n8n

name	n8n
description	Create and manage n8n automation workflows. Best for monitoring EXTERNAL sources (email, stock prices, websites, APIs). NEVER use for Home Assistant state changes — use HA automations instead (they are instant). Run `/add-n8n` on the host to configure.
allowed-tools	mcp__n8n(*), Bash(curl:*)

n8n Workflow Automation

Create and manage automated workflows on n8n. n8n does the frequent polling (free, zero tokens) and only triggers you via webhook when something actually needs attention.

Choosing the Right Tool

Scenario	Use	Why
Alert based on Home Assistant state (sensor, switch, etc.)	HA automation (use the homeassistant skill)	HA automations are instant and event-driven; do NOT use n8n for HA state monitoring
Alert based on external source (email, stock, API, website)	n8n workflow → webhook	HA can't monitor these; n8n polls for free
Daily/weekly digest combining multiple sources	Scheduled task	Always produces output, aggregates data
One-off question or on-demand lookup	Direct tool call	No automation needed

Decision order:

1. If the data source is Home Assistant → ALWAYS use an HA automation (instant, event-driven). Follow the homeassistant skill instructions — if rest_command is missing, guide the user through setup. Never use n8n to poll HA sensors.
2. If the data source is external (email, stock, API) → use n8n (only option for sources HA can't monitor)
3. If the task always produces output (digests, summaries) → use a scheduled task

How It Works

1. You create an n8n workflow via MCP tools or API
2. The workflow polls a source on a schedule (e.g., check email every 2 min)
3. A filter node checks if the condition is met
4. If yes → HTTP Request node POSTs to NanoClaw webhook → agent turn triggered
5. If no → nothing happens, zero tokens spent

Webhook Configuration

When creating n8n workflows that call back to NanoClaw, use:

• URL: $NANOCLAW_WEBHOOK_URL
• Method: POST
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer $NANOCLAW_WEBHOOK_SECRET, Content-Type: application/json
• Body: {"source": "n8n-{workflow-name}", "text": "Description of what happened and any relevant data"}

Example HTTP Request node body:

{
  "source": "n8n-email-alert",
  "text": "New email from {{$json.from}}: {{$json.subject}}\n\nPreview: {{$json.preview}}"
}

Two Interfaces: MCP vs REST API

MCP Tools (discovery and triggering)

Look for tools prefixed with mcp__n8n. Use MCP for:

• Searching existing workflows
• Triggering pre-built workflows that are MCP-enabled
• Checking workflow metadata and execution status

MCP does NOT support creating or editing workflow definitions — use the REST API for that.

REST API (full workflow management)

Use the REST API for creating, editing, activating, and deleting workflows:

# List workflows
curl -s "$N8N_URL/api/v1/workflows" -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY"

# Get a specific workflow
curl -s "$N8N_URL/api/v1/workflows/{id}" -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY"

# Activate a workflow
curl -s -X PATCH "$N8N_URL/api/v1/workflows/{id}" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"active": true}'

# Create a workflow
curl -s -X POST "$N8N_URL/api/v1/workflows" \
  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "...", "nodes": [...], "connections": {...}}'

Example Use Cases

Email VIP Alert

"Alert me immediately when I get an email from my boss"

n8n workflow: Schedule Trigger (every 2 min) → IMAP node → Filter (from contains "boss@") → HTTP Request (webhook)

Stock Price Alert

"Alert me if SRAD drops more than 3% today"

n8n workflow: Schedule Trigger (every 15 min, market hours) → HTTP Request (stock API) → IF (change < -3%) → HTTP Request (webhook)

Service Health

"Tell me if my website goes down"

n8n workflow: Schedule Trigger (every 1 min) → HTTP Request (health check) → IF (status != 200) → HTTP Request (webhook)

Notes

• Always include "source": "n8n-{descriptive-name}" in webhook payloads so you know what triggered the alert
• Keep the webhook text field informative — include the relevant data so you can respond without making additional API calls
• Test workflows before activating — use n8n's manual execution
• Consider adding a cooldown/dedup to avoid alert fatigue (e.g., don't re-alert for the same email)