n8n-MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with comprehensive access to n8n node documentation, properties, and operations. Deploy in minutes to give Claude and other AI assistants deep knowledge about n8n's 1,236 workflow automation nodes (806 core + 430 community).

Overview

n8n-MCP serves as a bridge between n8n's workflow automation platform and AI models, enabling them to understand and work with n8n nodes effectively. It provides structured access to:

• 📚 1,084 n8n nodes - 537 core nodes + 547 community nodes (301 verified)
• 🔧 Node properties - 99% coverage with detailed schemas
• ⚡ Node operations - 63.6% coverage of available actions
• 📄 Documentation - 87% coverage from official n8n docs (including AI nodes)
• 🤖 AI tools - 265 AI-capable tool variants detected with full documentation
• 💡 Real-world examples - 2,646 pre-extracted configurations from popular templates
• 🎯 Template library - 2,709 workflow templates with 100% metadata coverage
• 🌐 Community nodes - Search verified community integrations with source filter (NEW!)

⚠️ Important Safety Warning

NEVER edit your production workflows directly with AI! Always:

• 🔄 Make a copy of your workflow before using AI tools
• 🧪 Test in development environment first
• 💾 Export backups of important workflows
• ⚡ Validate changes before deploying to production

AI results can be unpredictable. Protect your work!

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Hosted Service (Easiest - No Setup!) ☁️

The fastest way to try n8n-MCP - no installation, no configuration:

👉 dashboard.n8n-mcp.com

• ✅ Free tier: 100 tool calls/day
• ✅ Instant access: Start building workflows immediately
• ✅ Always up-to-date: Latest n8n nodes and templates
• ✅ No infrastructure: We handle everything

Just sign up, get your API key, and connect your MCP client.

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🏠 Self-Hosting Options

Prefer to run n8n-MCP yourself? Choose your deployment method:

Option A: npx (Quick Local Setup) 🚀

Get n8n-MCP running in minutes:

Prerequisites: Node.js installed on your system

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

Add to Claude Desktop config:

⚠️ Important: The MCP_MODE: "stdio" environment variable is required for Claude Desktop. Without it, you will see JSON parsing errors like "Unexpected token..." in the UI. This variable ensures that only JSON-RPC messages are sent to stdout, preventing debug logs from interfering with the protocol.

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: npx will download and run the latest version automatically. The package includes a pre-built database with all n8n node information.

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

Restart Claude Desktop after updating configuration - That's it! 🎉

Option B: Docker (Isolated & Reproducible) 🐳

Prerequisites: Docker installed on your system

<details> <summary><strong>📦 Install Docker</strong> (click to expand)</summary>

macOS:

# Using Homebrew
brew install --cask docker

# Or download from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install Docker
sudo apt-get install docker.io

# Start Docker service
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

# Add your user to docker group (optional, to run without sudo)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in for this to take effect

Windows:

# Option 1: Using winget (Windows Package Manager)
winget install Docker.DockerDesktop

# Option 2: Using Chocolatey
choco install docker-desktop

# Option 3: Download installer from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

Verify installation:

docker --version

</details>

# Pull the Docker image (~280MB, no n8n dependencies!)
docker pull ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

⚡ Ultra-optimized: Our Docker image is 82% smaller than typical n8n images because it contains NO n8n dependencies - just the runtime MCP server with a pre-built database!

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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Tip: If you're running n8n locally on the same machine (e.g., via Docker), use http://host.docker.internal:5678 as the N8N_API_URL.

Note: The n8n API credentials are optional. Without them, you'll have access to all documentation and validation tools. With them, you'll additionally get workflow management capabilities (create, update, execute workflows).

🏠 Local n8n Instance Configuration

If you're running n8n locally (e.g., http://localhost:5678 or Docker), you need to allow localhost webhooks:

{
  "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=http://host.docker.internal:5678",
        "-e", "N8N_API_KEY=your-api-key",
        "-e", "WEBHOOK_SECURITY_MODE=moderate",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Important: Set WEBHOOK_SECURITY_MODE=moderate to allow webhooks to your local n8n instance. This is safe for local development while still blocking private networks and cloud metadata.

Important: The -i flag is required for MCP stdio communication.

🔧 If you encounter any issues with Docker, check our Docker Troubleshooting Guide.

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

Restart Claude Desktop after updating configuration - That's it! 🎉

🔐 Privacy & Telemetry

n8n-mcp collects anonymous usage statistics to improve the tool. View our privacy policy.

Opting Out

For npx users:

npx n8n-mcp telemetry disable

For Docker users: Add the following environment variable to your Docker configuration:

"-e", "N8N_MCP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true"

Example in Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--init",
        "-e", "MCP_MODE=stdio",
        "-e", "LOG_LEVEL=error",
        "-e", "N8N_MCP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For docker-compose users: Set in your environment file or docker-compose.yml:

environment:
  N8N_MCP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED: "true"

⚙️ Database & Memory Configuration

Database Adapters

n8n-mcp uses SQLite for storing node documentation. Two adapters are available:

1. better-sqlite3 (Default in Docker)

   • Native C++ bindings for best performance
   • Direct disk writes (no memory overhead)
   • Now enabled by default in Docker images (v2.20.2+)
   • Memory usage: ~100-120 MB stable

2. sql.js (Fallback)

   • Pure JavaScript

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