Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing n8n-skills, set up the n8n-mcp MCP server. The skills rely on it for node data, validation, and templates.

Install n8n-mcp

npm install -g n8n-mcp

Configure .mcp.json

Add the server to .mcp.json in your project root or home directory:

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["n8n-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true",
        "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY are optional. Without them, read-only tools (node search, validation, templates) work fine. Add them to unlock workflow creation and management (n8n_create_workflow, n8n_update_partial_workflow, etc.).

Installation methods

Method 1: Claude Code plugin (recommended)

The fastest way to install. One command installs all 7 skills:

/plugin install czlonkowski/n8n-skills

Skills activate automatically after installation — no restart needed.

Method 2: Claude Code marketplace

Browse the plugin before installing:

/plugin marketplace add czlonkowski/n8n-skills

Then browse and select:

/plugin install

Select n8n-mcp-skills from the list.

Method 3: Manual installation

Clone the repository and copy the skill files to Claude Code’s skills directory.

macOS / Linux
Windows

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills.git

# Create the skills directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills

# Copy all 7 skills
cp -r n8n-skills/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

Verify the copy:

ls ~/.claude/skills/
# Expected output:
# n8n-expression-syntax  n8n-mcp-tools-expert  n8n-workflow-patterns
# n8n-validation-expert  n8n-node-configuration  n8n-code-javascript  n8n-code-python

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills.git

# Create the skills directory
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\skills"

# Copy all 7 skills
Copy-Item -Recurse n8n-skills\skills\* "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\skills\"

If you encounter permission errors, run PowerShell as Administrator.

After copying, restart Claude Code. Skills will activate automatically on the next launch.

Method 4: Claude.ai (web)

Claude.ai requires uploading each skill as a separate zip file.

Download the repository

Clone or download the repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills.git
cd n8n-skills/skills

Zip each skill

zip -r n8n-expression-syntax.zip n8n-expression-syntax/
zip -r n8n-mcp-tools-expert.zip n8n-mcp-tools-expert/
zip -r n8n-workflow-patterns.zip n8n-workflow-patterns/
zip -r n8n-validation-expert.zip n8n-validation-expert/
zip -r n8n-node-configuration.zip n8n-node-configuration/
zip -r n8n-code-javascript.zip n8n-code-javascript/
zip -r n8n-code-python.zip n8n-code-python/

Upload to Claude.ai

Go to claude.ai
Navigate to Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Click Upload Skill
Upload each .zip file individually
Confirm each upload

Verify

In a new conversation, ask:

List my active skills

You should see all n8n skills listed.

Method 5: Claude API / SDK

If you’re building an application with the Anthropic SDK, load the skills from the cloned directory and pass them in each API call.

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills.git

Install the Anthropic SDK

npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk

Load skills in your application

import Anthropic from '@anthropic-ai/sdk';
import fs from 'fs';
import path from 'path';

const client = new Anthropic({
  apiKey: process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY,
});

function loadSkillsFromDirectory(dir: string) {
  const skillDirs = fs.readdirSync(dir);
  return skillDirs.map(skillName => {
    const skillPath = path.join(dir, skillName, 'SKILL.md');
    const skillContent = fs.readFileSync(skillPath, 'utf-8');
    return {
      name: skillName,
      content: skillContent
    };
  });
}

const skills = loadSkillsFromDirectory('./n8n-skills/skills');

const response = await client.messages.create({
  model: 'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929',
  messages: [{
    role: 'user',
    content: 'Build a webhook to Slack workflow'
  }],
  skills: skills
});

Verification

After installation, run these checks to confirm everything is working. Check MCP server availability:

Ask Claude: "Can you search for the webhook node using n8n-mcp?"

Expected response:

[Uses search_nodes tool]
Found: nodes-base.webhook (Webhook trigger node)

Check skill activation:

Ask Claude: "How do I access webhook data in n8n expressions?"

Expected: The Expression Syntax skill activates and responds with $json.body.* access patterns. Check cross-skill composition:

Ask Claude: "Build and validate a webhook to Slack workflow"

Expected: Multiple skills activate and collaborate to produce a complete, validated workflow.

Selective installation

If you only need specific skills, install them individually:

# Only install the Expression Syntax and MCP Tools Expert skills
cp -r n8n-skills/skills/n8n-expression-syntax ~/.claude/skills/
cp -r n8n-skills/skills/n8n-mcp-tools-expert ~/.claude/skills/

The MCP Tools Expert skill is marked highest priority and is recommended for all installations. It teaches correct tool selection, parameter formats, and validation profiles — knowledge that every other skill depends on.

Updating

To update all skills to the latest version:

cd n8n-skills
git pull origin main
cp -r skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

To update a single skill:

cp -r n8n-skills/skills/n8n-expression-syntax ~/.claude/skills/

Uninstalling

Remove all n8n skills:

rm -rf ~/.claude/skills/n8n-*

Remove a specific skill:

rm -rf ~/.claude/skills/n8n-expression-syntax

Claude.ai: Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and delete each n8n skill individually.

Troubleshooting

Skills not activating

Verify skills are in the correct directory:
ls ~/.claude/skills/

Check that each skill folder contains a SKILL.md file with valid frontmatter:

---
name: n8n Expression Syntax
description: Validate n8n expression syntax...
---

Reload Claude Code or clear its cache.
Rephrase your query to include activation keywords. For example, instead of "How do I use expressions?" try "How do I write n8n expressions with {{}} syntax?"

MCP tools not available

Verify .mcp.json is in the correct location.
Check n8n-mcp is installed:
npm list -g n8n-mcp
Test the MCP server directly:
npx n8n-mcp
Restart Claude Code.

Workflow management tools missing (n8n_create_workflow, etc.)

These tools require a connected n8n instance. Verify your .mcp.json includes:

"N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
"N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"

Test API access directly:

curl -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-key" https://your-n8n-instance.com/api/v1/workflows

Read-only tools (search, validate, templates) still work without the API configuration.

Permission errors on macOS / Linux

sudo chown -R $USER ~/.claude
chmod -R 755 ~/.claude/skills

Permission errors on Windows

Run PowerShell as Administrator and re-run the installation commands.

Next steps

Usage guide

Learn how to write queries that activate the right skills and get the best results

Skills overview

Explore all 7 skills, their capabilities, and activation triggers

Get Started

Skills

Guides

Development

Prerequisites

Installation methods

Method 1: Claude Code plugin (recommended)

Method 2: Claude Code marketplace

Method 3: Manual installation

Method 4: Claude.ai (web)

Method 5: Claude API / SDK

Verification

Selective installation

Updating

Uninstalling

Troubleshooting

Next steps

Usage guide

Skills overview

​Prerequisites

​Installation methods

​Method 1: Claude Code plugin (recommended)

​Method 2: Claude Code marketplace

​Method 3: Manual installation

​Method 4: Claude.ai (web)

​Method 5: Claude API / SDK

​Verification

​Selective installation

​Updating

​Uninstalling

​Troubleshooting

​Next steps

Usage guide

Skills overview

Prerequisites

Installation methods

Method 1: Claude Code plugin (recommended)

Method 2: Claude Code marketplace

Method 3: Manual installation

Method 4: Claude.ai (web)

Method 5: Claude API / SDK

Verification

Selective installation

Updating

Uninstalling

Troubleshooting

Next steps