n8n Workflow Builder MCP server for AI agents

This MCP server for n8n provides a streamlined way to manage n8n workflows through a set of defined tools, allowing you to list, create, update, delete, activate, and deactivate workflows programmatically.

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js (v14+ recommended)
npm (not npx)

Setup Process

First, clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/makafeli/n8n-workflow-builder.git

Navigate to the project directory:

cd n8n-workflow-builder

Install the necessary dependencies:

npm install

Build the project:

npm run build

Start the MCP server:

npm start

Configuration

The server configuration is managed through the cline_mcp_settings.json file. You'll need to set the following environment variables:

N8N_HOST: Your n8n API host URL
N8N_API_KEY: Your n8n API key

Example configuration:

{
  "n8n-workflow-builder": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["/root/n8n-workflow-builder/build/index.js"],
    "env": {
      "N8N_HOST": "https://n8n.io/api/v1/",
      "N8N_API_KEY": "YOUR_N8N_API_KEY_HERE"
    },
    "disabled": false,
    "alwaysAllow": [
      "create_workflow",
      "create_workflow_and_activate",
      "update_workflow",
      "activate_workflow",
      "deactivate_workflow",
      "get_workflow",
      "delete_workflow"
    ],
    "autoApprove": []
  }
}

Available Tools

Workflow Management

list_workflows: Get all workflows from your n8n instance
create_workflow: Create a new workflow
get_workflow: Retrieve a workflow by ID
update_workflow: Update an existing workflow
delete_workflow: Delete a workflow by ID
activate_workflow: Activate a workflow
deactivate_workflow: Deactivate a workflow

Execution Management

list_executions: List all workflow executions with optional filters
get_execution: Get details of a specific execution
delete_execution: Delete an execution by ID

Available Resources

Static Resources

/workflows: List of all available workflows
/execution-stats: Summary statistics about workflow executions

Dynamic Resource Templates

/workflows/{id}: Details about a specific workflow
/executions/{id}: Details about a specific execution

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the server:

Make sure you're using npm, not npx
Try cleaning and rebuilding:
```
npm run clean && npm run build
```
Verify that your environment variables are correctly set in the configuration file
Check console output for any error messages when starting the server

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-workflow-builder" '{"command":"node","args":["/root/n8n-workflow-builder/build/index.js"],"env":{"N8N_HOST":"https://n8n.io/api/v1/","N8N_API_KEY":"YOUR_N8N_API_KEY_HERE"}}'

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-workflow-builder": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/root/n8n-workflow-builder/build/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "N8N_HOST": "https://n8n.io/api/v1/",
                "N8N_API_KEY": "YOUR_N8N_API_KEY_HERE"
            }
        }
    }
}

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-workflow-builder": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/root/n8n-workflow-builder/build/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "N8N_HOST": "https://n8n.io/api/v1/",
                "N8N_API_KEY": "YOUR_N8N_API_KEY_HERE"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect