n8n Workflow Manager MCP Server

Manage your n8n workflows through natural language — list, activate, deactivate, trigger, inspect execution logs, and generate new workflows from a description.

Quick Start

1. Deploy on Apify — search "n8n Workflow Manager MCP" in the Apify Store, or run locally with Docker.
2. Add the MCP server URL to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "n8n-workflow-manager": {
         "url": "https://your-apify-actor-standby-url/sse"
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Start managing workflows with natural language in Claude.

Run locally

git clone <repo-url>
cd products/mcp-servers/n8n-workflow-manager

# Set environment variables
export N8N_BASE_URL="https://n8n.example.com"
export N8N_API_KEY="your-n8n-api-key"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-openai-key"  # optional, for workflow generation

pip install -r requirements.txt
python src/server.py

The server starts on port 8080 by default (configure with PORT env var).

Configuration

Parameter	Required	Description	Default
N8N_BASE_URL	Yes	Base URL of your n8n instance	—
N8N_API_KEY	Yes	n8n REST API key	—
OPENAI_API_KEY	No	OpenAI key for create_workflow_from_description	—
OPENAI_MODEL	No	Model for workflow generation	gpt-4o
HOST	No	Server bind address	0.0.0.0
PORT	No	Server port	8080

Available Tools

list_workflows

List all workflows with their active/inactive status.

Parameters: status_filter (optional) — "active", "inactive", or "all" (default).

Example prompt: "List all active workflows"

Example response:

{
  "count": 3,
  "workflows": [
    { "id": "1", "name": "Daily Report", "active": true, "createdAt": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z" },
    { "id": "5", "name": "Slack Alerts", "active": true, "createdAt": "2025-02-01T08:30:00Z" },
    { "id": "12", "name": "Data Sync", "active": true, "createdAt": "2025-03-10T14:00:00Z" }
  ]
}

get_workflow

Fetch full workflow details including nodes, connections, and last execution status.

Parameters: workflow_id (required) — The workflow ID.

Example prompt: "Show me the details of workflow 12"

activate_workflow

Activate a workflow so it responds to its triggers.

Parameters: workflow_id (required).

Example prompt: "Activate the Daily Report workflow"

deactivate_workflow

Deactivate a workflow to stop it from firing.

Parameters: workflow_id (required).

Example prompt: "Pause the Slack Alerts workflow"

get_execution_logs

Retrieve recent execution logs for a workflow.

Parameters: workflow_id (required), limit (optional, default 20).

Example prompt: "Show me the last 5 executions for the Data Sync workflow"

trigger_workflow

Manually trigger a workflow execution with optional input data.

Parameters: workflow_id (required), data (optional JSON payload).

Example prompt: "Trigger the Daily Report workflow with today's date"

create_workflow_from_description

Generate an n8n workflow JSON from a natural-language description. Requires OPENAI_API_KEY.

The generated JSON is returned for review — it is not automatically deployed.

Parameters: description (required).

Example prompt: "Create a workflow that watches a Gmail inbox, extracts attachments, and uploads them to Google Drive"

Example Prompts

• "List all active workflows"
• "Show me the details and recent executions for workflow 7"
• "Deactivate the CRM sync workflow"
• "Trigger the weekly-report workflow"
• "What workflows failed in the last 24 hours?"
• "Create a workflow that sends a Slack message every morning with weather data"

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Standard	$49/mo	All 7 tools, unlimited workflows, Apify Standby hosting

Purchase on Apify Store or MCPize.

Local Development

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run with hot reload (development)
uvicorn src.server:app --reload --port 8080

# Run tests
pytest tests/ -v

# Build Docker image
docker build -t n8n-workflow-manager-mcp .
docker run -p 8080:8080 \
  -e N8N_BASE_URL="https://n8n.example.com" \
  -e N8N_API_KEY="your-key" \
  n8n-workflow-manager-mcp

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
N8N_BASE_URL is not configured	Set the N8N_BASE_URL environment variable or Apify Actor input
n8n API returned 401	Check your N8N_API_KEY — it must have read/write permissions
n8n API returned 404	Verify your n8n base URL and that the workflow ID exists
create_workflow_from_description fails	Ensure OPENAI_API_KEY is set and has available credits
Connection timeout	Confirm your n8n instance is reachable from the server's network