home / mcp / n8n mcp server

N8N MCP Server

Manages multiple N8N instances via MCP enabling centralized workflow and execution management.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "businessarchi-n8n-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://votre-serveur.coolify.io",
      "headers": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "stdio",
        "N8N_INSTANCES": "[{\"name\":\"prod\",\"url\":\"https://n8n.example.com\",\"apiKey\":\"your-api-key\"}]"
      }
    }
  }
}

This MCP server lets you manage multiple N8N instances from any MCP client, such as Claude or VSCode, enabling centralized control over workflows, executions, and instance status without logging into each N8N separately.

How to use

You connect an MCP client to the server either via SSE for network deployments or via stdio for local use. Once connected, you can list instances, manage workflows, run workflows, monitor executions, and retrieve details about specific runs. Use the client’s MCP capabilities to issue the provided tools and manage configurations across all N8N instances from a single point.

Key capabilities you can leverage include listing available N8N instances, listing and searching workflows, creating, updating, and deleting workflows, toggling workflow activity, executing workflows, and inspecting execution results. The server exposes endpoints for status and health checks, and supports real-time communication when using the SSE transport.

How to install

Prerequisites continue to be Node.js 18+ and at least one N8N instance with the API enabled.

Install locally by cloning and building the server, then run it.

# Prerequisite: ensure Node.js 18+ is installed

# Install dependencies and build the MCP server
npm install
npm run build

# Start in the default SSE mode
npm start

# Start in stdio mode (local use from Claude Desktop)
MCP_TRANSPORT=stdio npm start

Configuration

Configure the MCP server to connect to one or more N8N instances. You can use a JSON configuration string or per-instance environment variables to define the connection details and API keys.

{
  "N8N_INSTANCES": "[{\"name\":\"prod\",\"url\":\"https://n8n.example.com\",\"apiKey\":\"your-api-key\"},{\"name\":\"dev\",\"url\":\"https://n8n-dev.example.com\",\"apiKey\":\"your-api-key\"}]"
}

Tools and endpoints overview

The server provides a suite of 11 MCP tools to manage N8N workflows and executions. Each tool is exposed through the MCP interface and can be invoked by your MCP client to perform specific actions.

Security and best practices

Protect your API keys and limit access to trusted MCP clients. Use strong API keys for each N8N instance and rotate them as part of regular security hygiene. When deploying publicly, prefer an HTTPS transport and enable health checks to monitor uptime.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter connectivity issues, verify that the N8N API keys are valid, the server is reachable at the configured URL, and the chosen transport mode is supported by your client. Check that the health endpoint responds correctly and that the MCP client is configured with the proper transport (SSE or stdio).

Available tools

n8n_list_instances

List the N8N instances that are available in the MCP server.

n8n_list_workflows

List workflows for a specified N8N instance.

n8n_search_workflows

Search workflows across one or more N8N instances.

n8n_get_workflow

Retrieve a workflow's details by identifier.

n8n_create_workflow

Create a new workflow in a selected N8N instance.

n8n_update_workflow

Update an existing workflow in a selected N8N instance.

n8n_delete_workflow

Delete a workflow from a selected N8N instance.

n8n_toggle_workflow

Enable or disable a workflow in a selected N8N instance.

n8n_execute_workflow

Execute a workflow in a selected N8N instance.

n8n_list_executions

List executions for workflows across instances.

n8n_get_execution

Get details for a specific workflow execution.