n8n Template Explorer MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets AI agents search, explore, and download workflow templates from the n8n workflow library.

Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | search_workflows | Search n8n workflow templates by keyword (e.g. "gmail", "slack", "AI agent") | | get_workflow_details | Get full details of a specific workflow by its numeric ID | | download_workflow_json | Download the importable JSON definition of a workflow by its numeric ID |

Prerequisites

• Node.js v20 or later
• npm

Installation

Quick (npx — no install needed)

Just add the config below to your MCP client. It runs automatically via npx.

Manual (from source)

git clone https://github.com/notsointresting/n8n-template-explorer-mcp.git
cd n8n-template-explorer-mcp
npm install

Usage

With Gemini CLI

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-template-explorer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-template-explorer-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

With Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-template-explorer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-template-explorer-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

With VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Add to VS Code settings.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "n8n-template-explorer": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["n8n-template-explorer-mcp"]
      }
    }
  }
}

With MCP Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node server.js

Note (Windows): If the default ports conflict with Hyper-V reserved ranges, set custom ports:

CLIENT_PORT=3100 SERVER_PORT=3101 npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node server.js

Example Tool Calls

Search workflows

{
  "name": "search_workflows",
  "arguments": { "query": "gmail" }
}

Response:

{
  "total": 1730,
  "showing": 15,
  "workflows": [
    {
      "id": 6287,
      "title": "Email Support Agent w/ Gemini & GPT fallback using Gmail + Google Sheets",
      "description": "...",
      "url": "https://n8n.io/workflows/6287",
      "totalViews": 12345,
      "categories": ["AI"]
    }
  ]
}

Get workflow details

{
  "name": "get_workflow_details",
  "arguments": { "id": "6287" }
}

Download workflow JSON

{
  "name": "download_workflow_json",
  "arguments": { "id": "6287" }
}

Returns the full workflow JSON with name, nodes, connections, and settings — ready to import into your n8n instance.

How It Works

This server uses the n8n public templates API to fetch workflow data. No API key or authentication is required — it accesses the same public data available on the n8n workflows website.

Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js (ES modules)
• MCP SDK: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
• Transport: StdioServerTransport
• HTTP client: axios
• Validation: zod

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial, community-built project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by n8n GmbH. "n8n" is a trademark of n8n GmbH.

This server accesses n8n's publicly available templates API — the same data visible on n8n.io/workflows. No private data, authentication tokens, or proprietary code is used.

License

MIT