n8n MCP server for AI agents

This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI assistants to access and understand n8n workflow automation nodes and documentation. It provides structured data about n8n's 530+ nodes, their properties, and operations, allowing AI models like Claude to help create and modify n8n workflows.

Installation Options

Option 1: Using npx (Fastest)

Prerequisites: Node.js

# Run directly with npx (no installation needed)
npx n8n-mcp

Add to Claude Desktop config:

Basic configuration (documentation tools only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Full configuration (with n8n management tools):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true",
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Docker (Easy & Isolated)

Prerequisites: Docker installed on your system

# Pull the Docker image
docker pull ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

Add to Claude Desktop config:

Basic configuration (documentation tools only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--init",
        "-e", "MCP_MODE=stdio",
        "-e", "LOG_LEVEL=error",
        "-e", "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT=true",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Full configuration (with n8n management tools):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--init",
        "-e", "MCP_MODE=stdio",
        "-e", "LOG_LEVEL=error",
        "-e", "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT=true",
        "-e", "N8N_API_URL=https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "-e", "N8N_API_KEY=your-api-key",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Local Installation

Prerequisites: Node.js

# 1. Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp.git
cd n8n-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm run rebuild

# 2. Test it works
npm start

Add to Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/n8n-mcp/dist/mcp/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 4: Railway Cloud Deployment

Deploy n8n-MCP to Railway's cloud platform with one click:

Deploy on Railway

Configuration File Locations

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Remember to restart Claude Desktop after updating the configuration.

Available MCP Tools

Core Tools

tools_documentation - Get documentation for any MCP tool
list_nodes - List all n8n nodes with filtering options
get_node_info - Get comprehensive information about a specific node
get_node_essentials - Get only essential properties with examples
search_nodes - Full-text search across all node documentation
search_node_properties - Find specific properties within nodes
list_ai_tools - List all AI-capable nodes
get_node_as_tool_info - Get guidance on using any node as an AI tool

Advanced Tools

get_node_for_task - Pre-configured node settings for common tasks
list_tasks - Discover available task templates
validate_node_operation - Validate node configurations
validate_node_minimal - Quick validation for just required fields
validate_workflow - Complete workflow validation including AI tool connections
validate_workflow_connections - Check workflow structure
validate_workflow_expressions - Validate n8n expressions
get_property_dependencies - Analyze property visibility conditions
get_node_documentation - Get parsed documentation from n8n-docs
get_database_statistics - View database metrics and coverage

n8n Management Tools (Optional)

Only available when you provide N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY:

n8n_create_workflow - Create new workflows with nodes and connections
n8n_get_workflow - Get complete workflow by ID
n8n_update_full_workflow - Update entire workflow
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 already in n8n by ID
n8n_trigger_webhook_workflow - Trigger workflows via webhook URL
n8n_get_execution - Get execution details by ID
n8n_list_executions - List executions with status filtering
n8n_delete_execution - Delete execution records
n8n_health_check - Check n8n API connectivity and features

Example Usage

// Get essentials for quick configuration
get_node_essentials("nodes-base.httpRequest")

// Find nodes for a specific task
search_nodes({ query: "send email gmail" })

// Get pre-configured settings
get_node_for_task("send_email")

// Validate before deployment
validate_node_operation({
  nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest",
  config: { method: "POST", url: "..." },
  profile: "runtime"
})

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "n8n-mcp" '{"command":"npx","args":["n8n-mcp"],"env":{"MCP_MODE":"stdio","LOG_LEVEL":"error","DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT":"true"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "n8n-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "n8n-mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
                "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
                "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "n8n-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "n8n-mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
                "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
                "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect