n8n MCP Integration

Connect to n8n's official MCP server to programmatically build, execute, and manage workflows.

Version Support

• n8n version: 2.16.1+
• MCP protocol: 2024-11-05
• Server name: n8n MCP Server v1.1.0

Configuration

MCP Server Setup

In n8n UI:

1. Go to Settings → n8n API
2. Create an API key for REST API access
3. Create an MCP token for MCP server access

Connection Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:5678/mcp-server/http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer \x3CMCP_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

export N8N_MCP_URL="http://localhost:5678/mcp-server/http"
export N8N_MCP_TOKEN="\x3Cyour-mcp-token>"

Available Tools

Workflow Management

Workflow Execution

Workflow Creation (SDK)

Data Tables

Projects & Folders

Usage Patterns

1. Creating a Workflow

# Step 1: Get SDK reference
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_sdk_reference","arguments":{"section":"all"}}}' \
  "$N8N_MCP_URL"

# Step 2: Search nodes
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"search_nodes","arguments":{"queries":["schedule trigger","slack","set"]}}}'

# Step 3: Get node types
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_node_types","arguments":{"nodeIds":["n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger","n8n-nodes-base.slack"]}}}'

# Step 4: Validate code
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":4,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"validate_workflow","arguments":{"code":"..."}}}'

# Step 5: Create workflow
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":5,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"create_workflow_from_code","arguments":{"code":"...","name":"My Workflow","description":"..."}}}'

2. Executing a Workflow

# Execute workflow
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"execute_workflow","arguments":{"workflowId":"xxx"}}}'

# Get execution result
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_execution","arguments":{"workflowId":"xxx","executionId":"yyy","includeData":true}}}'

3. Testing with Pin Data

# Prepare test data
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"prepare_test_pin_data","arguments":{"workflowId":"xxx"}}}'

# Test workflow
curl -X POST ... -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"test_workflow","arguments":{"workflowId":"xxx","pinData":{...}}}}'

SDK Workflow Example

import { workflow, trigger, node } from 'n8n-workflow-sdk';

export default workflow({
  name: 'Daily Slack Notification',
  description: 'Send daily summary to Slack',
  nodes: [
    trigger.schedule({
      name: 'Schedule',
      rule: { interval: [{ field: 'hours', hoursInterval: 24 }] }
    }),
    node.set({
      name: 'Prepare Message',
      values: { text: 'Daily report ready!' }
    }),
    node.slack({
      name: 'Send to Slack',
      resource: 'message',
      operation: 'send',
      channel: '#general',
      text: '={{ $node["Prepare Message"].json.text }}'
    })
  ],
  connections: [
    { from: 'Schedule', to: 'Prepare Message' },
    { from: 'Prepare Message', to: 'Send to Slack' }
  ]
});

MCP Protocol Notes

• Transport: HTTP with SSE (Server-Sent Events)
• Content-Type: application/json
• Accept: application/json, text/event-stream (required)
• Auth: Bearer token in Authorization header

Common Errors

References

• SDK Reference: See references/sdk-patterns.md for detailed SDK patterns
• Node Types: See references/common-nodes.md for frequently used nodes