Cursor n8n

The Cursor n8n MCP Server connects your Cursor IDE directly to your n8n workflow automation instance.

It utilizes the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to provide AI assistants with full administrative control over your n8n environment via the REST API.

You can use this server to create, manage, trigger, and debug workflows without ever leaving the code editor.

Featuress

• 🤖 Workflow Management: Create, read, update, delete, activate, and deactivate n8n workflows.
• 📜 Execution Oversight: List the execution history, get detailed logs, and delete execution records.
• 🪝 Webhook Triggering: Manually trigger a workflow by calling its webhook URL.
• 🩺 Health Verification: Check connectivity and authentication status with your n8n API.
• 📚 Integrated Documentation: Access a usage guide and get configuration details for common n8n node types.
• 🔁 Resilient Connection: Includes automatic retry logic with exponential backoff for API requests.

How to Use

Installation

You have two options for installing the server: using the provided install script or setting it up manually.

Option 1: Automated Script

./install.sh

Option 2: Manual Installation

git clone https://github.com/alicankiraz1/cursor-n8n-mcp.git
cd cursor-n8n-mcp
npm install
npm run build
# Run the interactive setup
node dist/index.js setup

Configuration

Configure the MCP server in your Cursor settings to establish a connection with your n8n instance.

1. Retrieve n8n Credentials

1. Log in to your n8n instance.
2. Navigate to Settings > API.
3. Click Create API Key.
4. Copy the key immediately.

2. Edit Cursor Configuration

Open or create the file ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Add the cursor-n8n-mcp entry to the mcpServers object. Ensure the path points to your specific installation directory.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cursor-n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/cursor-n8n-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

CLI Commands

The server includes a CLI interface for management and help. Run these commands from the project directory:

• node dist/index.js --help: Displays the help menu.
• node dist/index.js setup: Launches the interactive setup wizard.
• node dist/index.js config: Prints a configuration template to the console.

Available Tools

Documentation & Help

• n8n_tools_help: Retrieves the usage guide and general documentation.
• n8n_get_node_info: Fetches configuration details for common n8n nodes.
  • Supported Triggers: webhook, scheduleTrigger, manualTrigger
  • Supported Actions: httpRequest, code, set, if, merge
  • Utilities: splitInBatches, respondToWebhook

Workflow Management

• n8n_list_workflows: Lists all available workflows.
• n8n_get_workflow: Retrieves full details of a specific workflow by ID.
• n8n_create_workflow: Creates a new workflow.
• n8n_update_workflow: Modifies an existing workflow.
• n8n_delete_workflow: Permanently removes a workflow.
• n8n_activate_workflow: Sets a workflow to active status.
• n8n_deactivate_workflow: Sets a workflow to inactive status.

Execution Management

• n8n_list_executions: specific execution history logs.
• n8n_get_execution: Retrieves detailed data for a single execution.
• n8n_delete_execution: Removes a specific execution record.
• n8n_trigger_webhook: Manually triggers a workflow via its webhook URL.

System

• n8n_health_check: Verifies connectivity to the n8n API.

Environment Variables

The configuration relies on the following environment variables:

Error Handling Behavior

• Retries: Failed requests retry up to 3 times.
• Backoff: The server uses exponential backoff to increase delays between retries.
• Timeouts: API requests time out after 30 seconds to prevent hanging processes.
• Feedback: Error messages include actionable hints for resolution.

FAQs

Q: How do I verify that Cursor can talk to my n8n instance?
A: You can ask Cursor to “Check the n8n connection.” This prompts the AI to run the n8n_health_check tool. If configured correctly, it will confirm connectivity.

Q: Can I use this to write complex code inside n8n nodes?
A: Yes. You can use the n8n_get_node_info tool to understand the schema of the code node, and then instruct Cursor to “Create a workflow with a code node that processes X,” passing the JavaScript code directly into the workflow creation payload.

Q: What happens if my n8n server is temporarily down?
A: The MCP server implements automatic retries with exponential backoff. It will attempt to connect 3 times before returning a detailed error message to the interface.

Q: Does this support every single node type in n8n?
A: The n8n_get_node_info tool specifically supports common nodes like Webhooks, HTTP Requests, and Code nodes. However, you can still include other node types in your workflows if you know their JSON structure, as the workflow creation tools accept standard n8n JSON formats.

Q: Where can I find the logs if something goes wrong?
A: You can set the LOG_LEVEL environment variable to debug in your mcp.json file. The logs will be output based on your MCP client’s handling of stderr/stdout.