n8n-mcp-tools-expert

n8n-mcp provides 40+ tools organized into categories:

1. Node Discovery → [SEARCH_GUIDE.md](SEARCH_GUIDE.md)
2. Configuration Validation → [VALIDATION_GUIDE.md](VALIDATION_GUIDE.md)
3. Workflow Management → [WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md](WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md)
4. Template Library - Search and access 2,653 real workflows
5. Documentation - Get tool and node documentation

---

Most Used Tools (by success rate)

| Tool | Use When | Success Rate | Speed |

|------|----------|--------------|-------|

| search_nodes | Finding nodes by keyword | 99.9% | <20ms |

| get_node_essentials | Understanding node operations | 91.7% | <10ms |

| validate_node_operation | Checking configurations | Varies | <100ms |

| n8n_create_workflow | Creating workflows | 96.8% | 100-500ms |

| n8n_update_partial_workflow | Editing workflows (MOST USED!) | 99.0% | 50-200ms |

| validate_workflow | Checking complete workflow | 95.5% | 100-500ms |

---

Finding the Right Node

Workflow:

```

1. search_nodes({query: "keyword"})
2. get_node_essentials({nodeType: "nodes-base.name"})
3. [Optional] get_node_documentation({nodeType: "nodes-base.name"})

```

Example:

```javascript

// Step 1: Search

search_nodes({query: "slack"})

// Returns: nodes-base.slack

// Step 2: Get details (18s avg between steps)

get_node_essentials({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"})

// Returns: operations, properties, examples

```

Common pattern: search → essentials (18s average)

Validating Configuration

Workflow:

```

1. validate_node_minimal({nodeType, config: {}}) - Check required fields
2. validate_node_operation({nodeType, config, profile: "runtime"}) - Full validation
3. [Repeat] Fix errors, validate again

```

Common pattern: validate → fix → validate (23s thinking, 58s fixing per cycle)

Managing Workflows

Workflow:

```

1. n8n_create_workflow({name, nodes, connections})
2. n8n_validate_workflow({id})
3. n8n_update_partial_workflow({id, operations: [...]})
4. n8n_validate_workflow({id}) again

```

Common pattern: iterative updates (56s average between edits)

---

Two different formats for different tools!

Format 1: Search/Validate Tools

```javascript

// Use SHORT prefix

"nodes-base.slack"

"nodes-base.httpRequest"

"nodes-base.webhook"

"nodes-langchain.agent"

```

Tools that use this:

• search_nodes (returns this format)
• get_node_essentials
• get_node_info
• validate_node_minimal
• validate_node_operation
• get_property_dependencies

Format 2: Workflow Tools

```javascript

// Use FULL prefix

"n8n-nodes-base.slack"

"n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest"

"n8n-nodes-base.webhook"

"@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent"

```

Tools that use this:

• n8n_create_workflow
• n8n_update_partial_workflow
• list_node_templates

Conversion

```javascript

// search_nodes returns BOTH formats

{

"nodeType": "nodes-base.slack", // For search/validate tools

"workflowNodeType": "n8n-nodes-base.slack" // For workflow tools

}

```

---

❌ Mistake 1: Wrong nodeType Format

Problem: "Node not found" error

```javascript

❌ get_node_essentials({nodeType: "slack"}) // Missing prefix

❌ get_node_essentials({nodeType: "n8n-nodes-base.slack"}) // Wrong prefix

✅ get_node_essentials({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"}) // Correct!

```

❌ Mistake 2: Using get_node_info Instead of get_node_essentials

Problem: 20% failure rate, slow response, huge payload

```javascript

❌ get_node_info({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"})

// Returns: 100KB+ data, 20% chance of failure

✅ get_node_essentials({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"})

// Returns: 5KB focused data, 91.7% success, <10ms

```

When to use get_node_info:

• Debugging complex configuration issues
• Need complete property schema
• Exploring advanced features

Better alternatives:

1. get_node_essentials - for operations list
2. get_node_documentation - for readable docs
3. search_node_properties - for specific property

❌ Mistake 3: Not Using Validation Profiles

Problem: Too many false positives OR missing real errors

Profiles:

• minimal - Only required fields (fast, permissive)
• runtime - Values + types (recommended for pre-deployment)
• ai-friendly - Reduce false positives (for AI configuration)
• strict - Maximum validation (for production)

```javascript

❌ validate_node_operation({nodeType, config}) // Uses default

✅ validate_node_operation({nodeType, config, profile: "runtime"}) // Explicit

```

❌ Mistake 4: Ignoring Auto-Sanitization

What happens: ALL nodes sanitized on ANY workflow update

Auto-fixes:

• Binary operators (equals, contains) → removes singleValue
• Unary operators (isEmpty, isNotEmpty) → adds singleValue: true
• IF/Switch nodes → adds missing metadata

Cannot fix:

• Broken connections
• Branch count mismatches
• Paradoxical corrupt states

```javascript

// After ANY update, auto-sanitization runs on ALL nodes

n8n_update_partial_workflow({id, operations: [...]})

// → Automatically fixes operator structures

```

❌ Mistake 5: Not Using Smart Parameters

Problem: Complex sourceIndex calculations for multi-output nodes

Old way (manual):

```javascript

// IF node connection

{

type: "addConnection",

source: "IF",

target: "Handler",

sourceIndex: 0 // Which output? Hard to remember!

}

```

New way (smart parameters):

```javascript

// IF node - semantic branch names

{

type: "addConnection",

source: "IF",

target: "True Handler",

branch: "true" // Clear and readable!

}

{

type: "addConnection",

source: "IF",

target: "False Handler",

branch: "false"

}

// Switch node - semantic case numbers

{

type: "addConnection",

source: "Switch",

target: "Handler A",

case: 0

}

```

---

Pattern 1: Node Discovery (Most Common)

Common workflow: 18s average between steps

```javascript

// Step 1: Search (fast!)

const results = await search_nodes({

query: "slack",

mode: "OR", // Default: any word matches

limit: 20

});

// → Returns: nodes-base.slack, nodes-base.slackTrigger

// Step 2: Get details (~18s later, user reviewing results)

const details = await get_node_essentials({

nodeType: "nodes-base.slack",

includeExamples: true // Get real template configs

});

// → Returns: operations, properties, metadata

```

Pattern 2: Validation Loop

Typical cycle: 23s thinking, 58s fixing

```javascript

// Step 1: Validate

const result = await validate_node_operation({

nodeType: "nodes-base.slack",

config: {

resource: "channel",

operation: "create"

},

profile: "runtime"

});

// Step 2: Check errors (~23s thinking)

if (!result.valid) {

console.log(result.errors); // "Missing required field: name"

}

// Step 3: Fix config (~58s fixing)

config.name = "general";

// Step 4: Validate again

await validate_node_operation({...}); // Repeat until clean

```

Pattern 3: Workflow Editing

Most used update tool: 99.0% success rate, 56s average between edits

```javascript

// Iterative workflow building (NOT one-shot!)

// Edit 1

await n8n_update_partial_workflow({

id: "workflow-id",

operations: [{type: "addNode", node: {...}}]

});

// ~56s later...

// Edit 2

await n8n_update_partial_workflow({

id: "workflow-id",

operations: [{type: "addConnection", source: "...", target: "..."}]

});

// ~56s later...

// Edit 3 (validation)

await n8n_validate_workflow({id: "workflow-id"});

```

---

Node Discovery Tools

See [SEARCH_GUIDE.md](SEARCH_GUIDE.md) for:

• search_nodes (99.9% success)
• get_node_essentials vs get_node_info
• list_nodes by category
• search_node_properties for specific fields

Validation Tools

See [VALIDATION_GUIDE.md](VALIDATION_GUIDE.md) for:

• Validation profiles explained
• validate_node_minimal vs validate_node_operation
• validate_workflow complete structure
• Auto-sanitization system
• Handling validation errors

Workflow Management

See [WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md](WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md) for:

• n8n_create_workflow
• n8n_update_partial_workflow (15 operation types!)
• Smart parameters (branch, case)
• AI connection types (8 types)
• cleanStaleConnections recovery

---

Search Templates

```javascript

// Search by keyword

search_templates({

query: "webhook slack",

limit: 20

});

// → Returns: 1,085 templates with metadata

// Get template details

get_template({

templateId: 2947, // Weather to Slack

mode: "structure" // or "full" for complete JSON

});

```

Template Metadata

Templates include:

• Complexity (simple, medium, complex)
• Setup time estimate
• Required services
• Categories and use cases
• View counts (popularity)

---

Get Tool Documentation

```javascript

// List all tools

tools_documentation()

// Specific tool details

tools_documentation({

topic: "search_nodes",

depth: "full"

})

```

Health Check

```javascript

// Verify MCP server connectivity

n8n_health_check()

// → Returns: status, features, API availability, version

```

Database Statistics

```javascript

get_database_statistics()

// → Returns: 537 nodes, 270 AI tools, 2,653 templates

```

---

Always Available (no n8n API needed):

• search_nodes, list_nodes, get_node_essentials ✅
• validate_node_minimal, validate_node_operation ✅
• validate_workflow, get_property_dependencies ✅
• search_templates, get_template, list_tasks ✅
• tools_documentation, get_database_statistics ✅

Requires n8n API (N8N_API_URL + N8N_API_KEY):

• n8n_create_workflow ⚠️
• n8n_update_partial_workflow ⚠️
• n8n_validate_workflow (by ID) ⚠️
• n8n_list_workflows, n8n_get_workflow ⚠️
• n8n_trigger_webhook_workflow ⚠️

If API tools unavailable, use templates and validation-only workflows.

---

| Tool | Response Time | Payload Size | Reliability |

|------|---------------|--------------|-------------|

| search_nodes | <20ms | Small | 99.9% |

| list_nodes | <20ms | Small | 99.6% |

| get_node_essentials | <10ms | ~5KB | 91.7% |

| get_node_info | Varies | 100KB+ | 80% ⚠️ |

| validate_node_minimal | <100ms | Small | 97.4% |

| validate_node_operation | <100ms | Medium | Varies |

| validate_workflow | 100-500ms | Medium | 95.5% |

| n8n_create_workflow | 100-500ms | Medium | 96.8% |

| n8n_update_partial_workflow | 50-200ms | Small | 99.0% |

---

✅ Do

• Use get_node_essentials over get_node_info (91.7% vs 80%)
• Specify validation profile explicitly
• Use smart parameters (branch, case) for clarity
• Follow search → essentials → validate workflow
• Iterate workflows (avg 56s between edits)
• Validate after every significant change
• Use includeExamples: true for real configs

❌ Don't

• Use get_node_info unless necessary (20% failure rate!)
• Forget nodeType prefix (nodes-base.*)
• Skip validation profiles (use "runtime")
• Try to build workflows in one shot (iterate!)
• Ignore auto-sanitization behavior
• Use full prefix (n8n-nodes-base.*) with search tools

---

Most Important:

1. Use get_node_essentials, not get_node_info (5KB vs 100KB, 91.7% vs 80%)
2. nodeType formats differ: nodes-base. (search) vs n8n-nodes-base. (workflows)
3. Specify validation profiles (runtime recommended)
4. Use smart parameters (branch="true", case=0)
5. Auto-sanitization runs on ALL nodes during updates
6. Workflows are built iteratively (56s avg between edits)

Common Workflow:

1. search_nodes → find node
2. get_node_essentials → understand config
3. validate_node_operation → check config
4. n8n_create_workflow → build
5. n8n_validate_workflow → verify
6. n8n_update_partial_workflow → iterate

For details, see:

• [SEARCH_GUIDE.md](SEARCH_GUIDE.md) - Node discovery
• [VALIDATION_GUIDE.md](VALIDATION_GUIDE.md) - Configuration validation
• [WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md](WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md) - Workflow management

---

Related Skills:

• n8n Expression Syntax - Write expressions in workflow fields
• n8n Workflow Patterns - Architectural patterns from templates
• n8n Validation Expert - Interpret validation errors
• n8n Node Configuration - Operation-specific requirements