools - Requires API Configuration)
These tools require `N8N_API_URL` and `N8N_API_KEY` in your configuration.

#### Workflow Management
- **`n8n_create_workflow`** - Create new workflows with nodes and connections
- **`n8n_get_workflow`** - Unified workflow retrieval (modes: full, details, structure, minimal)
- **`n8n_update_full_workflow`** - Update entire workflow (complete replacement)
- **`n8n_update_partial_workflow`** - Update workflow using diff operations
- **`n8n_delete_workflow`** - Delete workflows permanently
- **`n8n_list_workflows`** - List workflows with filtering and pagination
- **`n8n_validate_workflow`** - Validate workflows in n8n by ID
- **`n8n_autofix_workflow`** - Automatically fix common workflow errors
- **`n8n_workflow_versions`** - Manage version history and rollback
- **`n8n_deploy_template`** - Deploy templates from n8n.io directly to your instance with auto-fix

#### Execution Management
- **`n8n_test_workflow`** - Test/trigger workflow execution (webhook, form, chat)
- **`n8n_executions`** - Unified execution management (list, get, delete)
- **`n8n_evaluations`** - Run and read evaluation test runs (list runs, aggregated metrics, per-case results on n8n 2.30+; trigger and cancel on 2.32+)

#### Folder Management
- **`n8n_manage_folders`** - Manage workflow folders (create, list, get, rename, move, delete; n8n 2.19+). Place workflows into folders via `n8n_create_workflow`'s `parentFolderId` or `n8n_update_partial_workflow`'s `moveToFolder` operation (n8n 2.32+)

#### Data Table Management
- **`n8n_manage_datatable`** - Manage n8n data tables and rows (list, get, create, update, delete)

#### Credential Management
- **`n8n_manage_credentials`** - Manage n8n credentials (list, get, create, update, delete, getSchema)

#### Security & Audit
- **`n8n_audit_instance`** - Security audit combining n8n's built-in audit API with deep workflow scanning

#### System Tools
- **`n8n_health_check`** - Check n8n API connectivity and features

### Read-Only Deployment

For governance-sensitive environments, use both env vars together. Fully disable tools that are write/destructive or handle sensitive data (`n8n_manage_credentials` and `n8n_manage_datatable` also offer read operations, but are removed entirely here because even reads expose sensitive material):

```bash
DISABLED_TOOLS=n8n_create_workflow,n8n_update_full_workflow,n8n_update_partial_workflow,n8n_delete_workflow,n8n_autofix_workflow,n8n_deploy_template,n8n_test_workflow,n8n_manage_credentials,n8n_manage_datatable
```

For tools that bundle read and write operations under one name, block only the destructive operations while keeping `list` and `get`:

```bash
DISABLED_TOOL_OPERATIONS=n8n_workflow_versions:delete,rollback,prune;n8n_executions:delete;n8n_evaluations:run,cancel;n8n_manage_folders:create,rename,move,delete
```

Combine with a read-only n8n API key (Settings → API in your n8n instance) for defence in depth. See [Read-Only Deployment Recipe](./docs/HTTP_DEPLOYMENT.md#read-only-deployment-recipe) for the full setup guide.

## Documentation

- [Self-Hosting Guide](./docs/SELF_HOSTING.md) - npx, Docker, Railway, and local installation
- [Security & Hardening](./docs/SECURITY_HARDENING.md) - Trust model, hardening options, workflow restrictions
- [n8n Deployment Guide](./docs/N8N_DEPLOYMENT.md) - Production deployment with n8n
- [Database Configuration](./docs/DATABASE_CONFIGURATION.md) - SQLite adapters and memory optimization
- [Privacy & Telemetry](./PRIVACY.md) - What we collect and how to opt out
- [Workflow Diff Operations](./docs/workflow-diff-examples.md) - Token-efficient workflow updates
- [HTTP Deployment](./docs/HTTP_DEPLOYMENT.md) - Remote server setup
- [Change Log](./CHANGELOG.md) - Complete version history

## License

MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.

## Contributing

See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for development setup, testing, and contribution guidelines.

## Acknowledgments

See [Acknowledgments](./docs/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md) for credits and template attribution.

---



---

> 💼 **Need it built for you?**
>
> Work with [AiAdvisors](https://www.aiadvisors.pl/en) — automation audits, builds, and operations by the team behind n8n-mcp and n8n-skills.

---

## File: docs/README.md

# n8n-MCP Documentation

## Getting Started
- [Self-Hosting Guide](./SELF_HOSTING.md) - npx, Docker, Railway, and local installation
- [Claude Desktop Setup](./README_CLAUDE_SETUP.md) - Step-by-step Claude Desktop configuration

## Deployment
- [n8n Deployment Guide](./N8N_DEPLOYMENT.md) - Production deployment with n8n
- [HTTP Deployment](./HTTP_DEPLOYMENT.md) - Remote HTTP server setup
- [Railway Deployment](./RAILWAY_DEPLOYMENT.md) - One-click cloud deployment
- [Docker Troubleshooting](./DOCKER_TROUBLESHOOTING.md) - Common Docker issues and solutions

## IDE Setup
- [Claude Code](./CLAUDE_CODE_SETUP.md)
- [Visual Studio Code](./VS_CODE_PROJECT_SETUP.md)
- [Cursor](./CURSOR_SETUP.md)
- [Windsurf](./WINDSURF_SETUP.md)
- [Codex](./CODEX_SETUP.md)
- [Antigravity](./ANTIGRAVITY_SETUP.md)

## Configuration
- [Security & Hardening](./SECURITY_HARDENING.md) - Trust model, hardening options
- [Database Configuration](./DATABASE_CONFIGURATION.md) - SQLite adapters, memory optimization
- [Dependency Updates](./DEPENDENCY_UPDATES.md) - Keeping n8n packages in sync

## Reference
- [Workflow Diff Operations](./workflow-diff-examples.md) - Token-efficient workflow updates
- [Automated Releases](./AUTOMATED_RELEASES.md) - Release process for maintainers
- [Acknowledgments](./ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md) - Credits and template attribution

## Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| `MCP_MODE` | Server mode: `stdio` or `http` | `stdio` |
| `AUTH_TOKEN` | Authentication token for HTTP mode | Required |
| `DISABLED_TOOLS` | Comma-separated list of tools to disable | None |
| `PORT` | HTTP server port | `3000` |
| `LOG_LEVEL` | Logging verbosity | `info` |

## Getting Help

1. Check the [Docker Troubleshooting Guide](./DOCKER_TROUBLESHOOTING.md)
2. Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/issues)