workflow_listLABSCO SUMMARY
The automation you already built becomes something an agent can call.
Two paths sit side by side: the API path for managing workflows as objects, and the webhook path for firing one by name with a payload — which is the shorter road when the workflow was designed to be triggered.
What it is
A server that talks to an n8n instance's API. Workflows and their executions become tools and resources, so an assistant can inspect the automation you already run and trigger it.
What you get
- Workflow management:
workflow_list,workflow_get,workflow_create,workflow_update,workflow_delete,workflow_activateandworkflow_deactivate - Execution management:
execution_runthrough the API,execution_get,execution_list,execution_stop run_webhooktriggers a webhook workflow by name — passhello-worldand it calls your n8n URL's/webhook/hello-world, with Basic Authentication handled from the configured credentials- Resources for reading rather than acting:
n8n://workflows/list,n8n://workflow/{id},n8n://executions/{workflowId}andn8n://execution/{id}
Requirements
Node.js 20 or later and an n8n instance with API access enabled. Install with npm install -g @leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server, or run the published Docker image. Configure N8N_API_URL — the full URL including /api/v1 — and N8N_API_KEY, which you create under Settings > API > API Keys in n8n. Webhook execution additionally needs N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME and N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD, matching the Basic Authentication set on the webhook node.
Setup effort
One command plus a key — npm install -g @leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-server, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Triggering an existing automation from a chat
Call the webhook workflow by name with a data payload; authentication comes from the configured credentials, so the assistant never handles them.
02
Finding out why a run failed
List executions for the workflow, open the one that failed, and read its details without opening the n8n UI.
03
Building a workflow from a description
Create it through the API, then activate it once it looks right — and deactivate it again if it does not.
04
Auditing what is running
List all workflows and read each one's definition as a resource, which is a faster way to inventory what the instance automates than clicking through the editor.
05
Stopping something mid-flight
Find the running execution and stop it, rather than waiting for it to finish or restarting the instance.
13 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
workflow_getworkflow_createworkflow_updateworkflow_deleteworkflow_activateworkflow_deactivateexecution_runrun_webhookexecution_getexecution_listexecution_deleteexecution_stopBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
13 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- npm on PATH
- Node.js 20 or later
- An n8n instance with API access enabled
- N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY in your environment
- N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME and N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD only if you use run_webhook
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npm install -g @leonardsellem/n8n-mcp-serverMCP Clients
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"n8n-local": {
"command": "n8n-mcp-server",
"env": {
"N8N_API_URL": "http://<YOUR_N8N_INSTANCE>:5678/api/v1",
"N8N_API_KEY": "<YOUR_N8N_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Runs the n8n-mcp-server command that npm install -g puts on your PATH. Set N8N_API_URL to your instance's API URL, including /api/v1, and N8N_API_KEY to a key created under Settings > API > API Keys in n8n. To use run_webhook, also add N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME and N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD.
VS Code
VS CODE · JSON
{
"servers": {
"n8n-local": {
"command": "n8n-mcp-server",
"env": {
"N8N_API_URL": "http://<YOUR_N8N_INSTANCE>:5678/api/v1",
"N8N_API_KEY": "<YOUR_N8N_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Runs the n8n-mcp-server command that npm install -g puts on your PATH. Set N8N_API_URL to your instance's API URL, including /api/v1, and N8N_API_KEY to a key created under Settings > API > API Keys in n8n. To use run_webhook, also add N8N_WEBHOOK_USERNAME and N8N_WEBHOOK_PASSWORD.
