Metadata

name: n8n-code-automation
description: Integrate n8n workflow automation into coding tasks. Use when building automated workflows, integrating n8n into development pipelines, executing existing workflows, modifying workflow configurations, or creating new automation solutions. Triggers on phrases like "create n8n workflow", "run n8n workflow", "integrate n8n", "automate with n8n", "modify n8n workflow", "execute workflow".

N8N Code Automation

Overview

Enable n8n workflow automation capabilities for coding tasks. Use n8n to build, manage, and execute automated workflows that integrate with your development processes, CI/CD pipelines, data processing, and API integrations.

Configuration

Connection Details

URL: https://n8n.nelflow.cloud
API Key: Available in n8n (Settings → API → API Key)
Header: X-N8N-API-KEY
Base Path: /api

Authentication

Add to OpenClaw configuration (~/.openclaw/openclaw.json):

{
  "env": {
    "N8N_URL": "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud",
    "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
  }
}

Available Actions

1. List Workflows

List all workflows on your n8n instance.

Command:

curl -X GET "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "abc123",
      "name": "Example Workflow",
      "nodes": [...],
      "connections": {...},
      "active": true,
      "settings": {}
    }
  ]
}

2. Execute Workflow (Manual)

Execute a workflow by triggering it manually.

Command:

curl -X POST "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123/executions" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Parameters (optional):

{
  "data": {
    "contextData": {},
    "manualExecution": true
  }
}

3. Execute Workflow (with Inputs)

Execute a workflow with specific input data.

Command:

curl -X POST "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123/executions" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "contextData": {
        "input": {
          "parameter1": "value1",
          "parameter2": "value2"
        }
      }
    }
  }'

4. Get Workflow Status

Check if a workflow is active and view execution history.

Command:

curl -X GET "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

5. Clone Workflow

Create a copy of an existing workflow.

Command:

curl -X POST "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123/clone" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Cloned Workflow"
  }'

6. Update Workflow

Modify an existing workflow (PUT replaces entire workflow, PATCH updates specific parts).

Command (PUT - Replace):

curl -X PUT "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Updated Workflow Name",
    "nodes": [...],
    "connections": {...}
  }'

Command (PATCH - Update parts):

curl -X PATCH "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "nodes": [
      {
        "parameters": {...}
      }
    ]
  }'

7. Delete Workflow

Remove a workflow (requires admin permission).

Command:

curl -X DELETE "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key"

Confirmation: Enter confirmation message or type confirm to proceed.

8. Get Executions

List workflow executions and their status.

Command:

curl -X GET "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/abc123/executions" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key"

Filter options:

?limit=10 - Limit results
?startDate=2024-01-01 - Start date
?endDate=2024-01-31 - End date
?status=success - Filter by status

9. Get Execution Details

Get detailed information about a specific execution.

Command:

curl -X GET "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/executions/xyz789" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key"

10. Execute Webhook

Trigger a workflow via webhook URL.

Command:

curl -X POST "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/webhook/your-webhook-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "input1": "value1",
      "input2": "value2"
    }
  }'

Coding Use Cases

Use Case 1: CI/CD Integration

Scenario: Trigger build/test workflows from code commits.

Prompt:

"Create a GitHub Actions workflow that triggers the n8n workflow 'CI Build' after a successful commit. The workflow should accept the commit SHA and repository URL as parameters."

Implementation:

# .github/workflows/n8n-trigger.yml
name: Trigger N8N Workflow

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  trigger-n8n:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Trigger N8N workflow
        run: |
          curl -X POST "https://n8n.nelflow.cloud/api/v1/workflows/YOUR_WORKFLOW_ID/executions" \
            -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: ${{ secrets.N8N_API_KEY }}" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -d "{\"data\": {\"contextData\": {\"commitSha\": \"${{ github.sha }}\", \"repoUrl\": \"${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}\"}}}"

Use Case 2: Data Processing Pipeline

Scenario: Process and transform data automatically.

Prompt:

"Design an n8n workflow that fetches new data from an API, validates it, transforms it, and sends it to a database. Use HTTP Request nodes for API calls, Function nodes for validation and transformation, and Database nodes for storage."

Use Case 3: Automated Testing

Scenario: Run test suites automatically and send results to Slack.

Prompt:

"Create an n8n workflow that runs a Python test suite, captures the output, and sends the results to a Slack channel. Include HTTP Request nodes to trigger tests and a Slack node to send formatted results."

Use Case 4: Scheduled Maintenance

Scenario: Execute periodic maintenance tasks.

Prompt:

"Set up an n8n workflow that runs every morning at 6 AM to:
1. Check database performance metrics
2. Backup important files
3. Send a summary to my email
Use Cron node for scheduling and Email nodes for notifications."

Use Case 5: API Integration

Scenario: Connect multiple services via automated workflows.

Prompt:

"Create an n8n workflow that:
1. Monitors a monitoring service (like Datadog or Prometheus)
2. If an alert is triggered
3. Notifies Slack and Telegram
4. Creates a ticket in Jira/Trello
5. Sends an email to the team
Include Webhook nodes for monitoring, Slack and Telegram nodes for notifications, and a database node to track incidents."

Best Practices

Security

Never hardcode API keys in code or workflows
Use environment variables or secrets management
Restrict workflow permissions in n8n settings
Enable rate limiting to prevent abuse

Organization

Name workflows descriptively (e.g., "GitLab CI Trigger" vs "Workflow 1")
Use consistent naming conventions across your organization
Document workflow purposes in the description field
Create folder structure in n8n for better organization

Error Handling

Add error nodes to catch and handle failures
Log execution results for debugging
Set up notifications for failed executions
Implement retry logic for transient failures

Testing

Test workflows manually before automation
Use test data in development
Monitor execution logs regularly
Document expected behavior and success criteria

Common Workflows

Webhook to Database

{
  "name": "Webhook → Database",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "name": "Webhook",
      "parameters": {
        "httpMethod": "POST",
        "path": "webhook"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "name": "Save to Database",
      "parameters": {
        "method": "POST",
        "url": "https://your-api.com/entries",
        "bodyParameters": "={{$json}}"
      }
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Webhook": {
      "main": [[{"node": "Save to Database", "type": "main", "index": 0}]]
    }
  }
}

Scheduled Data Sync

{
  "name": "Scheduled Data Sync",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.cron",
      "name": "Schedule",
      "parameters": {
        "rule": "every day at 6:00"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "name": "Fetch Data",
      "parameters": {
        "method": "GET",
        "url": "https://api.example.com/data"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function",
      "name": "Transform",
      "parameters": {
        "functionCode": "return items.map(item => ({ json: { ...item.json, syncedAt: new Date() } }))"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.postgres",
      "name": "Save",
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "insert",
        "table": "synced_data"
      }
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Schedule": {"main": [[{"node": "Fetch Data", "type": "main", "index": 0}]]},
    "Fetch Data": {"main": [[{"node": "Transform", "type": "main", "index": 0}]]},
    "Transform": {"main": [[{"node": "Save", "type": "main", "index": 0}]]}
  }
}

References

N8N Documentation: https://docs.n8n.io
N8N API Reference: https://docs.n8n.io/api/
N8N Webhooks: https://docs.n8n.io/workflows/webhooks/
Community Workflows: https://community.n8n.io/
Node Reference: https://docs.n8n.io/nodes/

Quick Start

1. Get your API Key:

Go to n8n → Settings → API → Create API Key

2. Configure OpenClaw:

# Set environment variables
export N8N_URL="https://n8n.nelflow.cloud"
export N8N_API_KEY="your-api-key"

3. List workflows:

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

4. Execute a workflow:

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

5. Start building:

Copy workflow examples
Modify nodes for your needs
Test thoroughly before automation
Monitor and iterate

Troubleshooting

Authentication Error

Error: Unauthorized

Solution: Verify API key is correct and has necessary permissions

Workflow Not Found

Error: Workflow not found

Solution: Check workflow ID and ensure workflow exists

Execution Failed

Error: Execution failed

Solution: Check workflow execution logs for node-specific errors

Rate Limit Exceeded

Error: Rate limit exceeded

Solution: Wait and retry, or upgrade your plan

Need help? Check N8N community forums or documentation at https://community.n8n.io/

N8N Code Automation

安装技能

N8N Code Automation

Overview

Configuration

Connection Details

Authentication

Available Actions

1. List Workflows

2. Execute Workflow (Manual)

3. Execute Workflow (with Inputs)

4. Get Workflow Status

5. Clone Workflow

6. Update Workflow

7. Delete Workflow

8. Get Executions

9. Get Execution Details

10. Execute Webhook

Coding Use Cases

Use Case 1: CI/CD Integration

Use Case 2: Data Processing Pipeline

Use Case 3: Automated Testing

Use Case 4: Scheduled Maintenance

Use Case 5: API Integration

Best Practices

Security

Organization

Error Handling

Testing

Common Workflows

Webhook to Database

Scheduled Data Sync

References

Quick Start

Troubleshooting

Authentication Error

Workflow Not Found

Execution Failed

Rate Limit Exceeded

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