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N8N

Workflow automation platform integration.

Provider: N8N
Authentication: API Key required (for workflow management), Optional for webhooks
Category: Workflow Automation
Credit Cost: 1 credit per operation

Overview​

N8N tools enable AI agents to interact with your N8N workflow automation platform. List workflows, retrieve workflow details, and trigger workflows via webhooks to integrate AI capabilities into your automation pipelines.

Key Features​

  • Workflow Discovery: List and search workflows in your instance
  • Workflow Details: Get complete workflow configuration
  • Webhook Triggers: Execute workflows with custom data
  • Flexible Integration: Works with self-hosted or cloud N8N

Setup​

For Workflow Management (List/Get)​

Get N8N API Key​

  1. Open your N8N instance
  2. Click your avatar → Settings
  3. Navigate to API section
  4. Generate a new API key
  5. Copy the key and note your instance URL

Add to Reeva​

  1. Dashboard → Accounts → Add Account
  2. Select N8N
  3. Fill in:
    • Base URL: Your N8N instance URL (e.g., https://your-instance.n8n.cloud)
    • API Key: Your N8N API key
  4. Click Save

For Webhook Triggers​

Webhook triggers don't require API credentials - they use the public webhook URL configured in your workflow.

  1. Create a workflow in N8N with a Webhook trigger node
  2. Copy the webhook URL from the node
  3. Use the URL directly in the tool

Available Tools​

List Workflows​

Retrieve all workflows from your N8N instance with optional filtering.

Tool ID: N8N_List_Workflows
Credit Cost: 1 credit

Parameters:

  • active (boolean, optional): Filter by active status
    • true for active workflows
    • false for inactive workflows
  • tags (string, optional): Comma-separated list of tags to filter by
    • Example: "production,email"
  • name (string, optional): Filter workflows by name
  • project_id (string, optional): Filter workflows by project ID
  • exclude_pinned_data (boolean, optional): Exclude pinned data from results
    • Default: false
  • limit (integer, optional): Maximum workflows to return
    • Default: 100
    • Range: 1-250
  • cursor (string, optional): Pagination cursor from previous response

Response:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "wf_abc123",
      "name": "Email Notification Workflow",
      "active": true,
      "createdAt": "2025-11-22T10:30:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2025-11-22T15:45:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        {"id": "1", "name": "production"},
        {"id": "2", "name": "email"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wf_def456",
      "name": "Data Sync Workflow",
      "active": false,
      "createdAt": "2025-11-20T08:00:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2025-11-21T12:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": []
    }
  ],
  "nextCursor": "cursor_xyz789"
}

Example Usage:

# Python - List active workflows
response = client.call_tool(
    name="N8N_List_Workflows",
    arguments={
        "active": True,
        "limit": 50
    }
)

for workflow in response["data"]:
    print(f"{workflow['name']} (ID: {workflow['id']})")
// TypeScript - Filter by tags
const response = await client.callTool({
  name: "N8N_List_Workflows",
  arguments: {
    tags: "production,critical",
    active: true
  }
});

response.data.forEach(wf => {
  console.log(`${wf.name}: ${wf.active ? 'Active' : 'Inactive'}`);
});
# cURL - List all workflows
curl -X POST https://api.joinreeva.com/mcp/server_YOUR_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mcpk_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "N8N_List_Workflows",
      "arguments": {
        "limit": 100
      }
    },
    "id": 1
  }'

Use Cases:

  • Discover available workflows
  • Find workflows by tag or name
  • Monitor active workflows
  • Build workflow selectors

Get Workflow​

Retrieve detailed information about a specific workflow.

Tool ID: N8N_Get_Workflow
Credit Cost: 1 credit

Parameters:

  • workflow_id (string, required): The ID of the workflow to retrieve
  • exclude_pinned_data (boolean, optional): Exclude pinned data
    • Default: false

Response:

{
  "id": "wf_abc123",
  "name": "Email Notification Workflow",
  "active": true,
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "node_1",
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "parameters": {
        "path": "email-trigger",
        "httpMethod": "POST"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "node_2",
      "name": "Send Email",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.emailSend",
      "parameters": {}
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Webhook": {
      "main": [[{"node": "Send Email", "type": "main", "index": 0}]]
    }
  },
  "settings": {
    "executionOrder": "v1"
  },
  "tags": [
    {"id": "1", "name": "production"}
  ],
  "createdAt": "2025-11-22T10:30:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2025-11-22T15:45:00.000Z"
}

Example Usage:

# Python - Get workflow details
response = client.call_tool(
    name="N8N_Get_Workflow",
    arguments={
        "workflow_id": "wf_abc123"
    }
)

print(f"Workflow: {response['name']}")
print(f"Active: {response['active']}")
print(f"Nodes: {len(response['nodes'])}")

for node in response["nodes"]:
    print(f"  - {node['name']} ({node['type']})")
// TypeScript - Get workflow configuration
const response = await client.callTool({
  name: "N8N_Get_Workflow",
  arguments: {
    workflow_id: "wf_abc123",
    exclude_pinned_data: true
  }
});

console.log(`Workflow: ${response.name}`);
console.log(`Nodes: ${response.nodes.map(n => n.name).join(', ')}`);

Use Cases:

  • Inspect workflow configuration
  • Understand workflow structure
  • Check workflow status
  • Get webhook paths

Trigger Workflow via Webhook​

Execute an N8N workflow by calling its webhook URL.

Tool ID: N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook
Credit Cost: 1 credit

Parameters:

  • webhook_url (string, required): Full webhook URL or path
    • Full URL: https://your-instance.n8n.cloud/webhook/my-path
    • Relative path: /webhook/my-path (requires base_url)
  • base_url (string, optional): N8N instance base URL
    • Only needed if webhook_url is a relative path
  • method (string, optional): HTTP method
    • Default: "POST"
    • Options: "GET", "POST", "PUT", "PATCH", "DELETE"
  • body (object, optional): JSON body for POST/PUT/PATCH requests
  • query_params (object, optional): Query parameters to append to URL
  • headers (object, optional): Additional HTTP headers
  • timeout (number, optional): Request timeout in seconds
    • Default: 30
    • Range: 1-300

Response:

{
  "status_code": 200,
  "headers": {
    "content-type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "success": true,
    "message": "Workflow triggered successfully",
    "data": {
      "processedItems": 5
    }
  }
}

Example Usage:

# Python - Trigger workflow with data
response = client.call_tool(
    name="N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
    arguments={
        "webhook_url": "https://your-instance.n8n.cloud/webhook/process-order",
        "method": "POST",
        "body": {
            "order_id": "12345",
            "customer_email": "customer@example.com",
            "items": ["item1", "item2"]
        }
    }
)

if response["status_code"] == 200:
    print("Workflow triggered successfully!")
    print(f"Response: {response['body']}")
// TypeScript - Trigger with query params
const response = await client.callTool({
  name: "N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
  arguments: {
    webhook_url: "https://your-instance.n8n.cloud/webhook/sync-data",
    method: "POST",
    body: {
      action: "full_sync",
      source: "api"
    },
    query_params: {
      priority: "high",
      notify: "true"
    }
  }
});
# cURL - Simple trigger
curl -X POST https://api.joinreeva.com/mcp/server_YOUR_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mcpk_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
      "arguments": {
        "webhook_url": "https://your-instance.n8n.cloud/webhook/my-workflow",
        "body": {"trigger": "api"}
      }
    },
    "id": 1
  }'

Use Cases:

  • Trigger automation workflows
  • Pass data to N8N for processing
  • Integrate AI decisions with automation
  • Execute scheduled or conditional workflows

Common Patterns​

Workflow Discovery and Trigger​

# Find and trigger a workflow by name
def trigger_workflow_by_name(workflow_name, data):
    # List workflows
    workflows = client.call_tool(
        name="N8N_List_Workflows",
        arguments={"name": workflow_name, "active": True}
    )
    
    if not workflows["data"]:
        raise Exception(f"Workflow '{workflow_name}' not found")
    
    # Get workflow details to find webhook
    workflow = client.call_tool(
        name="N8N_Get_Workflow",
        arguments={"workflow_id": workflows["data"][0]["id"]}
    )
    
    # Find webhook node
    webhook_node = next(
        (n for n in workflow["nodes"] if n["type"] == "n8n-nodes-base.webhook"),
        None
    )
    
    if not webhook_node:
        raise Exception("Workflow has no webhook trigger")
    
    webhook_path = webhook_node["parameters"]["path"]
    base_url = "https://your-instance.n8n.cloud"
    
    # Trigger the workflow
    return client.call_tool(
        name="N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
        arguments={
            "webhook_url": f"{base_url}/webhook/{webhook_path}",
            "body": data
        }
    )

AI-Triggered Automation​

# AI agent decides when to trigger workflows
def process_customer_request(request):
    # AI analyzes the request
    analysis = analyze_request(request)
    
    if analysis["needs_human_review"]:
        # Trigger review workflow
        client.call_tool(
            name="N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
            arguments={
                "webhook_url": REVIEW_WORKFLOW_URL,
                "body": {
                    "request": request,
                    "analysis": analysis,
                    "priority": analysis["urgency"]
                }
            }
        )
    elif analysis["can_auto_resolve"]:
        # Trigger resolution workflow
        client.call_tool(
            name="N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
            arguments={
                "webhook_url": RESOLUTION_WORKFLOW_URL,
                "body": {
                    "request": request,
                    "resolution": analysis["suggested_resolution"]
                }
            }
        )

Workflow Monitoring​

# Monitor workflow status
def get_workflow_summary():
    workflows = client.call_tool(
        name="N8N_List_Workflows",
        arguments={"limit": 250}
    )
    
    summary = {
        "total": len(workflows["data"]),
        "active": len([w for w in workflows["data"] if w["active"]]),
        "inactive": len([w for w in workflows["data"] if not w["active"]]),
        "by_tag": {}
    }
    
    for workflow in workflows["data"]:
        for tag in workflow.get("tags", []):
            tag_name = tag["name"]
            if tag_name not in summary["by_tag"]:
                summary["by_tag"][tag_name] = 0
            summary["by_tag"][tag_name] += 1
    
    return summary

Data Pipeline Integration​

# Integrate AI processing with N8N workflows
def process_and_trigger(data):
    # AI processes the data
    processed_data = ai_process(data)
    
    # Store results
    client.call_tool(
        name="supabase_create_records",
        arguments={
            "table": "processed_data",
            "records": processed_data
        }
    )
    
    # Trigger N8N workflow for next steps
    client.call_tool(
        name="N8N_Trigger_Workflow_Webhook",
        arguments={
            "webhook_url": NEXT_STEPS_WEBHOOK,
            "body": {
                "batch_id": processed_data["id"],
                "status": "ready",
                "record_count": len(processed_data["items"])
            }
        }
    )

Setting Up N8N Webhooks​

Create a Webhook Trigger​

  1. In N8N, create a new workflow
  2. Add a Webhook node as the trigger
  3. Configure:
    • HTTP Method: POST (or your preference)
    • Path: Custom path (e.g., my-workflow)
  4. Add your processing nodes
  5. Activate the workflow
  6. Copy the webhook URL from the Webhook node

Webhook URL Structure​

https://your-instance.n8n.cloud/webhook/[your-path]

For test webhooks (workflow not active):

https://your-instance.n8n.cloud/webhook-test/[your-path]

Security Best Practices​

  1. Use HTTPS for all webhook URLs
  2. Add authentication in your webhook node:
    • Basic Auth
    • Header Auth
    • Query Parameter Auth
  3. Validate input in your workflow
  4. Use test webhooks during development

Best Practices​

Workflow Design​

  • Use clear, descriptive workflow names
  • Tag workflows for organization
  • Keep webhook paths meaningful
  • Document expected input format

API Usage​

  • Cache workflow lists when possible
  • Use pagination for large result sets
  • Handle webhook timeouts gracefully
  • Validate responses before processing

Security​

  • Rotate API keys periodically
  • Use HTTPS for all connections
  • Add authentication to webhooks
  • Limit API key permissions

Error Handling​

  • Check response status codes
  • Handle timeout errors
  • Log failed triggers
  • Implement retry logic

Troubleshooting​

"Workflow not found" Error​

Cause: Invalid workflow ID or no access

Solutions:

  • Verify workflow ID is correct
  • Check API key has access to workflow
  • Ensure workflow hasn't been deleted

Webhook Timeout​

Cause: Workflow takes too long to respond

Solutions:

  • Increase timeout parameter
  • Configure workflow to respond immediately
  • Use async workflow execution
  • Check workflow for bottlenecks

"Unauthorized" Error​

Cause: Invalid or missing API key

Solutions:

  • Verify API key is correct
  • Check key has required permissions
  • Ensure key hasn't expired
  • For webhooks, check authentication config

Empty Response from Webhook​

Cause: Workflow not returning data

Solutions:

  • Add a "Respond to Webhook" node
  • Check workflow execution logs
  • Ensure workflow is active
  • Verify webhook path is correct

See Also​