n8n Workflow Skills — Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Workflow JSON authoring with node-specific schemas
Expression validator (catches {{$json.foo}} typos)
Credentials reference (without leaking secrets)
Workflow validation against n8n's schema
Debug skill: parse execution data to find the failing node

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

n8n-skills.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-skills": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-skills": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-skills": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-skills": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "n8n-skills",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "n8n-skills": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills",
          "~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add n8n-skills -- git clone https://github.com/haunchen/n8n-skills ~/.claude/skills/n8n-skills

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use n8n Workflow Skills

Generate a working n8n workflow from a natural-language description

👤 n8n users ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: You want a starting workflow that imports without 'unknown node' errors.

Prerequisites

Server/skill installed and authenticated — See repo README

Flow

Describe

Using the n8n skill, build a workflow: webhook in → OpenAI summarize → Slack post to #alerts.✓ Copied

→ Valid workflow.json
Import + dry-run

Validate against the n8n schema and tell me what credentials I need to create.✓ Copied

→ Validation pass + credentials list

Outcome: A real, importable workflow — not a JSON-shaped hallucination.

Pitfalls

n8n versions ship breaking schema changes. Pin the skill to your n8n major version (the SKILL.md notes which version it targets). — n8n versions ship breaking schema changes. Pin the skill to your n8n major version (the SKILL.md notes which version it targets).

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: See provider docs for rate limits
Tokens per call: Varies by tool
Monetary: See repo README for pricing details
Tip: Cache tool results and avoid repeated identical calls.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: Use environment variables; never commit secrets

Data egress: Tool calls go to the provider's API as documented

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

import says 'unknown node type'

Skill targets a specific n8n version. Check SKILL.md frontmatter; upgrade or downgrade your n8n.

Verify: n8n version matches

expression parse error

Use the skill's expression validator before saving the workflow.

Verify: Validator returns ok

Alternatives

n8n Workflow Skills vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
Pipedream/Zapier MCPs	You're on a hosted alternative	Different vendor

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills