- name
- n8n-api
- description
- Operate n8n via its public REST API from OpenClaw. Use for workflow management, executions, and automation tasks such as listing, creating, publishing, triggering, or troubleshooting. Works with both self-hosted n8n and n8n Cloud.
n8n Public REST API
Use this skill when you need to drive n8n programmatically. It covers the same core actions you use in the UI: workflows, executions, tags, credentials, projects, and more.
Availability
- The public API is unavailable during the free trial.
- Upgrade your plan to enable API access.
Configuration
Recommended environment variables (or store in .n8n-api-config):
export N8N_API_BASE_URL="https://your-instance.app.n8n.cloud/api/v1" # or http://localhost:5678/api/v1
export N8N_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"Create the API key in: n8n Settings → n8n API → Create an API key.
Auth header
All requests require this header:
X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEYPlayground
The API playground is only available on self-hosted n8n and operates on real data. For safe experiments, use a test workflow or a separate test instance.
Quick actions
Workflows: list
curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows" \
| jq '.data[] | {id, name, active}'Workflows: details
curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows/{id}"Workflows: activate or deactivate
# Activate (publish)
curl -s -X POST -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"versionId":"","name":"","description":""}' \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows/{id}/activate"
# Deactivate
curl -s -X POST -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows/{id}/deactivate"Webhook trigger
# Production webhook
curl -s -X POST "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/../webhook/{webhook-path}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"key":"value"}'
# Test webhook
curl -s -X POST "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/../webhook-test/{webhook-path}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"key":"value"}'Executions: list
# Recent executions
curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/executions?limit=10" \
| jq '.data[] | {id, workflowId, status, startedAt}'
# Failed only
curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/executions?status=error&limit=5"Executions: retry
curl -s -X POST -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"loadWorkflow":true}' \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/executions/{id}/retry"Common flows
Health check summary
Count active workflows and recent failures:
ACTIVE=$(curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows?active=true" | jq '.data | length')
FAILED=$(curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
"$N8N_API_BASE_URL/executions?status=error&limit=100" \
| jq '[.data[] | select(.startedAt > (now - 86400 | todate))] | length')
echo "Active workflows: $ACTIVE | Failed (24h): $FAILED"Debug a failed run
- List failed executions to get the execution ID.
- Fetch execution details and identify the failing node.
- Review node parameters and input data.
- Suggest a fix based on the error message.
Endpoint index
See assets/n8n-api.endpoints.md for the full list of endpoints.
REST basics (optional)
If you want a refresher, these are commonly recommended:
- KnowledgeOwl: working with APIs (intro)
- IBM Cloud Learn Hub: what is an API / REST API
- MDN: overview of HTTP
Notes and tips
- The n8n API node can call the public API from inside workflows.
- Webhook URLs are not the same as API URLs and do not use the API key header.
- Execution records may be pruned based on instance retention settings.