FlowGuard

The missing security scanner for n8n workflows.

Security scanner for n8n workflows. Scans exported JSON files or connects directly to a running n8n instance via API. Detects vulnerabilities mapped to the OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications.

Why FlowGuard?

n8n powers automation for thousands of organizations, but its workflows are security-blind by default:

• 230,000+ n8n instances are publicly exposed (Shodan), many running unpatched versions vulnerable to CVEs like CVE-2024-28241 (SSRF) and CVE-2023-27564 (auth bypass).
• Workflows routinely pipe webhook input directly into code execution, databases, and shell commands — with zero validation.
• Hardcoded API keys and tokens sit in node parameters instead of the credential store.
• No existing tool audits n8n workflows for these patterns.

FlowGuard fills this gap. It performs graph-based static analysis, catches dangerous patterns before they hit production, and outputs SARIF for CI/CD integration. Unlike Agentic Radar (which focuses on LLM agent frameworks like LangChain/CrewAI), FlowGuard is purpose-built for n8n's node-and-connection model.

Install

npm install -g n8n-flowguard

Or run from source:

git clone https://github.com/MohibShaikh/FlowGuard.git
cd FlowGuard
npm install && npm run build

Usage

Scan exported workflow files

# Scan a single file
flowguard scan workflow.json

# Scan a directory of workflows
flowguard scan ./workflows/

Scan a live n8n instance

# Connect directly to n8n via API
flowguard scan --url https://your-n8n.example.com --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

# Combine: scan local files + a live instance
flowguard scan ./workflows/ --url https://your-n8n.example.com --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Output formats

# JSON output
flowguard scan workflow.json --json

# SARIF output (for GitHub Code Scanning, VS Code, etc.)
flowguard scan workflow.json --sarif

# Fail in CI if critical or high findings exist
flowguard scan ./workflows/ --fail-on high

Example Output

workflow.json

  [CRITICAL] Unrestricted Code Execution (Code)
       Trigger "Webhook" flows to code execution node "Code" without validation
       Fix: Add an IF, Switch, or Filter node between the trigger and code execution node.

  [HIGH] Missing Input Validation (Code)
       Trigger "Webhook" feeds into "Code" (n8n-nodes-base.code) without input validation
       Fix: Add an IF, Switch, or Filter node to validate input before it reaches sensitive nodes.

Found 1 critical, 1 high issues across 1 workflow(s).

Detection Rules

| Rule | OWASP | Severity | What it detects | |------|-------|----------|-----------------| | Excessive Agency | A01 | High | Overly broad permissions, wildcard scopes, high-agency nodes (executeCommand, SSH) | | Unrestricted Code Execution | A02 | Critical | Trigger nodes flowing to code execution without validation | | Missing Input Validation | A03 | High | External input reaching sensitive nodes (code, DB, HTTP) without validation | | Unsafe Output Handling | A04 | Medium | HTTP responses flowing into code execution or database nodes unvalidated | | Insecure Credential Usage | A06 | Critical | Hardcoded API keys, tokens, and secrets in node parameters | | Excessive Data Exposure | A07 | Medium | Full HTTP responses forwarded to logging/notification channels without filtering | | Unauthenticated Webhook | A03 | High | Webhook nodes with no authentication configured | | Sub-Workflow Escalation | A01 | High | Trigger → executeWorkflow without validation (privilege escalation) | | AI Agent Tool Access | A01 | Critical | LLM agent nodes connected to code/workflow/HTTP tools |

Output Formats

• Terminal (default) — color-coded findings grouped by file
• JSON (--json) — machine-readable scan results
• SARIF (--sarif) — SARIF v2.1.0 for integration with GitHub Code Scanning, VS Code, etc.

Exit Codes

| Code | Meaning | |------|---------| | 0 | No findings at or above --fail-on threshold (or flag not set) | | 1 | Findings at or above --fail-on threshold | | 2 | Scanner error (bad input, conflicting flags, etc.) |

CI/CD

# GitHub Actions — scan exported workflow files
- name: Scan n8n workflows
  run: |
    npx n8n-flowguard scan ./workflows --sarif > results.sarif
    npx n8n-flowguard scan ./workflows --fail-on high

- name: Upload SARIF
  if: always()
  uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v3
  with:
    sarif_file: results.sarif

# GitHub Actions — scan a live n8n instance
- name: Audit n8n instance
  run: npx n8n-flowguard scan --url ${{ secrets.N8N_URL }} --api-key ${{ secrets.N8N_API_KEY }} --fail-on high

Development

npm install          # install dependencies
npm test             # run tests (111 tests)
npm run build        # build CLI
npm run lint         # type check

License

AGPL-3.0