Installation

Complete installation instructions for n8n-skills across all platforms — Claude Code plugin, manual setup, Claude.ai, and the Claude API/SDK.

Prerequisites

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

1. Install n8n-mcp

   npm install -g n8n-mcp
   
2. 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.).

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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

# 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

Windows

# 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.

1. Download the repository

   Clone or download the repository from GitHub:

   git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills.git
   cd n8n-skills/skills
   
2. 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/
   
3. Upload to Claude.ai

   1. Go to claude.ai
   2. Navigate to Settings → Capabilities → Skills
   3. Click Upload Skill
   4. Upload each .zip file individually
   5. Confirm each upload
4. 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.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-skills.git
   
2. Install the Anthropic SDK

   npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk
   
3. 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
   });
   

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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.

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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.

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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/

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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.

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Troubleshooting

Skills not activating

1. Verify skills are in the correct directory:
   ls ~/.claude/skills/
   
2. Check that each skill folder contains a SKILL.md file with valid frontmatter:
   ---
   name: n8n Expression Syntax
   description: Validate n8n expression syntax...
   ---
   
3. Reload Claude Code or clear its cache.
4. 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

1. Verify .mcp.json is in the correct location.
2. Check n8n-mcp is installed:
   npm list -g n8n-mcp
   
3. Test the MCP server directly:
   npx n8n-mcp
   
4. 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.

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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