n8n-nodes-plaid

The definitive Plaid financial integration node for n8n

🚨 Important Update: Modern Authentication Flow

Version 2.0+ now supports the modern Plaid authentication flow!

What Changed

• ✅ Added Link Token creation for proper Plaid Link flow
• ✅ Removed access_token from credentials (access tokens are now per-operation)
• ✅ Enhanced documentation with step-by-step authentication guide
• ✅ Test token generator for easy development setup

Migration Guide

If you're upgrading from v1.x:

1. Update your credentials - remove access token, keep Client ID and Secret
2. Use Link Token operations to start authentication flows
3. Pass access tokens per operation instead of storing in credentials

🎯 Quick Start

1. Install the Node

# Via n8n Community Nodes
# Go to Settings → Community Nodes → Install: n8n-nodes-plaid

# Or via npm
npm install n8n-nodes-plaid

2. Get Plaid Credentials

1. Sign up at Plaid Dashboard
2. Get your credentials:
   • Client ID
   • Secret Key
   • Environment: sandbox (for testing) or production

3. Set Up n8n Credentials

1. Go to Settings → Credentials → Add Credential
2. Select Plaid API
3. Fill in:
   • Environment: sandbox (for testing)
   • Client ID: Your Plaid Client ID
   • Secret: Your Plaid Secret Key
   • ⚠️ No access token needed - these are handled per operation now!

🔐 Understanding Plaid's Authentication Flow

The Modern Way (2024+)

Plaid uses a secure multi-step authentication flow:

1. Your App → Create Link Token (n8n)
2. User → Complete Plaid Link UI (your frontend)  
3. User → Gets Public Token (your frontend)
4. Your App → Exchange Public Token for Access Token (your backend)
5. Your App → Use Access Token in n8n operations

What Each Token Does

• 🔗 Link Token: Short-lived (4 hours) token to initialize Plaid Link UI
• 🔑 Public Token: Temporary token from user completing authentication
• 🎯 Access Token: Permanent token for API calls (what n8n operations need)

🚀 Step-by-Step Usage Guide

Step 1: Create Link Token (n8n)

{
  "node": "Plaid",
  "resource": "Link Token", 
  "operation": "Create",
  "userId": "user_12345",
  "clientName": "My Financial App",
  "products": ["transactions", "auth"],
  "countryCodes": ["US"]
}

Output:

{
  "link_token": "link-sandbox-abc123...",
  "expiration": "2024-01-15T14:30:00Z",
  "instructions": {
    "next_steps": [
      "1. Use this link_token to initialize Plaid Link in your frontend",
      "2. User completes authentication in Plaid Link UI", 
      "3. Plaid Link returns a public_token",
      "4. Exchange public_token for access_token",
      "5. Use access_token in other n8n Plaid operations"
    ]
  }
}

Step 2: Implement Plaid Link (Your Frontend)

<!-- Include Plaid Link SDK -->
<script src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/v2/stable/link-initialize.js"></script>

<script>
const handler = Plaid.create({
  token: 'link-sandbox-abc123...', // from n8n Step 1
  onSuccess: function(public_token, metadata) {
    // Send public_token to your backend
    console.log('Public token:', public_token);
    // Next: exchange this for access_token
  },
  onExit: function(err, metadata) {
    console.log('User exited Link flow');
  }
});

// Open Plaid Link when user clicks connect button
document.getElementById('connect-button').onclick = function() {
  handler.open();
};
</script>

Step 3: Exchange Tokens (Your Backend)

// Your backend API endpoint
const { Configuration, PlaidApi, PlaidEnvironments } = require('plaid');

const client = new PlaidApi(new Configuration({
  basePath: PlaidEnvironments.sandbox, // or production
  baseOptions: {
    headers: {
      'PLAID-CLIENT-ID': 'your_client_id',
      'PLAID-SECRET': 'your_secret',
    },
  },
}));

// Exchange public_token for access_token
const response = await client.itemPublicTokenExchange({
  public_token: public_token_from_frontend
});

const access_token = response.data.access_token;
// Store this access_token securely - you'll use it in n8n operations

Step 4: Use Access Token in n8n Operations

{
  "node": "Plaid",
  "resource": "Transaction",
  "operation": "Sync", 
  "accessToken": "access-sandbox-xyz789..." // from Step 3
}

🧪 For Development: Get Test Access Tokens

We've included a helper script to generate test access tokens for development:

Quick Test Token

# Set your sandbox credentials
export PLAID_CLIENT_ID=your_sandbox_client_id
export PLAID_SECRET=your_sandbox_secret

# Generate test access token
node scripts/get-test-access-token.js

# Output: access-sandbox-abc123... (use this in n8n)

Different Test Banks

node scripts/get-test-access-token.js ins_3  # Chase
node scripts/get-test-access-token.js ins_4  # Bank of America  
node scripts/get-test-access-token.js ins_5  # Wells Fargo

This bypasses the Link UI and gives you test access tokens for immediate n8n testing.

📋 Complete Operations Reference

🔗 Link Token Operations (No access token needed)

| Operation | Description | Use Case | |-----------|-------------|----------| | Create | Create link token for Plaid Link | Start user authentication flow |

🏦 Institution Operations (No access token needed)

| Operation | Description | Use Case | |-----------|-------------|----------| | Search | Find financial institutions | Let users search for their bank | | Get by ID | Get institution details | Display bank information |

💰 Account Operations (Requires access token)

| Operation | Description | Use Case | |-----------|-------------|----------| | Get All | Get connected accounts | Display user's accounts | | Get Balances | Get real-time balances | Show current balances |

💳 Transaction Operations (Requires access token)

| Operation | Description | Use Case | |-----------|-------------|----------| | Sync | Get new/updated transactions | Real-time transaction updates | | Get Range | Get transactions in date range | Historical transaction analysis |

🔐 Auth Operations (Requires access token)

| Operation |