# ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🏢 Workplace & Productivity  
**Repository:** https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp  
**GitHub Stars:** 2  
**npm Downloads (last month):** 839  
**Views:** 4  
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**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/ellmos-ai-n8n-manager-mcp

## Description
MCP server for managing n8n workflows through AI assistants, including workflow CRUD, synchronization, inspection, and execution support.

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **n8n_safety_status** — Show n8n Manager safety settings, backup directory, audit log location, and whether the optional n8n-workflow-manager seam is configured and reachable.
- **n8n_manager_history** — Read version history, recorded decisions, and sync history from a running n8n-workflow-manager. Requires the N8N_MCP_MANAGER_URL environment variable; without it, this MCP talks to n8n directly and no such history exists. Read-only.
- **n8n_set_safety_mode** — Configure local safety settings: read-only mode, backup-before-mutation, and audit logging.
- **n8n_list_workflows** — List all workflows on an n8n server. Returns workflow names, IDs, active status, and node counts.
- **n8n_get_workflow** — Get detailed information about a specific n8n workflow including all nodes, connections, and settings.
- **n8n_create_workflow** — Create a new n8n workflow. Provide the full workflow JSON including nodes and connections.
- **n8n_update_workflow** — Update an existing n8n workflow. Send the full updated workflow JSON.
- **n8n_delete_workflow** — Delete a workflow from an n8n server. By default, a JSON backup is saved before deletion.
- **n8n_activate_workflow** — Activate or deactivate an n8n workflow.
- **n8n_list_executions** — List recent workflow executions on an n8n server. Shows status, timing, and errors.
- **n8n_add_server** — Add or update an n8n server connection. The API key can be created in n8n under Settings > API.
- **n8n_list_servers** — List all configured n8n server connections.
- **n8n_ping_server** — Test the connection to an n8n server.
- **n8n_remove_server** — Remove an n8n server from the configuration.
- **n8n_export_workflow** — Export a workflow from an n8n server as JSON. Returns the complete workflow definition that can be imported into another n8n instance.
- **n8n_list_backups** — List local workflow backups created before n8n mutations.
- **n8n_restore_workflow** — Restore a workflow from a local backup. By default creates a new workflow; pass target_workflow_id to overwrite an existing workflow.
- **n8n_import_workflow** — Import a workflow JSON onto an n8n server. Takes a full n8n workflow JSON and creates it on the server.
- **n8n_describe_nodes** — Get information about common n8n node types. Useful for understanding which nodes to use when building workflows.

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "n8n-manager-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","n8n-manager-mcp"],
    "env": {
      "N8N_MCP_MANAGER_URL": "",
      "N8N_MANAGER_READ_ONLY": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `N8N_MCP_MANAGER_URL`, `N8N_MANAGER_READ_ONLY` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp does

ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp exposes n8n administration and workflow operations as MCP tools for AI clients. It can list workflows, retrieve complete workflow definitions, create and update workflows from full JSON documents, delete workflows, and change activation state. It also reports recent executions, including status, timing, and errors.

Workflow transfer is covered through JSON export and import operations. Local backup tools list snapshots created before mutations and restore a saved workflow either as a new workflow or over an existing workflow. The server also includes a catalog for inspecting common n8n node types before constructing a workflow.

## How it works

The process runs locally under Node.js and communicates with an MCP client over standard input and output using JSON-RPC. Requests can be routed to separate n8n instances, such as development, staging, or production, with independently configured credentials. Server connections can be added, listed, tested, and removed through MCP tools.

Mutation requests pass through safety handling before the n8n API or local filesystem is changed. Read-only mode can block mutations, backup-before-mutation can preserve workflow JSON before changes, and audit logging can record activity. The optional n8n-workflow-manager connection adds access to version history, recorded decisions, and synchronization history; those history records are available only when the manager URL is configured.

## Setup and configuration

Run the server as a local Node.js process with Node.js 20 or newer and connect it to an MCP client using stdio. The project is published as the `n8n-manager-mcp` npm package. Client setup is intended for environments including Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf.

Configure n8n connections with the server-management tools. Each connection uses an n8n API key, which can be created in n8n under Settings > API. The configured connections can then be selected for workflow and execution operations, and `n8n_ping_server` can verify connectivity.

Set `N8N_MCP_MANAGER_URL` when the optional n8n-workflow-manager seam should provide history and synchronization data. Without that variable, workflow operations communicate directly with n8n and the history tool has no manager history to read. Safety mode can be adjusted with `n8n_set_safety_mode`, including read-only mode, backup-before-mutation, and audit logging.

## Tools and capabilities

The tool set covers:

- Safety status and local safety configuration.
- Workflow listing, inspection, creation, update, deletion, activation, import, and export.
- Recent execution listing with failure details.
- Multiple n8n server connections, connectivity checks, and removal.
- Local backup listing and workflow restoration.
- Common n8n node-type descriptions.
- Optional manager-service history and synchronization records.

Workflow creation and updates require the full workflow JSON, including nodes and connections. Deletion saves a JSON backup by default, and restoration creates a new workflow unless an existing target workflow ID is supplied.

## Limitations and notes

The server operates through n8n API connections rather than replacing n8n itself. The history tool depends on the separate n8n-workflow-manager seam and is read-only. Workflow mutations are subject to the configured safety mode, and workflow import or creation requires a complete n8n workflow definition rather than a partial change set.

The project is licensed under MIT.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/ellmos-ai-n8n-manager-mcp/readme_