n8n Browser

n8n Browser Operations

Use your agent's built-in browser automation to interact with your n8n instance at https://your-n8n-instance.example.com for tasks the REST API cannot handle.

Portability note: The browser_tool commands below use one agent's browser CLI as a concrete example. If your AI assistant exposes browser automation under a different command or tool, map the same steps (open → navigate → snapshot → find → click/fill) onto whatever your tooling provides. If it has no browser capability, perform these steps manually in the n8n UI. Check your assistant's browser-tool documentation before your first call.

When to Use This Skill

Use /n8n-browser when the user needs to:

• Configure credential secrets (API can't set them reliably)
• Install or uninstall community nodes (no API endpoint)
• Complete OAuth authorization flows (requires browser redirects)
• Tag workflows (REST source can't send array bodies)
• Manage instance settings (SMTP, users, execution settings)
• Test-run a workflow with pin data from the canvas
• Visually inspect execution data flow between nodes

For everything else, prefer the API-based skills (/n8n-build, /n8n-list, /n8n-debug, /n8n-template).

Browser Lifecycle

1. Open the browser at the start of the task
2. Navigate to the relevant n8n page
3. Perform the task using snapshot → find → click/fill patterns
4. Release the browser when done so the user can continue in the UI, OR hide if more tasks may follow

browser_tool open
browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com

Login Handling

n8n may require authentication. If the page shows a login form:

1. snapshot to find the email/password fields
2. Ask the user for credentials — NEVER guess or store login credentials
3. fill the fields and click the sign-in button
4. wait network-idle 5000 after login

If already authenticated (cookie session active), the dashboard loads directly.

Task Procedures

1. Configure Credential Secrets

The API can create credential records but cannot reliably set secret values (API keys, tokens, passwords). Use the browser instead.

Navigate to credentials:

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/credentials

To edit an existing credential:

1. snapshot → find the credential name → click it
2. snapshot the credential form to see all fields
3. Ask the user for the secret values — never assume or fabricate them
4. fill each secret field with the provided values
5. click the Save button
6. Confirm the save was successful (look for success toast or absence of errors)

To create a new credential:

1. snapshot → find the "Add Credential" or "+" button → click
2. find or search for the credential type (e.g., "Slack API", "OpenAI")
3. click the correct type
4. fill the fields with values provided by the user
5. click Save

Safety: Never display credential secret values back to the user in your text output. Confirm only that they were entered and saved.

2. Install Community Nodes

Community nodes extend n8n with third-party integrations. There is no API for this.

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/community-nodes

To install a node:

1. snapshot → find the "Install" or "Install a community node" button → click
2. fill the npm package name field (e.g., n8n-nodes-puppeteer)
3. Check the risk acknowledgment checkbox if present (click it)
4. click Install
5. wait network-idle 10000 — installation can take a moment
6. snapshot to verify the node appears in the installed list

To uninstall a node:

1. snapshot → find the node in the list
2. click the uninstall/remove button next to it
3. Confirm the action if a dialog appears
4. wait network-idle 5000

3. Complete OAuth Authorization Flows

Some credentials (Google, Microsoft, Slack, etc.) require an OAuth consent flow in the browser.

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/credentials

1. Find and open the credential (or create a new one of the right type)
2. snapshot → find the "Sign in with..." or "Connect" button → click
3. A new page or popup loads with the OAuth provider's consent screen
4. snapshot the consent screen
5. If it asks the user to choose an account or grant permissions, guide them through each step
6. After authorization completes, n8n redirects back and shows a success state
7. snapshot to confirm the credential is now connected
8. click Save if needed

Important: OAuth flows may open in a new tab or redirect. Use snapshot after each step to stay oriented. If a popup appears, it should be in the same browser window.

4. Tag Workflows

The REST source cannot send the array body required by PUT /workflows/{id}/tags. Use the browser.

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/workflow/{id}

1. snapshot the workflow canvas page
2. find the tags area (usually near the workflow name at the top)
3. click the tags area or "Add tag" button
4. fill or find the desired tag name
5. click to select/create the tag
6. Click outside or press Escape to close the tag dropdown
7. The workflow auto-saves tags, but snapshot to verify

To tag multiple workflows: Repeat for each workflow, or use the workflow list view if bulk-tagging is available.

5. Manage Instance Settings

n8n instance settings are not exposed via API.

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings

Available settings sections (navigate via sidebar or sub-pages):

• General — Instance name, default timezone
• Users — https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/users
• API — https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/api
• External Secrets — https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/external-secrets
• SMTP / Email — https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/smtp (if available in CE)
• Community Nodes — https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/community-nodes
• Log Streaming — https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/settings/log-streaming

For each:

1. Navigate to the specific settings page
2. snapshot to see current values
3. fill or select fields as requested by the user
4. click Save
5. snapshot to confirm changes took effect

6. Test-Run Workflows with Pin Data

Testing a workflow with specific input data from the canvas.

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/workflow/{id}

1. snapshot the workflow canvas
2. To pin data on a trigger node: find the trigger node → click it
3. In the node panel, look for "Pin data" or the pin icon
4. click it and enter the test JSON data using fill or paste
5. find the "Test workflow" or "Execute" button at the bottom of the canvas → click
6. wait network-idle 10000 — execution may take time
7. snapshot to check execution results

7. Visual Execution Inspection

The n8n execution viewer shows data flowing through each node — much richer than the API's JSON dump.

From the executions list:

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/executions

For a specific workflow's executions:

browser_tool navigate https://your-n8n-instance.example.com/workflow/{id}/executions

1. snapshot the execution list
2. click the execution you want to inspect
3. The execution viewer opens showing the workflow with data on each node
4. click individual nodes to see their input/output data
5. screenshot or screenshot --annotated to capture the visual state if the user needs a reference
6. Report findings back to the user in text

General Browser Patterns

Snapshot-first interaction

Always snapshot before interacting. Refs (@e1, @e2, ...) change after navigation or DOM updates. Re-snapshot after every click that causes navigation or significant UI change.

Waiting for n8n to load

n8n is a single-page app that can be slow to hydrate:

browser_tool wait network-idle 5000
browser_tool snapshot

Handling modals and dialogs

n8n uses modal dialogs for confirmations and forms. After triggering a modal:

1. snapshot — the modal elements will appear in the accessibility tree
2. Interact with modal fields using the new refs
3. click the confirm/save/cancel button

Error handling

If an operation fails (red toast, error message):

1. screenshot to capture the error visually
2. snapshot to read the error text
3. Report the error to the user and suggest next steps

Safety Rules

1. Never fabricate credentials or secrets. Always ask the user for values.
2. Confirm before destructive actions — uninstalling nodes, deleting credentials, changing settings.
3. Never display secret values in text output after entering them.
4. Release the browser when done so the user can continue manually if needed.
5. Prefer the API for anything it can handle. Only use the browser for true API gaps.