n8n

n8n is a fair-code workflow automation platform. Bee Flow can list and trigger n8n workflows — useful for orchestrating cross-system pipelines that go beyond Bee Flow's built-in Automations.

Setup

1. Get your n8n base URL + API key.
2. Set environment variables:

   N8N_BASE_URL=https://n8n.example.com
   N8N_API_KEY=<api_key>

3. Restart server.

n8n API key creation: in your n8n UI, Settings → API → Create API key.

Tools

Tool	Purpose
n8n_list_workflows	List all workflows.
n8n_search_workflows	Filter by name / tag / active state.
n8n_get_workflow	Read workflow definition.
n8n_trigger_workflow	Run a workflow with a payload.
n8n_get_execution	Read past execution detail.
n8n_list_executions	Recent runs.

Triggering

n8n_trigger_workflow({
  workflowId: "abc123",
  payload: { customerId: "cust_42", action: "refund" }
})

The workflow must have a Webhook node configured. Bee Flow POSTs to that webhook URL with the supplied payload.

Use cases

• "Trigger the Onboard new customer workflow with this customer's data."
• "Show me the last 10 failed runs of the Sync CRM workflow."
• (Automation) On NC UserCreatedEvent, fire an n8n Onboard employee workflow.

Auth flow

n8n's API uses static API keys — no OAuth dance. The key is stored in .env (server-wide) by default, or per-user (overrides server) when set in Settings → Account → Integrations.

Common errors

Error	Cause	Fix
401 Unauthorized	API key wrong	Check N8N_API_KEY matches n8n's.
404 Not Found workflow	ID stale	Re-list.
Webhook not active	Workflow not enabled	Toggle "Active" in n8n.
Slow trigger response	n8n cold-start	n8n's worker scaling. Out of Bee Flow's control.