# n8n-manager-mcp - MCP Server for n8n Workflow Management

> n8n-manager-mcp is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf manage n8n workflows end-to-end: list, create, update, delete, activate, export, import, and inspect executions. Connects directly to the n8n REST API with no Python dependency, and supports multiple n8n instances at once.

19 tools covering complete n8n workflow management: n8n_list_workflows, n8n_get_workflow (full node graph + connections), n8n_create_workflow (from nodes + connections), n8n_update_workflow, n8n_delete_workflow, n8n_activate_workflow (toggle on/off), n8n_list_executions (recent runs with status), n8n_export_workflow (importable JSON), n8n_import_workflow, n8n_safety_status, n8n_set_safety_mode, n8n_list_backups, n8n_restore_workflow, n8n_describe_nodes (built-in catalog with descriptions), n8n_add_server, n8n_list_servers, n8n_remove_server, n8n_ping_server, n8n_manager_history (opt-in, read-only: version history, recorded decisions, and sync history from a running n8n-workflow-manager module; enabled with N8N_MCP_MANAGER_URL, never falls back to a direct n8n query when the manager is unreachable). Multi-server support allows AI agents to move workflows between n8n instances, while the safety layer supports read-only mode, backup-before-mutation, restore from backup, and local audit logging.

Verification (2026-09-18): fresh `npm test`, build, smoke discovery, and
package dry-run pass with 189 Vitest tests (100% pass); `npm audit --omit=dev` reports zero
vulnerabilities.
The package dry-run contains the built server and smoke discovery reports all
19 tools.

Part of the ellmos family. Node.js, MIT. Published as `n8n-manager-mcp` on npm. Publicly listed on Glama, Enterprise DNA, and PulseMCP under the ellmos-ai namespace. Some MCP ecosystem indexes still expose the legacy `io.github.lukisch/n8n-manager-mcp` entry; this repository includes `server.json` for the ellmos-ai namespace.

## Docs

- [README (English)](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/README.md): 18-point navigation, target personas, 5-way comparative matrix, tools, installation, configuration for Claude Desktop / Claude Code / Cursor / Windsurf
- [README (Deutsch)](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/README_de.md): German version with full parity
- [THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md): Inventory of runtime and dev dependencies, permissive licenses (MIT, Apache-2.0, BSD-2-Clause, BSD-3-Clause)
- [MARKETING-LOG.txt](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/MARKETING-LOG.txt): Marketing positioning, 4 target personas, 10-dimension comparative matrix, 10 invariants (INV-LOCAL-01 to INV-SLA-10), and roadmap
- [CHANGELOG.md](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md): Release history and version notes
- [SECURITY.md](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/SECURITY.md): Security policy, supported versions, 48h SLA, and safety invariants
- [server.json](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/server.json): MCP Registry metadata for `io.github.ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp`
- [Glama listing](https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp): Public MCP directory page
- [Enterprise DNA listing](https://enterprisedna.co/directories/mcp/ellmos-ai-n8n-manager-mcp/): Public MCP directory page for the ellmos-ai namespace
- [PulseMCP listing](https://www.pulsemcp.com/servers/ellmos-ai-n8n-manager): Public MCP directory page indexed as `ellmos-ai-n8n-manager`
- [LICENSE](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE): MIT license text
- [npm package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/n8n-manager-mcp): Published artifact

## ellmos MCP family (sibling servers)

- [ellmos-filecommander-mcp](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/ellmos-filecommander-mcp): Filesystem, process management, interactive sessions (46 tools)
- [ellmos-codecommander-mcp](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/ellmos-codecommander-mcp): Code analysis, AST parsing, import management (22 tools)
- [ellmos-clatcher-mcp](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/ellmos-clatcher-mcp): Utility tools -- repair, convert, detect, batch ops (12 tools)
- [ellmos-controlcenter-mcp](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/ellmos-controlcenter-mcp): MCP stack discovery, profile management, control plane (20 tools)
- [ellmos-homebase-mcp](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/ellmos-homebase-mcp): Persistent memory, knowledge garden, routing, swarm coordination, API probing (45 tools)
- [ellmos-servercommander-mcp](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/ellmos-servercommander-mcp): Remote server operations and SSH-safe deployment helpers (8 tools)

## Broader ellmos ecosystem

- [BACH](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/bach): Full text-based OS for LLMs
- [Rinnsal](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/rinnsal): Lightweight LLM agent infrastructure
- [USMC](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/usmc): Shared memory primitive

## Optional

- [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/ellmos-ai/n8n-manager-mcp/issues): Bug reports and feature requests

## Audience

- AI assistant users who work with n8n and want to manage workflows via Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf
- Developers building AI agents that automate workflow orchestration via n8n
- DevOps and automation engineers integrating n8n into AI-assisted pipelines
- Power users managing multiple n8n instances and needing AI-driven workflow operations
- Open-source contributors exploring MCP server development with TypeScript and Node.js

## Search Phrases

- n8n MCP server AI assistant workflow management
- n8n workflow management MCP server
- manage n8n workflows via Claude Code Cursor Windsurf
- create update delete n8n workflows with AI agent
- MCP server n8n REST API automation TypeScript
- n8n multi-server workflow export import MCP
- n8n workflow manager AI integration local-first
- ellmos-ai MCP server n8n automation
- io.github.ellmos-ai n8n-manager-mcp
- n8n Manager MCP PulseMCP Glama Enterprise DNA

Current safety contract: backup path segments are sanitized and resolved
under the configured backup root; reserved names, traversal, and symlink or
reparse escapes are rejected or mapped safely, and listing returns only
regular JSON backup files. `n8n_add_server` preserves an existing default when
`is_default` is omitted on update; `true` promotes and explicit `false`
removes the flag, with first-server fallback when no default remains.

## Last-checked: 2026-09-18