n8n API Skill

Manage n8n automation workflows via the REST API.

Setup

1. Install Bun (if not already installed):

   # Linux/macOS
   curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
   
   # Windows (PowerShell)
   powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"
   

2. Get your API key: Settings → API → Create API Key

3. Set environment variables:

   export N8N_BASE_URL="https://your-instance.app.n8n.cloud/api/v1"  # or http://localhost:5678/api/v1
   export N8N_API_KEY="your-api-key"
   

Quick Reference

Use the TypeScript script with Bun (cross-platform):

API Endpoints

Workflows

• GET /workflows — List all workflows
• POST /workflows — Create workflow
• GET /workflows/{id} — Get workflow details
• PUT /workflows/{id} — Update workflow
• DELETE /workflows/{id} — Delete workflow
• POST /workflows/{id}/activate — Activate workflow
• POST /workflows/{id}/deactivate — Deactivate workflow

Executions

• GET /executions — List executions (supports ?workflowId=, ?status=)
• GET /executions/{id} — Get execution details
• DELETE /executions/{id} — Delete execution
• POST /executions/{id}/retry — Retry failed execution

Tags

• GET /tags — List tags
• POST /tags — Create tag
• PUT /tags/{id} — Update tag
• DELETE /tags/{id} — Delete tag

Variables

• GET /variables — List variables
• POST /variables — Create variable
• PUT /variables/{id} — Update variable
• DELETE /variables/{id} — Delete variable

Credentials

• POST /credentials — Create credential
• PATCH /credentials/{id} — Update credential
• DELETE /credentials/{id} — Delete credential
• GET /credentials/schema/{typeName} — Get credential schema

Source Control

• POST /source-control/pull — Pull from source control

Webhooks

Webhooks don't use API key auth — they have their own URL path:

curl -X POST "https://your-instance.app.n8n.cloud/webhook/<webhook-path>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"key": "value"}'

Notes

• Pagination: Use ?limit= and ?cursor= for large result sets
• Rate limits: n8n Cloud has request limits; self-hosted has none by default
• Execution statuses: success, error, waiting, running
• API docs: https://docs.n8n.io/api/api-reference/

Workflow Editing Guidelines

When the user requests modifications to a workflow (not just listing or status changes), you should:

1. Fetch the full workflow using bun scripts/n8n.ts workflows get <id> or GET /workflows/{id}
2. Parse the JSON structure to understand the nodes, connections, and settings
3. Make the requested changes directly to the workflow JSON
4. Update the workflow using PUT /workflows/{id} with the modified JSON

Sticky Notes

When asked to add sticky notes, documentation, or annotations to a workflow:

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
  "name": "Sticky Note",
  "position": [x, y],
  "parameters": {
    "content": "Your note content here. Supports **markdown**.",
    "height": 200,
    "width": 300,
    "color": 1
  }
}

Sticky note colors: 1 (yellow), 2 (blue), 3 (pink), 4 (green), 5 (purple), 6 (gray), 7 (red)

Position sticky notes near the relevant nodes they describe. Read existing node positions to place notes appropriately.

Common Workflow Modifications

Workflow JSON Structure

{
  "id": "123",
  "name": "My Workflow",
  "active": true,
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "uuid",
      "name": "Node Name",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.someNode",
      "position": [x, y],
      "parameters": { ... },
      "disabled": false
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Node Name": {
      "main": [[{ "node": "Next Node", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
    }
  },
  "settings": { ... }
}

Part of n8n Skills for Moltbot • Maintained by fazer.ai