Using the n8n-mcp Skills

This is a router, not a reference. It tells you which skill owns the rules for what you're about to do. The skill bodies hold the actual guidance — invoke them with the Skill tool. When in doubt, load more skills rather than fewer.

The community n8n-mcp server and n8n itself move faster than any model's training cutoff. Tool names, parameters, node typeVersions, and default behaviors drift between releases. When you spot drift — a tool a skill names doesn't exist, a parameter shape doesn't match what get_node returns, behavior differs from what a skill describes — trust the live tool, tell the user, and suggest updating the pack and the instance.

Non-negotiables

Three rules with no exceptions. Each one prevents a class of workflow that looks correct but breaks in production.

1. Invoke the relevant skill before any n8n action — not just before MCP calls. Before writing an expression, configuring a node, designing a workflow, wiring a connection, or writing Code, invoke the matching skill. PreToolUse hooks remind you on the highest-impact tool calls, but they exist only in the Claude Code plugin install. Everywhere else — Claude.ai skill uploads, and any client that loads this pack as an Agent Plugin (Codex, Cursor, Copilot and the rest) — nothing nudges you and it's on you. Assume you are un-hooked unless you have seen a hook fire this session.
2. Validate AND verify before activating. Run validate_workflow (or n8n_validate_workflow by id) before you activate, and call n8n_get_workflow after every create or update to inspect the connections object. Validation alone misses silently dropped wires, Merge index off-by-one, and error outputs that were never wired. Validation passing means the JSON is well-formed — not that the workflow is correct. A green test run isn't proof either: JS errors inside {{ }} resolve silently to null (a Filter with a broken condition drops every item and still shows success), so inspect the output values. See n8n-expression-syntax.
3. Secrets never go in text fields. Tokens, API keys, and passwords always go through the n8n credential system. If no native node exists, use the HTTP Request node with the official credential type. A Set node holding a token referenced via {{ $json.token }} is a leak with extra steps. See n8n-mcp-tools-expert.

Lean on skills, not training data

n8n changes constantly. "Remembered" parameter names are often silently wrong — they validate as plain strings and then do nothing at runtime. If a skill contradicts your memory, trust the skill. If get_node contradicts a skill, trust the tool and flag the drift.

Strong defaults

These are the defaults; the Code exceptions below are a closed list.

Native node first, Code last. Pick in this order: the service's own node (HTTP Request only when no node covers the operation), then a native node for the job, then a short expression inside that node, then Code. A function body or several statements inside {{ }} is code: it belongs in a Code node.

Code is right only for: loops or recursion no node expresses, state across runs, parsing no node handles, libraries, heavy all-items work on queue-mode workers (thousands of items, stated or measured), or one short Code node (~15 lines) replacing 4+ glue nodes that only reshape data. Every Code or HTTP Request node that stays gets the note Why Code: <native node considered> — <reason> (or Why HTTP:). See n8n-node-configuration and n8n-code-javascript.

• A Set that only re-maps fields for the next node is the antipattern. Put those expressions in the next node. Edit Fields as a named step is fine. See n8n-expression-syntax.
• Per-item iteration is automatic. Don't add a Loop Over Items node to "make it loop" when default per-item execution already handles the case.
• Configure from the live schema, never from memory. get_node before you set parameters. See n8n-node-configuration.

Red flags: "about to ___" → invoke ___

If you catch yourself thinking any of these, stop and invoke the named skill first.

Skill index

n8n-mcp tools — working knowledge from turn one

Qualified names look like mcp__<server>__<tool> (<server> is usually n8n-mcp).

Two tiers, and how to tell which one you have. The documentation and validation tools below work offline and are always present. The n8n_* management tools talk to a live n8n instance and appear only once one is connected. If they are absent, nothing is broken and nothing needs a retry — say so and point the user at the fix for their install:

• Hosted (https://api.n8n-mcp.com/mcp) — sign in through the client's OAuth prompt on first use, then connect the n8n instance in the dashboard. No env vars or API keys in config.
• Self-hosted (npx n8n-mcp, Docker) — the server needs N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY in its environment, exported before the client starts.

n8n_health_check confirms a working connection and returns the resolved instance.

Discovery & docs

• tools_documentation — meta-docs for every tool; {topic, depth:"full"} with ai_agents_guide or (n8n-mcp 2.97+) expression_helpers.
• search_nodes — find nodes by keyword.
• get_node — node info. Takes a single SHORT-form nodeType (nodes-base.httpRequest, nodes-langchain.agent), plus detail (minimal/standard/full) and mode (info/docs/search_properties/versions).
• validate_node — validate one node's config in isolation (profiles: minimal/runtime/ai-friendly/strict).
• search_templates / get_template — the template library (by keyword, nodes, task, metadata).

Build & edit

• n8n_create_workflow — create from full workflow JSON.
• n8n_update_partial_workflow — incremental diff ops ({id, operations:[…]}): addNode, updateNode, patchNodeField, addConnection, setNodeGroups, activateWorkflow, etc. Preferred for edits.
• Canvas groups (n8n 2.28+) survive your edits; adjustments show in details.warnings. Create or change them with the setNodeGroups op. See n8n-mcp-tools-expert.
• n8n_update_full_workflow — full replacement.
• n8n_autofix_workflow — auto-fix common issues.
• n8n_deploy_template — deploy a template to the instance.

Validate (necessary, not sufficient — always pair with the antipattern scan)

• validate_workflow — full JSON in, errors/warnings/fixes out. Node types here are LONG form (n8n-nodes-base.set).
• n8n_validate_workflow — validate a deployed workflow by {id} (no node JSON to inspect).

Inspect & lifecycle

• n8n_get_workflow — fetch a workflow (full / structure / active / filtered / minimal). Use it to verify connections after edits; mode="filtered" + nodeNames reads one heavy node without pulling a whole workflow that can truncate client-side.
• n8n_list_workflows — list/filter (search before duplicating logic).
• n8n_delete_workflow; n8n_workflow_versions (history/rollback/diff; source: "native" includes UI edits); n8n_instances (multi-instance accounts only; every n8n tool also takes a per-call instance name — see n8n-multi-instance); n8n_health_check (resolved instanceName, plus officialMcp: is the instance-level server below reachable).

Test & run

• n8n_test_workflow — runs real nodes (Code, HTTP, DB writes, sends all fire). Ask the user before running when side effects exist. method picks the path: auto (default) and trigger fire a webhook/form/chat trigger over HTTP on an active workflow; prepare/pinned/direct go through n8n's own MCP server and run workflows with no HTTP trigger (Manual, Schedule, sub-workflow) — see n8n-mcp-tools-expert.
• n8n_executions — list/inspect executions. There is no execute_workflow tool.
• n8n_evaluations — evaluation runs, metrics and per-case results (n8n ≥ 2.30); run/cancel (≥ 2.32). run fires real nodes across the whole dataset, so ask the user first. For a 403, see n8n-mcp-tools-expert.

Data, folders, credentials, audit

• n8n_manage_datatable — Data Table CRUD, filtering, dry-run. addColumn/deleteColumn/renameColumn change an existing table's columns (the Public API cannot) through n8n's MCP server — deleteColumn drops the column's values along with it.
• n8n_manage_folders — folder CRUD (n8n ≥ 2.19). Place workflows with parentFolderId or the moveToFolder op; verify via the folder's get counts, not the workflow. delete without transferToFolderId ARCHIVES the folder's workflows. See n8n-mcp-tools-expert.
• n8n_manage_credentials — credential CRUD + getSchema discovery.
• n8n_audit_instance — security audit (hardcoded secrets, unauthenticated webhooks, error-handling gaps).

Instance-level MCP server — a second endpoint alongside the Public API, gated on N8N_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN (n8n 2.34+). n8n_health_check reports whether it is reachable; without it these calls answer NOT_CONFIGURED.

• n8n_manage_agents — persisted n8n Agents: a standalone assistant artifact with its own lifecycle (model, instructions, skills, tasks, memory, channels), not the AI Agent workflow node. call runs it live with real credentials and may return approvals[]; publish only when the user asks. See n8n-agents.
• n8n_explore_node_resources — resolve a node's live dropdown / resource-locator values through a real credential instead of guessing an ID. See n8n-node-configuration.
• n8n_list_catalog — list projects (to get a projectId) or tags. The one tool here that also works without the token.
• The same server backs n8n_test_workflow prepare/pinned/direct, source: "native" versions and Data Table column actions, gated per workflow: WORKFLOW_NOT_EXPOSED means "Available in MCP" is off, and turning it on (exposeToMcp: true) is a persistent change — ask the user first.

Node-type form trap: get_node / validate_node take SHORT form (nodes-base.set); workflow JSON inside validate_workflow / n8n_create_workflow uses LONG form (n8n-nodes-base.set). Mixing them is a common, silent mistake — see n8n-mcp-tools-expert.

The protocol, in order

1. Recognize the matching skill from the index and invoke it before the first MCP call.
2. Skim tools_documentation once per session to refresh the tool surface if you're unsure.
3. get_node before configuring any node — read the live schema, don't assume.
4. Build / edit, then validate_workflow before activating and n8n_get_workflow after to check connections.
5. Surface any drift you notice (missing tool, changed parameter, diverging behavior).

When in doubt

• Can't find a workflow the user built in the UI? The most common cause is per-workflow MCP access being off. Ask them to open it in n8n, go to Settings, and enable MCP access.
• User says it's broken? Believe them. Re-check parameters against get_node, trace data references, inspect the execution. See n8n-validation-expert.
• No skill fits and the task is non-trivial? Ask before guessing.

These are opinionated best practices, not laws. Disagree with a call? It's all markdown — edit the skill.