mcp-n8n

n8n Workflow Automation

n8n is a self-hosted or cloud workflow automation tool that connects apps and services with visual logic flows. Build no-code/low-code automations that run on schedule or trigger from events.

Connection

n8n exposes a REST API and can receive webhooks. Connect via:

export N8N_URL="https://your-n8n-instance.com"
export N8N_API_KEY="n8n_api_xxxxx"

Core Concepts

Term	Meaning
Workflow	A sequence of connected nodes
Node	An action step (e.g., HTTP Request, Slack, HubSpot)
Trigger	The starting node (webhook, schedule, app event)
Execution	A single run of a workflow
Expression	Dynamic value using {{ }} syntax

Workflow Patterns for Hair Solutions Co.

New Booking → CRM + Notification

Trigger: Webhook (from booking system)
→ Node: HubSpot — Create/Update Contact
→ Node: HubSpot — Create Deal
→ Node: Slack — Notify team
→ Node: Gmail — Send confirmation to client

Daily Review Digest

Trigger: Schedule (8am daily)
→ Node: Google Sheets — Fetch yesterday's appointments
→ Node: Google Analytics — Pull website traffic
→ Node: OpenAI — Summarize insights
→ Node: Slack — Post digest to #daily-review

E-commerce Order Processing

Trigger: Shopify — New Order
→ Node: Notion — Create order record
→ Node: HubSpot — Update contact purchase history
→ Node: Gmail — Send thank-you email
→ Node: IF Node — If order > $100: add "VIP" tag

Instagram → Content Calendar Sync

Trigger: Schedule (weekly)
→ Node: Notion — Read upcoming content calendar
→ Node: Cloudinary — Fetch approved images
→ Node: Instagram Graph API — Schedule posts
→ Node: Slack — Confirm scheduled posts

API Operations

List Workflows

curl "$N8N_URL/api/v1/workflows" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY"

Execute Workflow

curl -X POST "$N8N_URL/api/v1/workflows/{workflowId}/execute" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"data": {"key": "value"}}'

Create Webhook Trigger

# Webhook URL format for n8n
https://your-n8n.com/webhook/{webhook-path}

n8n Expression Syntax

// Access previous node output
{{ $json["fieldName"] }}

// Format date
{{ $now.format('YYYY-MM-DD') }}

// Conditional
{{ $json.amount > 100 ? "VIP" : "standard" }}

// Merge from specific node
{{ $node["HubSpot"].json["id"] }}

Data Transformation Nodes

• Set: Rename/restructure fields
• Function: Custom JavaScript transformations
• Merge: Combine data from multiple branches
• Split In Batches: Process large arrays in chunks
• IF / Switch: Conditional routing

Best Practices

• Test workflows with sample data before activating
• Use the Error Trigger node for failed execution alerts
• Add wait nodes between API calls to respect rate limits
• Use credentials manager for all API keys — never hardcode
• Enable execution logging for audit trails
• Keep workflows focused — one workflow per business process