N8n MCP Server — hosted Automation integration for AI agents

mcp-n8n — n8n Workflow Automation MCP Server

List, trigger, and manage n8n workflows — execute automations, check execution status, and manage credentials from any agent.

n8n is the open-source workflow automation platform that connects hundreds of services. This MCP server gives your AI agents the ability to list workflows, trigger executions with input data, monitor execution status, and inspect credentials and tags — making n8n a powerful automation backend for any AI-driven workflow.

Live endpoint: https://mcp.aerostack.dev/s/aerostack/mcp-n8n

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What You Can Do

• Trigger n8n workflows on demand from any agent conversation — pass input data and get execution results back
• List and inspect workflows to understand what automations are available before triggering them
• Monitor execution history to check if workflows succeeded, failed, or are still running
• Activate or deactivate workflows to control which automations are live without opening the n8n UI
• List credentials and tags to understand what integrations and organization are configured

Setup (Important — read before using)

Step 1: Enable the n8n API

The n8n REST API must be enabled on your instance.

Self-hosted n8n:
Set the environment variable N8N_PUBLIC_API_ENABLED=true (enabled by default on most installations).

n8n Cloud:
The API is enabled by default. Go to Settings → API to verify.

Step 2: Create an API Key

1. Open your n8n instance → Settings → API
2. Click Create API Key
3. Copy the generated key (starts with n8n_api_... on newer versions)

Step 3: Add to Aerostack Workspace

1. Go to your Aerostack workspace → Add Server → search "n8n"
2. Enter your secrets when prompted:
   • N8N_API_URL — Your n8n instance URL (e.g., https://n8n.example.com or https://your-instance.app.n8n.cloud)
   • N8N_API_KEY — The API key from Step 2
3. Click Test to verify the connection

Available Tools

Tool	Description
list_workflows	List all workflows with optional active/inactive filter
get_workflow	Get full workflow details including nodes and connections
activate_workflow	Activate a workflow so its triggers start firing
deactivate_workflow	Deactivate a workflow to stop its triggers
execute_workflow	Trigger a workflow execution with optional input data
list_executions	List recent executions with optional workflow and status filters
get_execution	Get full execution details including per-node results
list_credentials	List configured credentials (names and types only — secrets never exposed)
get_tags	List all tags used to organize workflows

Configuration

Variable	Required	Description
N8N_API_URL	Yes	Your n8n instance base URL (e.g., https://n8n.example.com)
N8N_API_KEY	Yes	n8n API key from Settings → API

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Fix
n8n API 401	Invalid or expired API key	Generate a new API key in n8n Settings → API
n8n API 403	API key lacks permissions	Ensure the API key owner has admin access
n8n API 404	Wrong base URL or workflow ID doesn't exist	Verify N8N_API_URL points to your n8n instance (not a subpath)
fetch failed	n8n instance is unreachable	Verify your n8n instance is running and accessible from the internet
Missing N8N_API_URL secret	Secret not configured in Aerostack	Add N8N_API_URL to your workspace secrets

Example Prompts

"List all active n8n workflows"
"Trigger the 'Daily Report' workflow with today's date as input"
"Show me the last 10 executions for workflow 42 — did any fail?"
"Deactivate the onboarding workflow while we fix the email template"
"What credentials are configured in n8n?"

Direct API Call

curl -X POST https://mcp.aerostack.dev/s/aerostack/mcp-n8n \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'X-Mcp-Secret-N8N-API-URL: https://n8n.example.com' \
  -H 'X-Mcp-Secret-N8N-API-KEY: n8n_api_your-key-here' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"list_workflows","arguments":{"active":true}}}'

License

MIT