n8n Workflow Management

Interact with n8n automation platform via REST API.

Setup

First-time setup:

API key must be stored in environment:

export N8N_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Verify connection:

python3 scripts/n8n_api.py list-workflows --pretty

For persistent storage, add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

echo 'export N8N_API_KEY="your-key"' >> ~/.bashrc

Quick Reference

List Workflows

python3 scripts/n8n_api.py list-workflows --pretty
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py list-workflows --active true --pretty

Get Workflow Details

python3 scripts/n8n_api.py get-workflow --id <workflow-id> --pretty

Activate/Deactivate

python3 scripts/n8n_api.py activate --id <workflow-id>
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py deactivate --id <workflow-id>

Executions

# List recent executions
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py list-executions --limit 10 --pretty

# Get execution details
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py get-execution --id <execution-id> --pretty

# Filter by workflow
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py list-executions --id <workflow-id> --limit 20 --pretty

Manual Execution

# Trigger workflow
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py execute --id <workflow-id>

# With data
python3 scripts/n8n_api.py execute --id <workflow-id> --data '{"key": "value"}'

Python API

For programmatic access:

from scripts.n8n_api import N8nClient

client = N8nClient()

# List workflows
workflows = client.list_workflows(active=True)

# Get workflow
workflow = client.get_workflow('workflow-id')

# Activate/deactivate
client.activate_workflow('workflow-id')
client.deactivate_workflow('workflow-id')

# Executions
executions = client.list_executions(workflow_id='workflow-id', limit=10)
execution = client.get_execution('execution-id')

# Execute workflow
result = client.execute_workflow('workflow-id', data={'key': 'value'})

Common Tasks

Debug Failed Workflows

List recent executions with failures

Get execution details to see error

Check workflow configuration

Deactivate if needed

Monitor Workflow Health

List active workflows

Check recent execution status

Review error patterns

Workflow Management

List all workflows

Review active/inactive status

Activate/deactivate as needed

Delete old workflows

API Reference

For detailed API documentation, see references/api.md.

Troubleshooting

Authentication error:

• Verify N8N_API_KEY is set: echo $N8N_API_KEY


• Check API key is valid in n8n UI

Connection error:

• Check N8N_BASE_URL if using custom URL

Command errors:

• Use --pretty flag for readable output


• Check --id is provided when required


• Validate JSON format for --data parameter