n8n Workflow Builder

n8n Workflow Builder MCP

This project provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for building and manipulating n8n workflows JSON in Cursor IDE. It's a way to build n8n workflows just by prompting with AI in chat.

DEMO VIDEO:

Cursor rules:

• file with rules is in rules/n8n-mcp-server-rules.mdc

Current status of implementation

Basically, it's working - MCP server creates JSON file with n8n workflow that you can copy and paste to workflow editor in n8n UI. Current problems:

• sometimes llm agents put wrong parameters in the request. I plan to find a way to fix this.
• not all types of node are checked working. I'm working to resolve it.

Key Features

• Workflow Management: Create, update, and execute n8n workflows programmatically (execute is not implemented yet)
• Node Discovery: Explore available n8n nodes and their capabilities
• Connection Management: Create connections between workflow nodes
• AI Integration: Special tools for connecting AI components in workflows
• AI-Friendly Interface: Designed specifically for interaction with AI agents
• N8N Version Management: Automatic version detection and compatibility handling - supports 123+ N8N versions with dynamic node filtering and "closest lower version" matching for backward compatibility

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• Cursor IDE (v0.48 or newer)
• npm (for npx command)

Installation & Setup

Recommended: Using npx in mcp.json (Easiest)

The recommended way to install this MCP server is using npx directly in your .cursor/mcp.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-workflow-builder": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "n8n-workflow-builder-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "N8N_API_URL": "http://localhost:5678",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-n8n-api-key-here",
       // "N8N_VERSION": "1.76.1" // optional, if not set, the server will try to detect the version automatically
      }
    }
  }
}

This approach:

• ✅ Automatically installs the latest version
• ✅ Does not require global installation
• ✅ Works reliably across different environments
• ✅ No manual building or path configuration needed

Setup Steps:

1. Create the .cursor directory in your project root (if it doesn't exist):

   mkdir -p .cursor
   

2. Create or update .cursor/mcp.json with the configuration above, replacing:

   • N8N_API_URL: Your n8n instance URL (default: http://localhost:5678)
   • N8N_API_KEY: Your n8n API key from the n8n settings
   • N8N_VERSION: (Optional) Override N8N version - if not set, auto-detects from API

3. Restart Cursor IDE for changes to take effect

Getting your n8n API Key:

1. Open your n8n instance in a browser
2. Go to Settings > API Keys
3. Click "Create API Key"
4. Copy the generated key and use it in your configuration

Alternative: Development Installation

For development or local testing, you can clone and build from source:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ifmelate/n8n-workflow-builder-mcp.git
   cd n8n-workflow-builder-mcp
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Build the TypeScript project:

   npm run build
   

4. Configure in .cursor/mcp.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "n8n-workflow-builder": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/absolute/path/to/n8n-workflow-builder-mcp/dist/index.js"],
         "env": {
           "N8N_API_URL": "http://localhost:5678",
           "N8N_API_KEY": "your-n8n-api-key-here",
           //"N8N_VERSION": "1.76.1" - optional
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

5. For development with auto-rebuild:

   npm run dev
   

Cursor IDE Integration

Using Cursor Settings UI (Optional)

Alternatively, you can set up the MCP server through Cursor's interface:

1. Start Cursor IDE
2. Go to Settings > Features > MCP Servers
3. Click "Add Server"
4. For npx method: Use command npx with args ["-y", "n8n-workflow-builder-mcp"]
5. Add environment variables:
   • N8N_API_URL: http://localhost:5678
   • N8N_API_KEY: your-n8n-api-key-here
   • N8N_VERSION: 1.76.1 (optional - auto-detects if not set)
6. Make sure the server is enabled
7. Restart Cursor IDE for changes to take effect

Available MCP Tools

The server provides the following tools for working with n8n workflows:

Core Workflow Management

Tool Name	Description	Key Parameters
create_workflow	Create a new n8n workflow	workflow_name, workspace_dir
list_workflows	List workflows in the workspace	limit (optional), cursor (optional)
get_workflow_details	Get detailed information about a specific workflow	workflow_name, workflow_path (optional)
validate_workflow	Validate a workflow file against node schemas and connectivity	workflow_name, workflow_path (optional)

Node Management

Tool Name	Description	Key Parameters
add_node	Add a new node to a workflow	workflow_name, node_type, position (optional), parameters (optional), node_name (optional), typeVersion (optional), webhookId (optional), workflow_path (optional), connect_from (optional), connect_to (optional)
edit_node	Edit an existing node in a workflow	workflow_name, node_id, node_type (optional), node_name (optional), position (optional), parameters (optional), typeVersion (optional), webhookId (optional), workflow_path (optional), connect_from (optional), connect_to (optional)
delete_node	Delete a node from a workflow	workflow_name, node_id, workflow_path (optional)
list_available_nodes	List available node types with optional filtering. Supports tag-style synonyms and multi-token OR/AND logic	search_term (optional), n8n_version (optional), limit (optional), cursor (optional), tags (optional, default: true), token_logic (optional: 'or' default, or 'and')

Connection Management

Tool Name	Description	Key Parameters
add_connection	Create a connection between two nodes	workflow_name, source_node_id, source_node_output_name, target_node_id, target_node_input_name, target_node_input_index (optional), workflow_path (optional)
add_ai_connections	Wire AI model, tools, and memory to an agent	workflow_name, agent_node_id, model_node_id (optional), tool_node_ids (optional), memory_node_id (optional), embeddings_node_id (optional), vector_store_node_id (optional), vector_insert_node_id (optional), vector_tool_node_id (optional), workflow_path (optional)
connect_main_chain	Build a minimal main path through AI workflow nodes (Trigger → Model → Memory → Embeddings → Doc Loader → Vector Store → Vector Tool → Agent)	workflow_name, workflow_path (optional), dry_run (optional), idempotency_key (optional)

Workflow Planning & Composition

Tool Name	Description	Key Parameters
plan_workflow	Create a non-destructive plan (nodes and connections) to update a workflow. Does not write files	workflow_name, target (nodes, connections), workspace_dir (optional)
review_workflow_plan	Apply a plan in-memory and return validation errors, warnings, and suggested fixes. Does not write files	workflow_name, plan, workflow_path (optional)
apply_workflow_plan	Apply a previously reviewed plan to the workflow on disk (atomic write)	workflow_name, plan, workflow_path (optional)
compose_ai_workflow	Compose a complex AI workflow (agent + model + memory + embeddings + vector + tools + trigger) in one call, including wiring and basic validation	workflow_name, plan, n8n_version (optional)

Parameter Management

Tool Name	Description	Key Parameters
suggest_node_params	Suggest minimal valid parameters for a node type using defaults and required fields	node_type, typeVersion (optional), existing_parameters (optional)
list_missing_parameters	List required parameters missing for a node considering visibility rules	node_type, typeVersion (optional), parameters
fix_node_params	Return parameters with defaults applied for required fields that are missing	node_type, typeVersion (optional), parameters (optional)

Templates & Discovery

Tool Name	Description	Key Parameters
list_template_examples	List node usage examples extracted from free templates. Filter by node_type or tem

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README truncated. View full README on GitHub.