n8n CLI

n8n CLI is a lightweight command-line client that communicates with a running n8n instance through the n8n API. It can run from any machine with network access and authenticates using an API key.

Use the API CLI to:

• List and inspect workflows

• Create a workflow from JSON

• Check recent executions

• Create a credential

• Manage projects

All operations respect the permissions of the user and the scope of the API key.

n8n CLI versus server CLI

If you need to manage your n8n instance (backups, license management, emergency resets), see the Server CLI, a built-in tool that runs on the same machine as n8n.

Aspect	n8n CLI	Server CLI
Runs from	Any machine with network access	Same machine as n8n
Authentication	API key	Direct database access
Requires n8n running	Yes	No (not required for most operations)
Best for	Developers, integrations, AI agents	Instance operators, backups, emergencies
Permissions	Respects user roles and API key scopes	Bypasses access control

Install n8n-cli

# Use directly with npx (zero install) <a href="#use-directly-with-npx-zero-install" id="use-directly-with-npx-zero-install"></a>
npx @n8n/cli workflow list

# Or install globally <a href="#or-install-globally" id="or-install-globally"></a>
npm install -g @n8n/cli

Connect to your instance

n8n-cli config set-url https://your-instance.n8n.cloud
n8n-cli config set-api-key YOUR_API_KEY
n8n-cli config show

• The configuration is saved to ~/.n8n-cli/config.json with restricted file permissions (0600).

• Get your API key from n8n > Settings > n8n API

Alternatively, skip the configuration file and use environment variables:

export N8N_URL=https://your-instance.n8n.cloud
export N8N_API_KEY=your_api_key

Inline flags

n8n-cli --url=https://my-n8n.app.n8n.cloud --api-key=n8n_api_xxxxx workflow list

Resolution order

1. Command-line flags (--url, --api-key)

2. Environment variables (N8N_URL, N8N_API_KEY)

3. Config file (~/.n8n-cli/config.json)

Commands

Every command supports --help for detailed usage.

Topic	Commands
workflow	list, get, create, update, delete, activate, deactivate, tags, transfer
execution	list, get, retry, stop, delete
credential	list, get, schema, create, delete, transfer
project	list, get, create, update, delete, members, add-member, remove-member
tag	list, create, update, delete
variable	list, create, update, delete
data-table	list, get, create, delete, rows, add-rows, update-rows, upsert-rows, delete-rows
user	list, get
config	set-url, set-api-key, show
source-control	pull
package (preview)	export, import
skill	install
audit	(top-level)
login / logout	(top-level)

Output formats

All commands support three output formats via --format:

Format	Flag	Use when
Table	--format=table (default)	You want human-readable terminal output
JSON	--format=json	Piping to jq, programmatic use
ID-only	--format=id-only	Piping to xargs, scripting

Examples

• Human-readable table

  n8n-cli workflow list

• JSON for scripts

  n8n-cli workflow list --format=json | jq '.[] | select(.active) | .id'

• Pipe IDs into another command

  n8n-cli workflow list --format=id-only | xargs -I{} n8n-cli workflow deactivate {}

Use as skill with Claude Code

Install the skill so Claude always knows how to use n8n-cli:

n8n-cli skill install --global

Then in Claude Code, type /n8n-cli to load it. Claude can now create, update, and manage workflows on your behalf without requiring an MCP.

Examples

List and inspect workflows

n8n-cli workflow list
n8n-cli workflow get <id>

Create a workflow from JSON

cat workflow.json | n8n-cli workflow create --stdin

Check recent executions

n8n-cli execution list --status=error --limit=10

Create a credential

n8n-cli credential schema gmailOAuth2  # see required fields first
n8n-cli credential create --type=gmailOAuth2 --name='My Gmail' --file=cred.json

Manage projects

n8n-cli project create --name="My Project"
n8n-cli workflow transfer <id> --project=<projectId>

Export and import packages

Preview status

The package command is in Preview and may change in future releases.

n8n-cli package export --workflow-id=<workflow-id> --output=export.n8np
n8n-cli package export --project-id=<project-id> --output=project.n8np
n8n-cli package import --file=export.n8np --workflow-conflict-policy=fail
n8n-cli package import --file=export.n8np --project-id=<project-id> --workflow-conflict-policy=skip
n8n-cli package import --file=export.n8np --project-id=<project-id> --data-table-schema-conflict-policy=overwrite-non-destructive

See n8n packages for what makes up a package, and Import a package for every available flag.

Related resources

• Connect

• n8n API

• Connect to n8n MCP server

• Connect to the n8n docs MCP server

• Create nodes