@ngxtm/devkit 3.7.0 → 3.8.0

package/merged-commands/n8n-mcp-tools-expert.md

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+---
+name: n8n-mcp-tools-expert
+description: "Expert guide for using n8n-mcp MCP tools effectively. Use when searching for nodes, validating configurations, accessing templates, managing workflows, or using any n8n-mcp tool. Provides tool selection guidance, parameter formats, and common patterns."
+source: "https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills/tree/main/skills/n8n-mcp-tools-expert"
+risk: safe
+---
+
+# n8n MCP Tools Expert
+
+Master guide for using n8n-mcp MCP server tools to build workflows.
+
+## When to Use This Skill
+
+Use this skill when:
+- Searching for n8n nodes
+- Validating n8n configurations
+- Accessing n8n templates
+- Managing n8n workflows
+- Using any n8n-mcp tool
+- Need guidance on tool selection or parameter formats
+
+---
+
+## Tool Categories
+
+n8n-mcp provides 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 deploy 2,700+ real workflows
+5. **Documentation & Guides** - Tool docs, AI agent guide, Code node guides
+
+---
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+### Most Used Tools (by success rate)
+
+| Tool | Use When | Speed |
+|------|----------|-------|
+| `search_nodes` | Finding nodes by keyword | <20ms |
+| `get_node` | Understanding node operations (detail="standard") | <10ms |
+| `validate_node` | Checking configurations (mode="full") | <100ms |
+| `n8n_create_workflow` | Creating workflows | 100-500ms |
+| `n8n_update_partial_workflow` | Editing workflows (MOST USED!) | 50-200ms |
+| `validate_workflow` | Checking complete workflow | 100-500ms |
+| `n8n_deploy_template` | Deploy template to n8n instance | 200-500ms |
+
+---
+
+## Tool Selection Guide
+
+### Finding the Right Node
+
+**Workflow**:
+```
+1. search_nodes({query: "keyword"})
+2. get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.name"})
+3. [Optional] get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.name", mode: "docs"})
+```
+
+**Example**:
+```javascript
+// Step 1: Search
+search_nodes({query: "slack"})
+// Returns: nodes-base.slack
+
+// Step 2: Get details
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"})
+// Returns: operations, properties, examples (standard detail)
+
+// Step 3: Get readable documentation
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack", mode: "docs"})
+// Returns: markdown documentation
+```
+
+**Common pattern**: search → get_node (18s average)
+
+### Validating Configuration
+
+**Workflow**:
+```
+1. validate_node({nodeType, config: {}, mode: "minimal"}) - Check required fields
+2. validate_node({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
+5. n8n_update_partial_workflow({id, operations: [{type: "activateWorkflow"}]})
+```
+
+**Common pattern**: iterative updates (56s average between edits)
+
+---
+
+## Critical: nodeType Formats
+
+**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
+- validate_node
+- validate_workflow
+
+### 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
+
+### Conversion
+
+```javascript
+// search_nodes returns BOTH formats
+{
+  "nodeType": "nodes-base.slack",          // For search/validate tools
+  "workflowNodeType": "n8n-nodes-base.slack"  // For workflow tools
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## Common Mistakes
+
+### Mistake 1: Wrong nodeType Format
+
+**Problem**: "Node not found" error
+
+```javascript
+// WRONG
+get_node({nodeType: "slack"})  // Missing prefix
+get_node({nodeType: "n8n-nodes-base.slack"})  // Wrong prefix
+
+// CORRECT
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"})
+```
+
+### Mistake 2: Using detail="full" by Default
+
+**Problem**: Huge payload, slower response, token waste
+
+```javascript
+// WRONG - Returns 3-8K tokens, use sparingly
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack", detail: "full"})
+
+// CORRECT - Returns 1-2K tokens, covers 95% of use cases
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack"})  // detail="standard" is default
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack", detail: "standard"})
+```
+
+**When to use detail="full"**:
+- Debugging complex configuration issues
+- Need complete property schema with all nested options
+- Exploring advanced features
+
+**Better alternatives**:
+1. `get_node({detail: "standard"})` - for operations list (default)
+2. `get_node({mode: "docs"})` - for readable documentation
+3. `get_node({mode: "search_properties", propertyQuery: "auth"})` - 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
+// WRONG - Uses default profile
+validate_node({nodeType, config})
+
+// CORRECT - Explicit profile
+validate_node({nodeType, config, profile: "runtime"})
+```
+
+### 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
+}
+```
+
+### Mistake 6: Not Using intent Parameter
+
+**Problem**: Less helpful tool responses
+
+```javascript
+// WRONG - No context for response
+n8n_update_partial_workflow({
+  id: "abc",
+  operations: [{type: "addNode", node: {...}}]
+})
+
+// CORRECT - Better AI responses
+n8n_update_partial_workflow({
+  id: "abc",
+  intent: "Add error handling for API failures",
+  operations: [{type: "addNode", node: {...}}]
+})
+```
+
+---
+
+## Tool Usage Patterns
+
+### 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({
+  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({
+  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({...});  // 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",
+  intent: "Add webhook trigger",
+  operations: [{type: "addNode", node: {...}}]
+});
+
+// ~56s later...
+
+// Edit 2
+await n8n_update_partial_workflow({
+  id: "workflow-id",
+  intent: "Connect webhook to processor",
+  operations: [{type: "addConnection", source: "...", target: "..."}]
+});
+
+// ~56s later...
+
+// Edit 3 (validation)
+await n8n_validate_workflow({id: "workflow-id"});
+
+// Ready? Activate!
+await n8n_update_partial_workflow({
+  id: "workflow-id",
+  intent: "Activate workflow for production",
+  operations: [{type: "activateWorkflow"}]
+});
+```
+
+---
+
+## Detailed Guides
+
+### Node Discovery Tools
+See [SEARCH_GUIDE.md](SEARCH_GUIDE.md) for:
+- search_nodes
+- get_node with detail levels (minimal, standard, full)
+- get_node modes (info, docs, search_properties, versions)
+
+### Validation Tools
+See [VALIDATION_GUIDE.md](VALIDATION_GUIDE.md) for:
+- Validation profiles explained
+- validate_node with modes (minimal, full)
+- 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 (17 operation types!)
+- Smart parameters (branch, case)
+- AI connection types (8 types)
+- Workflow activation (activateWorkflow/deactivateWorkflow)
+- n8n_deploy_template
+- n8n_workflow_versions
+
+---
+
+## Template Usage
+
+### Search Templates
+
+```javascript
+// Search by keyword (default mode)
+search_templates({
+  query: "webhook slack",
+  limit: 20
+});
+
+// Search by node types
+search_templates({
+  searchMode: "by_nodes",
+  nodeTypes: ["n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest", "n8n-nodes-base.slack"]
+});
+
+// Search by task type
+search_templates({
+  searchMode: "by_task",
+  task: "webhook_processing"
+});
+
+// Search by metadata (complexity, setup time)
+search_templates({
+  searchMode: "by_metadata",
+  complexity: "simple",
+  maxSetupMinutes: 15
+});
+```
+
+### Get Template Details
+
+```javascript
+get_template({
+  templateId: 2947,
+  mode: "structure"  // nodes+connections only
+});
+
+get_template({
+  templateId: 2947,
+  mode: "full"  // complete workflow JSON
+});
+```
+
+### Deploy Template Directly
+
+```javascript
+// Deploy template to your n8n instance
+n8n_deploy_template({
+  templateId: 2947,
+  name: "My Weather to Slack",  // Custom name (optional)
+  autoFix: true,  // Auto-fix common issues (default)
+  autoUpgradeVersions: true  // Upgrade node versions (default)
+});
+// Returns: workflow ID, required credentials, fixes applied
+```
+
+---
+
+## Self-Help Tools
+
+### Get Tool Documentation
+
+```javascript
+// Overview of all tools
+tools_documentation()
+
+// Specific tool details
+tools_documentation({
+  topic: "search_nodes",
+  depth: "full"
+})
+
+// Code node guides
+tools_documentation({topic: "javascript_code_node_guide", depth: "full"})
+tools_documentation({topic: "python_code_node_guide", depth: "full"})
+```
+
+### AI Agent Guide
+
+```javascript
+// Comprehensive AI workflow guide
+ai_agents_guide()
+// Returns: Architecture, connections, tools, validation, best practices
+```
+
+### Health Check
+
+```javascript
+// Quick health check
+n8n_health_check()
+
+// Detailed diagnostics
+n8n_health_check({mode: "diagnostic"})
+// → Returns: status, env vars, tool status, API connectivity
+```
+
+---
+
+## Tool Availability
+
+**Always Available** (no n8n API needed):
+- search_nodes, get_node
+- validate_node, validate_workflow
+- search_templates, get_template
+- tools_documentation, ai_agents_guide
+
+**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_test_workflow
+- n8n_executions
+- n8n_deploy_template
+- n8n_workflow_versions
+- n8n_autofix_workflow
+
+If API tools unavailable, use templates and validation-only workflows.
+
+---
+
+## Unified Tool Reference
+
+### get_node (Unified Node Information)
+
+**Detail Levels** (mode="info", default):
+- `minimal` (~200 tokens) - Basic metadata only
+- `standard` (~1-2K tokens) - Essential properties + operations (RECOMMENDED)
+- `full` (~3-8K tokens) - Complete schema (use sparingly)
+
+**Operation Modes**:
+- `info` (default) - Node schema with detail level
+- `docs` - Readable markdown documentation
+- `search_properties` - Find specific properties (use with propertyQuery)
+- `versions` - List all versions with breaking changes
+- `compare` - Compare two versions
+- `breaking` - Show only breaking changes
+- `migrations` - Show auto-migratable changes
+
+```javascript
+// Standard (recommended)
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest"})
+
+// Get documentation
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.webhook", mode: "docs"})
+
+// Search for properties
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest", mode: "search_properties", propertyQuery: "auth"})
+
+// Check versions
+get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.executeWorkflow", mode: "versions"})
+```
+
+### validate_node (Unified Validation)
+
+**Modes**:
+- `full` (default) - Comprehensive validation with errors/warnings/suggestions
+- `minimal` - Quick required fields check only
+
+**Profiles** (for mode="full"):
+- `minimal` - Very lenient
+- `runtime` - Standard (default, recommended)
+- `ai-friendly` - Balanced for AI workflows
+- `strict` - Most thorough (production)
+
+```javascript
+// Full validation with runtime profile
+validate_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack", config: {...}, profile: "runtime"})
+
+// Quick required fields check
+validate_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.webhook", config: {}, mode: "minimal"})
+```
+
+---
+
+## Performance Characteristics
+
+| Tool | Response Time | Payload Size |
+|------|---------------|--------------|
+| search_nodes | <20ms | Small |
+| get_node (standard) | <10ms | ~1-2KB |
+| get_node (full) | <100ms | 3-8KB |
+| validate_node (minimal) | <50ms | Small |
+| validate_node (full) | <100ms | Medium |
+| validate_workflow | 100-500ms | Medium |
+| n8n_create_workflow | 100-500ms | Medium |
+| n8n_update_partial_workflow | 50-200ms | Small |
+| n8n_deploy_template | 200-500ms | Medium |
+
+---
+
+## Best Practices
+
+### Do
+- Use `get_node({detail: "standard"})` for most use cases
+- Specify validation profile explicitly (`profile: "runtime"`)
+- Use smart parameters (`branch`, `case`) for clarity
+- Include `intent` parameter in workflow updates
+- Follow search → get_node → validate workflow
+- Iterate workflows (avg 56s between edits)
+- Validate after every significant change
+- Use `includeExamples: true` for real configs
+- Use `n8n_deploy_template` for quick starts
+
+### Don't
+- Use `detail: "full"` unless necessary (wastes tokens)
+- Forget nodeType prefix (`nodes-base.*`)
+- Skip validation profiles
+- Try to build workflows in one shot (iterate!)
+- Ignore auto-sanitization behavior
+- Use full prefix (`n8n-nodes-base.*`) with search/validate tools
+- Forget to activate workflows after building
+
+---
+
+## Summary
+
+**Most Important**:
+1. Use **get_node** with `detail: "standard"` (default) - covers 95% of use cases
+2. nodeType formats differ: `nodes-base.*` (search/validate) vs `n8n-nodes-base.*` (workflows)
+3. Specify **validation profiles** (`runtime` recommended)
+4. Use **smart parameters** (`branch="true"`, `case=0`)
+5. Include **intent parameter** in workflow updates
+6. **Auto-sanitization** runs on ALL nodes during updates
+7. Workflows can be **activated via API** (`activateWorkflow` operation)
+8. Workflows are built **iteratively** (56s avg between edits)
+
+**Common Workflow**:
+1. search_nodes → find node
+2. get_node → understand config
+3. validate_node → check config
+4. n8n_create_workflow → build
+5. n8n_validate_workflow → verify
+6. n8n_update_partial_workflow → iterate
+7. activateWorkflow → go live!
+
+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
+- n8n Code JavaScript - Write JavaScript in Code nodes
+- n8n Code Python - Write Python in Code nodes