Introduction
# n8n Hub
This skill merges two tracks: 1) **Design**: plan dependable workflows and optionally emit `workflow.json`. 2) **Operate**: handle workflows/executions via the public REST API.
## Availability - Public API access is disabled on free trial plans. - An upgraded plan is required to use the API.
## Configuration
Suggested environment variables (or store in `.n8n-api-config`):
```bash 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 an API key at: n8n Settings → n8n API → Create an API key.
## Use this skill when - You want a workflow built for idempotency, retries, logging, and review queues. - You need importable `workflow.json` plus a runbook template. - You want to list, publish, deactivate, or debug workflows/executions via API.
## Do not use when - You need pure code automation without n8n. - You want to bypass security controls or conceal audit trails.
## Inputs **Required** - Trigger type + schedule/timezone - Success criteria and destinations (email/Drive/DB)
**Optional** - Existing workflow JSON - Sample payloads/records - Dedup keys
## Outputs - Default: design spec (nodes, data contracts, failure modes) - On request: `workflow.json` + `workflow-lab.md` (from `assets/workflow-lab.md`)
## Auth header All requests must include:
``` X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY ```
## Quick actions (API)
### Workflows: list ```bash curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows" \ | jq '.data[] | {id, name, active}' ```
### Workflows: details ```bash curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/workflows/{id}" ```
### Workflows: activate or deactivate ```bash # 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 ```bash curl -s -X POST "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/../webhook/{webhook-path}" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"key":"value"}' ```
### Executions: list ```bash curl -s -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \ "$N8N_API_BASE_URL/executions?limit=10" \ | jq '.data[] | {id, workflowId, status, startedAt}' ```
### Executions: retry ```bash 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" ```
## Design workflow checklist 1. Confirm trigger type and schedule/timezone. 2. Define inputs, outputs, and validation rules. 3. Choose dedup keys to keep runs idempotent. 4. Add observability (run_id, logs, status row). 5. Add retry policy and error branches. 6. Send failures to a review queue. 7. Add guardrails to prevent silent failure.
## Endpoint index See `assets/endpoints-api.md` for the complete endpoint list.
## Notes and tips - The API playground is available only on self-hosted n8n and uses real data. - The n8n API node can call the public API from within workflows. - Webhook URLs do not require the API key header. - Execution data can be pruned by retention settings.