n8n + AI MCP Bridge: Connect Claude, GPT & LLMs to 2000+ Web Scrapers

The ultimate Model Context Protocol (MCP) bridge that connects n8n workflow automation, AI assistants (Claude, GPT, LLMs), and 2000+ Apify web scrapers into a single powerful integration.

Execute any Apify Actor directly from AI conversations or n8n workflows via standardized MCP protocol.

Why This Actor?

Problem	Solution
AI can't access real-time web data	MCP Bridge connects AI to live web scrapers
n8n workflows can't use AI tools	MCP protocol enables AI-workflow integration
Complex API integrations	Simple HTTP calls with auto data transformation
Managing multiple scrapers	Single endpoint to 2000+ Apify Actors

Key Features

• MCP Protocol: Full Model Context Protocol implementation for AI tool calling
• n8n Compatible: Works with n8n HTTP Request nodes out of the box
• AI Ready: Integrates with Claude Desktop, OpenAI, LangChain, AutoGPT
• 2000+ Tools: Access the entire Apify scraper and automation ecosystem
• Session Management: Support for 100+ concurrent MCP sessions
• Data Transform: Automatic conversion between n8n and MCP formats
• Enterprise Ready: Retry mechanisms, error handling, timeout management

Use Cases

1. AI-Powered Lead Generation

User: "Find restaurants in NYC and get their contact info"
AI → MCP Bridge → Google Maps Scraper → Contact data returned to AI

2. Automated Research Pipelines

n8n Trigger → MCP Bridge → Web Scraper → AI Analysis → Report

3. Real-Time Data for LLMs

User Question → AI Model → MCP Bridge → Fresh Web Data → AI Response

4. No-Code AI Automation

n8n Workflow → MCP Tools → Execute Any Apify Actor → Process Results

Quick Start

Step 1: Start the Actor

Run this Actor to get your MCP endpoint URL. The Actor runs in Standby Mode - always ready to receive requests.

Step 2: Connect from AI or n8n

Create an MCP Session:

curl -X POST https://[your-standby-url]/mcp/session \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

List Available Tools:

curl -X POST https://[your-standby-url]/mcp/tools/list \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Execute a Scraper:

curl -X POST https://[your-standby-url]/mcp/tools/call \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "execute_actor",
    "arguments": {
      "actorId": "apify/web-scraper",
      "input": {"startUrls": [{"url": "https://example.com"}]}
    }
  }'

MCP Tools Available

Tool	Description	Example Use
search_actors	Search Apify Store for scrapers	Find the right tool for any task
execute_actor	Run any Apify Actor	Scrape websites, extract data
get_actor_info	Get Actor details	Check input schema before running
list_loaded_actors	Show pre-loaded Actors	See what's ready for fast execution
add_actor	Pre-load an Actor	Speed up repeated executions
get_run_status	Check run status	Monitor long-running tasks
transform_n8n_data	Convert n8n data	Auto-map workflow data to Actor input

MCP Protocol Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/mcp	GET	Server info and capabilities
/mcp/session	POST	Create new MCP session
/mcp/tools/list	POST	List all available tools
/mcp/tools/call	POST	Execute an MCP tool

n8n Integration

HTTP Request Node Configuration

{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://[your-standby-url]/mcp/tools/call",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "X-MCP-Session": "{{$json.sessionId}}"
  },
  "body": {
    "name": "execute_actor",
    "arguments": {
      "actorId": "apify/google-maps-scraper",
      "input": {
        "searchStringsArray": ["{{$json.searchQuery}}"],
        "maxCrawledPlaces": 100
      }
    }
  }
}

Data Transformation

Convert n8n workflow data to Actor-compatible format:

{
  "name": "transform_n8n_data",
  "arguments": {
    "workflowData": {
      "inputData": {
        "url": "https://example.com",
        "searchQuery": "products"
      }
    },
    "targetActorId": "apify/web-scraper"
  }
}

The bridge automatically maps common fields:

• url/urls → startUrls
• searchQuery/search/keyword → queries
• maxResults/limit → maxItems

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://[your-standby-url]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Legacy n8n Endpoints

For backwards compatibility:

Endpoint	Method	Description
/health	GET	Health check
/actors	GET	List loaded Actors
/search	POST	Search Apify Store
/execute	POST	Execute an Actor directly
/transform	POST	Transform n8n data
/runs	GET	List active runs
/sessions	GET	View session info

Configuration Options

Parameter	Default	Description
apifyToken	Auto	API token (auto-detected on Apify)
defaultActors	[]	Pre-load Actors on startup
enableDynamicDiscovery	true	Auto-discover Actors when requested
maxConcurrentRuns	5	Max parallel Actor executions
defaultTimeout	300	Default timeout in seconds
maxSessions	100	Max concurrent MCP sessions
sessionTimeout	3600	Session timeout in seconds
webhookSecret	-	Secure your endpoint

Security

• Webhook Secret: Protect endpoints with X-Webhook-Secret header
• Session Isolation: Each client gets an isolated session
• Token Security: Apify tokens stored as secrets, never exposed in logs

Cost Estimation

Component	Cost
Standby Mode (256MB)	~$0.02/hour
Actor Execution	Varies by Actor used
MCP Sessions	Free (included)

Target Audience

• AI Developers: Connect LLMs to real-world web data via MCP
• Automation Engineers: Enhance n8n with AI-powered decision making
• No-Code Builders: Access AI scrapers without writing code
• DevOps Teams: Integrate AI capabilities into automation pipelines

Resources

• Apify Documentation
• MCP Specification
• n8n Documentation
• Apify Store - Browse 2000+ Actors

License

MIT License - Free for commercial and personal use.

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Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, n8n, AI, Claude, GPT, LLM, web scraper, automation, workflow, Apify, API, integration, AI tools, LangChain, AutoGPT, no-code, low-code