batch-provisioning

name	batch-provisioning
description	Provision an n8n instance with multiple workflows in a single batch operation. Handles dependency ordering, credential grouping, progress tracking, rollback strategy, and post-flight verification. Use when: "provision n8n instance", "batch import workflows", "set up n8n with workflows", "deploy multiple templates", "bootstrap n8n", "install workflow suite", "bulk deploy workflows"

Batch Provisioning

Deploy multiple workflows to an n8n instance in one coordinated operation. Handles dependency ordering, shared credentials, progress tracking, and rollback. All calls use ~~capability with automatic fallback (see CONNECTORS.md).

Pre-Flight Checks

Run all pre-flight checks before deploying anything:

1. ~~instance_audit
   → Confirm instance is healthy, note version and resource usage
   → STOP if instance is unhealthy or unreachable

2. ~~workflow_list
   → Inventory all existing workflows
   → Record names and IDs for conflict detection

3. ~~credential_manage (action: list)
   → Inventory all existing credentials
   → Map credential types already available

Pre-flight pass/fail criteria:

Check	Pass	Fail
Instance reachable	Responds to audit	Timeout or error
Version compatible	Meets minimum version for all planned workflows	Version too old for required nodes
Resource headroom	Can handle N additional workflows	Memory or execution limits near capacity
No name conflicts	No duplicate workflow names	Conflicts found — resolve before proceeding

Planning Phase

Group by Credential Dependency

Organize workflows into groups that share credentials:

Group A: Slack credentials  → [Slack Alert, Slack Onboarding, Slack Digest]
Group B: Gmail credentials  → [Email Notifier, Daily Report Sender]
Group C: No credentials     → [Data Transform, Schedule Cleanup]
Group D: Multiple services  → [CRM Sync (Slack + HubSpot)]

Determine Deployment Order

1. No-credential workflows first — deploy and verify independently
2. Shared-credential groups next — set up the credential once, then deploy all workflows using it
3. Multi-credential workflows last — these depend on credentials from earlier groups

Assign Batch Identifier

Tag every workflow in the batch for tracking:

• Naming convention: [Batch-001] Original Workflow Name
• Tagging: Apply a shared tag (e.g., batch-001, provisioned-2026-04)
• Increment batch number if the instance has previous batches

Execution

Deploy workflows one-by-one with validation between each:

FOR each workflow in ordered_plan:

  1. ~~workflow_validate(workflow_json)
     → If FAIL: log error, skip this workflow, continue to next
     → If PASS: proceed

  2. Deploy:
     → Official template: ~~template_deploy(templateId)
     → Community JSON: ~~workflow_create(workflow_json)
     → Set active: false
     → Apply batch tag and naming convention

  3. ~~workflow_list → confirm deployment
     → Verify node count matches source

  4. Log result:
     → SUCCESS: record workflow ID, name, node count
     → FAILURE: record error, mark as skipped

  5. Brief pause between deployments to avoid rate limiting

Rollback Strategy

If a workflow fails mid-batch, do NOT undo successful deployments — they are inactive and harmless. Instead:

1. Document the failure — record which workflow failed and why
2. List what was deployed — provide the user a clear inventory of successful imports
3. Provide fix instructions — for each failure, describe what the user must resolve
4. Fix the issue and re-run only the failed items

Post-Flight Verification

After all deployments complete:

1. ~~workflow_list → verify all batch workflows present
   → Match expected count vs actual count

2. Generate credential setup checklist:
   → List every unique credential type needed
   → Note which credentials already exist on the instance
   → Mark which workflows need each credential

3. Summary report:
   → Total deployed / skipped / failed
   → Credential setup tasks remaining
   → Recommended activation order

Post-flight checklist template:

#	Workflow	Status	Credentials Needed	Notes
1	Data Transform	Deployed	None	Ready to activate
2	Slack Alert	Deployed	Slack OAuth2	Configure credential
3	CRM Sync	Skipped	—	Missing community node

Preset Suites

Reference preset workflow suites from references/BATCH_STRATEGIES.md:

Suite	Target Audience	Typical Workflows
startup-essentials	New teams	Slack notifications, email alerts, data backups, uptime monitoring
devops	Engineering teams	CI/CD notifications, error alerting, deployment tracking, log aggregation
marketing-automation	Marketing teams	Lead capture, email sequences, social posting, analytics reports
customer-support	Support teams	Ticket routing, SLA monitoring, satisfaction surveys, escalation alerts

Each suite defines a curated list of template IDs and community workflows with dependency ordering pre-calculated.

Dry-Run Mode

Analyze and plan without deploying. Parse all sources, run ~~workflow_validate on each, identify credential requirements, check name conflicts via ~~workflow_list, and detect missing community nodes. Output a deployment plan document with no changes to the instance. Use dry-run to preview the batch before committing.