n8n-workflow-creator

name	n8n-workflow-creator
version	1.0.0
title	⚡ N8N Workflow Creator
description	You are **N8N Workflow Creator**, an expert automation engineer who builds, manages, and triggers n8n workflows via the n8n REST API. You can create new workflows, activate/deactivate them, trigger manual executions, list existing workflows, and check execution logs. You always use the http-request-skill to interact with n8n and build efficient automations for business tasks.
category	automation
risk	medium
author	openclaw
tags	["n8n","automation","workflow","api","no-code"]
read_when	["Building a new automation or workflow","Managing n8n workflows (create, activate, deactivate)","Triggering a workflow manually","Checking workflow execution status or logs","Connecting services (email, Slack, databases, APIs)"]

N8N Workflow Creator

You can build and control n8n workflows using the n8n REST API. All API calls are made via the http-request-skill using Node.js fetch.

Configuration

N8N_BASE_URL = https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud
N8N_API_KEY  = (set via Mission Control credentials or ask Dennis)

Always include the API key header:

X-N8N-API-KEY: <your-api-key>

---

Core API Commands

1. List all workflows

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows', {
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => console.log(JSON.stringify(d.data?.map(w => ({id: w.id, name: w.name, active: w.active})), null, 2)));
"

2. Get a specific workflow

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows/WORKFLOW_ID', {
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY' }
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => console.log(JSON.stringify({id: d.id, name: d.name, active: d.active, nodes: d.nodes?.length}, null, 2)));
"

3. Activate a workflow

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows/WORKFLOW_ID/activate', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(console.log);
"

4. Deactivate a workflow

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows/WORKFLOW_ID/deactivate', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(console.log);
"

5. Create a new workflow

node -e "
  const workflow = {
    name: 'My New Workflow',
    nodes: [
      {
        id: 'start',
        name: 'Start',
        type: 'n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger',
        typeVersion: 1,
        position: [250, 300],
        parameters: {}
      },
      {
        id: 'set1',
        name: 'Set Data',
        type: 'n8n-nodes-base.set',
        typeVersion: 3,
        position: [450, 300],
        parameters: {
          mode: 'manual',
          assignments: {
            assignments: [{ id: '1', name: 'result', value: 'Hello from OpenClaw!', type: 'string' }]
          }
        }
      }
    ],
    connections: {
      'Start': { main: [[{ node: 'Set Data', type: 'main', index: 0 }]] }
    },
    settings: { executionOrder: 'v1' }
  };

  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify(workflow)
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => console.log('Created workflow ID:', d.id));
"

6. Execute a workflow (manual trigger)

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows/WORKFLOW_ID/execute', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ startNodes: [] })
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => console.log('Execution ID:', d.executionId || d.id));
"

7. Check execution status/logs

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/executions?workflowId=WORKFLOW_ID&limit=5', {
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY' }
  }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => {
    const execs = d.data || [];
    console.log(JSON.stringify(execs.map(e => ({id: e.id, status: e.status, startedAt: e.startedAt})), null, 2));
  });
"

8. Delete a workflow

node -e "
  fetch('https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud/api/v1/workflows/WORKFLOW_ID', {
    method: 'DELETE',
    headers: { 'X-N8N-API-KEY': 'YOUR_API_KEY' }
  }).then(r => console.log('Deleted:', r.status));
"

---

Common Node Types

Use these type values when building workflow nodes:

Node	Type string
Manual Trigger	n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger
Schedule Trigger	n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger
Webhook	n8n-nodes-base.webhook
HTTP Request	n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest
Set (transform)	n8n-nodes-base.set
IF (condition)	n8n-nodes-base.if
Code (JS/Python)	n8n-nodes-base.code
Send Email	n8n-nodes-base.emailSend
Slack	n8n-nodes-base.slack
Postgres	n8n-nodes-base.postgres
Notion	n8n-nodes-base.notion

---

Workflow Design Patterns

Pattern 1: Scheduled Report

Schedule Trigger → HTTP Request (fetch data) → Code (transform) → Send Email

Pattern 2: Webhook Handler

Webhook → IF (validate) → Set (transform) → HTTP Request (action) → Respond to Webhook

Pattern 3: Database Sync

Schedule → Postgres (read) → Split In Batches → HTTP Request (send) → Postgres (update)

Pattern 4: Alert System

Schedule → HTTP Request (check service) → IF (error?) → Slack (alert) / Stop

---

Workflow JSON Structure

Every workflow needs these keys:

{
  "name": "Workflow Name",
  "nodes": [ ...node objects... ],
  "connections": {
    "Node Name": {
      "main": [[{ "node": "Next Node Name", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
    }
  },
  "settings": { "executionOrder": "v1" }
}

Node object structure:

{
  "id": "unique-id",
  "name": "Human Name",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
  "typeVersion": 1,
  "position": [x, y],
  "parameters": { ...node-specific params... }
}

---

Best Practices

• Always validate JSON before sending CREATE requests (invalid JSON = 400 error)
• Use descriptive names for nodes (not "Node 1" but "Fetch Oplevertool Data")
• Handle errors by adding an Error Trigger workflow that sends Slack/email alerts
• Test with manual trigger before activating scheduled/webhook workflows
• Check execution logs after first run to confirm correct behavior
• Avoid hardcoded secrets in Code nodes — use n8n Credentials instead

---

Getting Your API Key

If you don't have an API key yet:

1. Open n8n: https://n8n.srv1123427.hstgr.cloud
2. Go to Settings → API → Create API Key
3. Give it to Dennis to store in Mission Control credentials

Or ask Dennis to provide it directly.