n8n-export

name	n8n-export
description	Export individual n8n workflows to JSON files. Selective, single-workflow exports for git or sharing. NOT a full instance backup -- use /n8n-backup for that. Use when saving one workflow to a file.
user_invocable	true

/n8n-export — Export n8n Workflows

Export one or more workflows to JSON files for version control or backup.

Arguments

• /n8n-export <workflow-id> — Export a single workflow
• /n8n-export --all — Export all workflows
• /n8n-export --active — Export all active workflows
• /n8n-export --tag <tag-name> — Export workflows with a specific tag

Procedure

Single Workflow Export

n8n-cli workflows export <id> -o <output-path>.json

Default output path: ./n8n-workflows/<workflow-name>.json

Bulk Export

# Get list of workflow IDs
n8n-cli workflows list --json [--active] [--tag TAG] > /tmp/n8n-wf-list.json

# Export each one
python3 -c "
import json, subprocess, re
with open('/tmp/n8n-wf-list.json') as f:
    workflows = json.load(f)
for wf in workflows:
    wid = wf['id']
    name = re.sub(r'[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]', '_', wf.get('name', 'untitled'))
    path = f'n8n-workflows/{name}_{wid}.json'
    subprocess.run(['n8n-cli', 'workflows', 'export', wid, '-o', path])
    print(f'Exported: {path}')
"

For Git Version Control

Create a clean export directory:

mkdir -p n8n-workflows/
# Export all active workflows
# Strip volatile fields (versionId, updatedAt) for cleaner diffs

Output

• Confirm each exported file path and size
• Total count of workflows exported
• Suggest git add if in a git repo

Tips

• Exported JSON includes everything: nodes, connections, settings, credentials (IDs only, no secrets)
• For migration between instances, use /n8n-import on the target instance
• Credential IDs will need remapping when importing to a different instance