🔧 n8n Workflow Builder — Universal Skill
Jab bhi user n8n ka koi course unit / exercise / brief paste kare, ye skill batata hai
ki usse kaise ek working workflow me convert karna hai — unke apne n8n instance me,
N8N MCP connector ke through.
Ye skill us exact workflow ko capture karti hai jo humne n8n Academy (N8N101/102/103,
Quickstart, Foundations) ke saare units pe use kiya.
Step 0: The Core Loop (sabse important)
Har request pe yahi 3-phase loop chalao:
1. PASTE → user unit/exercise/brief paste karta hai
2. CONFIRM → agar koi zaroori cheez missing hai to CONFIRMATION FORMAT me poochho
3. BUILD → validate → create/update → concise report + UI-only steps
Jab bina poochhe seedha bana do: agar unit self-contained hai (URL, node config, fields
sab diye hain) to confirm mat poochho — seedha bana ke report kar do. Sirf tab poochho jab
kuch genuinely missing/ambiguous ho (neeche list).
Step 1: Confirmation Format (jab kuch missing ho)
Jab build ke liye zaroori info missing ho, tab ye format me short questions poochho —
paragraph mat likho, bullet points me har missing cheez alag:
Build karne se pehle ye chahiye:
- **<missing cheez 1>** — <kyun chahiye / kahan se milegi>
- **<missing cheez 2>** — <...>
Baaki main assume kar raha hoon: <jo assume kiya wo inline batao>. Galat ho to bata dena.
Kya-kya poochhna padta hai (common gaps):
| Missing cheez |
Kab poochho |
| Assessment ID |
Pehli baar, ya jab naya course start ho (har course ki alag ho sakti hai) |
| API key / credential value |
Jab course "create credential" bole aur value na di ho |
| Endpoint URL |
Jab brief "Part 1 se continue" bole aur pichhla part na diya ho |
| Merge/join field |
Jab do dataset merge ho rahe hon aur match field clear na ho |
| Kaunsa instance/workspace |
Sirf agar user ke paas multiple hon |
| Batch size / thresholds |
Jab instructions aur grading criteria conflict karein |
Rule: Ek reasonable assumption ho to assume karo aur inline bata do — har choti
cheez ke liye ruko mat. Sirf woh poochho jiske bina workflow galat banega.
Step 2: Build Pattern (N8N SDK — hamesha yahi order)
1. tool_search se N8N tools load karo (agar deferred hain)
2. get_sdk_reference / get_node_types — sirf jab node ka schema pakka na ho
3. validate_workflow ← ALWAYS pehle validate, chahe confident ho
4. create_workflow_from_code (naya) YA update_workflow (existing me node add/edit)
5. present result: link + ASCII flow + UI-only steps
Kabhi bhi create ya update bina validate pass hue mat maro. Validate warnings
padho — "INVALID_PARAMETER: not applicable" jaisi warnings ka matlab discriminator/field
galat hai, usse fix karke dobara validate karo.
Node schema uncertain ho to pehle get_node_types se confirm karo — parameter naam guess
mat karo (e.g. Discord webhook, Switch rules, splitInBatches ke fields non-obvious hain).
Step 3: Report Format (build ke baad)
Har build ke baad ye do:
- Link —
**[Workflow Name](url)**
- ASCII flow diagram — nodes + branches, code block me
- "Tumhe UI me karna hai" — sirf woh cheezein jo MCP se nahi ho sakti (neeche list)
- Expected result — 1 line (kitne items, kaunsa confirmation code format)
Concise rakho. Har node ka config repeat mat karo — sirf non-obvious cheezein flag karo
(typos in course, conflicting instructions, assumptions).
Step 4: Kya MCP se NAHI ho sakta (hamesha UI-only)
Ye cheezein kabhi bhi API/SDK se nahi hoti — user ko clearly batao:
| Cheez |
Kyun UI-only |
| Credential create/select |
n8n API credentials expose nahi karta. Node ban jayega, credential user select karega. |
| CSV import to Data Table |
Import UI-only hai. → Skill alternative: create_data_table + add_data_table_rows se khud bana do agar CSV mil jaye. |
| Tags lagana |
Workflow tag UI se lagti hai. |
| Publish / Activate |
Toggle UI se (though publish_workflow MCP tool ab exist karta hai — try karo). |
| Test data pin karna |
"Test this trigger" flow UI-only. (Zaroori nahi — real test tester/webhook se hota hai.) |
| Workflow Settings (Error Workflow link, timezone, Execute Once, Save executions) |
UI-only. |
| Production URL copy |
Node se copy karna padega (webhook ID update pe badalta hai). |
Credential naam consistent rakho: newCredential('exact naam') — jo naam user ke
instance me pehle se hai wahi use karo (e.g. n8n Academy API Key, n8n Quickstart Header Auth account, Groq API, OpenAi account), taaki auto-assign match ho jaye.
Step 5: Node Config Recipes
Sabse zyada use hone wale nodes ke tested config. Detail ke liye → references/node-recipes.md.
| Node |
Type string |
Key gotcha |
| HTTP Request |
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest v4.4 |
sendHeaders:true + specifyHeaders:'keypair' warna header nahi jaata |
| Header Auth (generic) |
— |
authentication:'genericCredentialType', genericAuthType:'httpHeaderAuth' |
| IF |
n8n-nodes-base.if v2.3 |
ifElse() helper, .onTrue()/.onFalse() |
| Switch |
n8n-nodes-base.switch v3.4 |
switchCase(), mode:'rules', .onCase(i, node), fallback 'extra' |
| Merge |
n8n-nodes-base.merge v3.2 |
merge(), .input(0)/.input(1), combineByFields, match field plain text |
| Set/Edit Fields |
n8n-nodes-base.set v3.4 |
mode:'manual', includeOtherFields on/off matters |
| Data Table |
n8n-nodes-base.dataTable v1.1 |
resource:row, op: get/insert/update/upsert; dataTableId = {__rl,mode:'list',value:ID,cachedResultName} |
| Aggregate |
n8n-nodes-base.aggregate v1 |
aggregateAllItemData → destinationFieldName |
| Summarize |
n8n-nodes-base.summarize v1.1 |
fieldsToSplitBy sirf outputFormat:'separateItems' ke saath (warna warning) |
| Filter |
n8n-nodes-base.filter v2.3 |
IF jaisa hi conditions block |
| Convert to File |
n8n-nodes-base.convertToFile v1.1 |
operation:'csv', binaryPropertyName = output field |
| Split Out |
n8n-nodes-base.splitOut v1 |
fieldToSplitOut, include:'noOtherFields' |
| Loop Over Items |
n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches v3 |
splitInBatches(), .onDone() + .onEachBatch(...to(nextBatch(node))) |
| Rename Keys |
n8n-nodes-base.renameKeys v1 |
keys.key[] = {currentKey,newKey} |
| Webhook |
n8n-nodes-base.webhook v2.1 |
responseMode:'responseNode', authentication:'headerAuth' + credential |
| Respond to Webhook |
n8n-nodes-base.respondToWebhook v1.5 |
respondWith:'json', options.responseCode |
| Error Trigger |
n8n-nodes-base.errorTrigger v1 |
fires only on production executions |
| Execute Sub-workflow |
n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflow v1.3 |
source:'database', waitForSubWorkflow:true |
| Execute WF Trigger |
n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflowTrigger v1.1 |
inputSource:'workflowInputs' + typed fields |
| Schedule Trigger |
n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger v1.3 |
rule.interval[] weeks/day/hour/minute |
| Manual Trigger |
n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger v1 |
— |
| Sticky Note |
sticky(text, [nodes], {color}) |
documentation ke liye, har workflow me daalo |
AI / LangChain nodes (@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.*):
| Node |
Type |
Attach as |
| Chat Trigger |
chatTrigger v1.4 |
trigger |
| AI Agent |
agent v3.1 |
subnodes:{model, memory, tools:[...]} |
| Basic LLM Chain |
chainLlm v1.9 |
promptType:'define', messages.messageValues[] |
| OpenAI Chat Model |
lmChatOpenAi v1.3 |
languageModel() |
| Groq Chat Model |
lmChatGroq v1 |
languageModel(), model e.g. openai/gpt-oss-20b |
| Simple Memory |
memoryBufferWindow v1.3 |
memory() |
| Structured Output Parser |
outputParserStructured v1.3 |
outputParser(), schemaType:'fromJson' |
| HTTP Request Tool |
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequestTool v4.4 |
tool(), params via fromAi(...) |
| Data Table Tool |
n8n-nodes-base.dataTableTool v1.1 |
tool() |
Step 6: Assessment ID & Auth (Academy-style courses)
- Assessment ID har HTTP node ke header me jaata hai:
X-Assessment-ID (kabhi lowercase x-assessment-id — jaisa course bole waisa).
- Ek constant me rakho top pe:
const ASSESSMENT_ID = '...' — saare nodes me reuse.
- Har course ki alag ID ho sakti hai — naya course start ho to confirm karo.
- API key credential alag hoti hai assessment ID se:
- Quickstart/S1-S2:
X-API-KEY / j[vKYdY68H(:WFb → cred naam n8n Quickstart Header Auth account
- Foundations (N8N101/102/103):
X-API-Key / pFT1jtDoVHAmVan$7eb6 → cred naam n8n Academy API Key
- Common 403 causes: galat credential selected (
Header Auth account 4/5 type random), ya assessment ID me extra chars paste ho gaye. Dono check karao.
Common Gotchas & Fixes
| Symptom |
Cause |
Fix |
| 403 "Authorization data is wrong" |
Galat credential ya bad assessment ID |
Cred = course wali select karo; ID me extra chars hatao |
autoAssignedCredentials me random naam (test 55 chaqra) |
Webhook/HTTP node ko koi purani cred auto-lag gayi |
UI me sahi cred manually select karao |
| Workflow publish nahi ho raha ("references workflow X") |
Sub-workflow published nahi |
Pehle sub-workflow publish_workflow, phir parent |
versionId ≠ activeVersionId |
Update kiya par publish nahi |
Dobara Publish dabwao — live abhi purana version |
| Node update ke baad reference tuta |
Node accidentally drop ho gaya update me |
get_workflow_details se verify karo, missing node wapas add karo |
| Merge 0 items |
Match field case mismatch (customerId vs customer_id) |
Exact snake/camel case match karao |
| Summarize warning |
fieldsToSplitBy bina separateItems |
options.outputFormat:'separateItems' set karo |
| Data Table query halt on no-match |
Default empty return |
alwaysOutputData:true (Always Output Data) on karo |
| Pinned data ignored |
Pin sirf manual runs me |
Production/tester real data bhejta hai — pin optional |
| Webhook tester "url not valid" |
Not published / Test URL / instance not public |
Publish karo, Production URL node se copy karo, curl se reachability test |
Quick Build Checklist
1---2name: n8n-workflow-builder3description: Use this skill to BUILD, create, edit, debug, or extend n8n workflows via the N8N MCP connector -- especially when the user pastes course content, a lesson/unit, exercise, assessment brief, or step-by-step spec expecting a working workflow in their n8n instance. Trigger on requests to build, implement, or fix a unit, exercise, workflow, sub-workflow, AI agent workflow, data table, or webhook workflow, or on pasted content resembling an n8n lesson (mentions HTTP Request, IF, Merge, Switch, Set/Edit Fields, Data Table, Aggregate, Summarize, Convert to File, Loop Over Items, Webhook, Respond to Webhook, Error Trigger, Execute Sub-workflow, Chat Trigger, AI Agent, assessment ID, X-Assessment-ID). Also trigger on follow-ups like "next unit" or "build this too". Covers: paste-confirm-build loop, required question format, N8N SDK build pattern (validate -> create/update -> report), node config recipes, credential/assessment-ID handling, gotchas (wrong auto-assigned credentials, publish requirements, pinned data).4---56# 🔧 n8n Workflow Builder — Universal Skill78Jab bhi user n8n ka koi course unit / exercise / brief paste kare, ye skill batata hai9ki usse **kaise ek working workflow me convert karna hai** — unke apne n8n instance me,10N8N MCP connector ke through.1112Ye skill us exact workflow ko capture karti hai jo humne n8n Academy (N8N101/102/103,13Quickstart, Foundations) ke saare units pe use kiya.1415---1617## Step 0: The Core Loop (sabse important)1819Har request pe yahi 3-phase loop chalao:2021```221. PASTE → user unit/exercise/brief paste karta hai232. CONFIRM → agar koi zaroori cheez missing hai to CONFIRMATION FORMAT me poochho243. BUILD → validate → create/update → concise report + UI-only steps25```2627**Jab bina poochhe seedha bana do:** agar unit self-contained hai (URL, node config, fields28sab diye hain) to confirm mat poochho — seedha bana ke report kar do. Sirf tab poochho jab29kuch genuinely missing/ambiguous ho (neeche list).3031---3233## Step 1: Confirmation Format (jab kuch missing ho)3435Jab build ke liye zaroori info missing ho, tab **ye format** me short questions poochho —36paragraph mat likho, bullet points me har missing cheez alag:3738```39Build karne se pehle ye chahiye:4041- **<missing cheez 1>** — <kyun chahiye / kahan se milegi>42- **<missing cheez 2>** — <...>4344Baaki main assume kar raha hoon: <jo assume kiya wo inline batao>. Galat ho to bata dena.45```4647**Kya-kya poochhna padta hai (common gaps):**4849| Missing cheez | Kab poochho |50|---------------|-------------|51| **Assessment ID** | Pehli baar, ya jab naya course start ho (har course ki alag ho sakti hai) |52| **API key / credential value** | Jab course "create credential" bole aur value na di ho |53| **Endpoint URL** | Jab brief "Part 1 se continue" bole aur pichhla part na diya ho |54| **Merge/join field** | Jab do dataset merge ho rahe hon aur match field clear na ho |55| **Kaunsa instance/workspace** | Sirf agar user ke paas multiple hon |56| **Batch size / thresholds** | Jab instructions aur grading criteria conflict karein |5758> **Rule:** Ek reasonable assumption ho to assume karo aur inline bata do — har choti59> cheez ke liye ruko mat. Sirf woh poochho jiske bina workflow galat banega.6061---6263## Step 2: Build Pattern (N8N SDK — hamesha yahi order)6465```661. tool_search se N8N tools load karo (agar deferred hain)672. get_sdk_reference / get_node_types — sirf jab node ka schema pakka na ho683. validate_workflow ← ALWAYS pehle validate, chahe confident ho694. create_workflow_from_code (naya) YA update_workflow (existing me node add/edit)705. present result: link + ASCII flow + UI-only steps71```7273**Kabhi bhi `create` ya `update` bina `validate` pass hue mat maro.** Validate warnings74padho — "INVALID_PARAMETER: not applicable" jaisi warnings ka matlab discriminator/field75galat hai, usse fix karke dobara validate karo.7677Node schema uncertain ho to pehle `get_node_types` se confirm karo — parameter naam guess78mat karo (e.g. Discord webhook, Switch rules, splitInBatches ke fields non-obvious hain).7980---8182## Step 3: Report Format (build ke baad)8384Har build ke baad ye do:85861. **Link** — `**[Workflow Name](url)**`872. **ASCII flow diagram** — nodes + branches, code block me883. **"Tumhe UI me karna hai"** — sirf woh cheezein jo MCP se nahi ho sakti (neeche list)894. **Expected result** — 1 line (kitne items, kaunsa confirmation code format)9091Concise rakho. Har node ka config repeat mat karo — sirf non-obvious cheezein flag karo92(typos in course, conflicting instructions, assumptions).9394---9596## Step 4: Kya MCP se NAHI ho sakta (hamesha UI-only)9798Ye cheezein **kabhi bhi** API/SDK se nahi hoti — user ko clearly batao:99100| Cheez | Kyun UI-only |101|-------|--------------|102| **Credential create/select** | n8n API credentials expose nahi karta. Node ban jayega, credential user select karega. |103| **CSV import to Data Table** | Import UI-only hai. → Skill alternative: `create_data_table` + `add_data_table_rows` se khud bana do agar CSV mil jaye. |104| **Tags lagana** | Workflow tag UI se lagti hai. |105| **Publish / Activate** | Toggle UI se (though `publish_workflow` MCP tool ab exist karta hai — try karo). |106| **Test data pin karna** | "Test this trigger" flow UI-only. (Zaroori nahi — real test tester/webhook se hota hai.) |107| **Workflow Settings** (Error Workflow link, timezone, Execute Once, Save executions) | UI-only. |108| **Production URL copy** | Node se copy karna padega (webhook ID update pe badalta hai). |109110> **Credential naam consistent rakho:** `newCredential('exact naam')` — jo naam user ke111> instance me pehle se hai wahi use karo (e.g. `n8n Academy API Key`, `n8n Quickstart Header112> Auth account`, `Groq API`, `OpenAi account`), taaki auto-assign match ho jaye.113114---115116## Step 5: Node Config Recipes117118Sabse zyada use hone wale nodes ke tested config. Detail ke liye → `references/node-recipes.md`.119120| Node | Type string | Key gotcha |121|------|-------------|------------|122| HTTP Request | `n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest` v4.4 | `sendHeaders:true` + `specifyHeaders:'keypair'` warna header nahi jaata |123| Header Auth (generic) | — | `authentication:'genericCredentialType'`, `genericAuthType:'httpHeaderAuth'` |124| IF | `n8n-nodes-base.if` v2.3 | `ifElse()` helper, `.onTrue()/.onFalse()` |125| Switch | `n8n-nodes-base.switch` v3.4 | `switchCase()`, `mode:'rules'`, `.onCase(i, node)`, fallback `'extra'` |126| Merge | `n8n-nodes-base.merge` v3.2 | `merge()`, `.input(0)/.input(1)`, `combineByFields`, match field **plain text** |127| Set/Edit Fields | `n8n-nodes-base.set` v3.4 | `mode:'manual'`, `includeOtherFields` on/off matters |128| Data Table | `n8n-nodes-base.dataTable` v1.1 | resource:`row`, op: `get`/`insert`/`update`/`upsert`; `dataTableId` = `{__rl,mode:'list',value:ID,cachedResultName}` |129| Aggregate | `n8n-nodes-base.aggregate` v1 | `aggregateAllItemData` → `destinationFieldName` |130| Summarize | `n8n-nodes-base.summarize` v1.1 | `fieldsToSplitBy` sirf `outputFormat:'separateItems'` ke saath (warna warning) |131| Filter | `n8n-nodes-base.filter` v2.3 | IF jaisa hi conditions block |132| Convert to File | `n8n-nodes-base.convertToFile` v1.1 | `operation:'csv'`, `binaryPropertyName` = output field |133| Split Out | `n8n-nodes-base.splitOut` v1 | `fieldToSplitOut`, `include:'noOtherFields'` |134| Loop Over Items | `n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches` v3 | `splitInBatches()`, `.onDone()` + `.onEachBatch(...to(nextBatch(node)))` |135| Rename Keys | `n8n-nodes-base.renameKeys` v1 | `keys.key[]` = `{currentKey,newKey}` |136| Webhook | `n8n-nodes-base.webhook` v2.1 | `responseMode:'responseNode'`, `authentication:'headerAuth'` + credential |137| Respond to Webhook | `n8n-nodes-base.respondToWebhook` v1.5 | `respondWith:'json'`, `options.responseCode` |138| Error Trigger | `n8n-nodes-base.errorTrigger` v1 | fires only on **production** executions |139| Execute Sub-workflow | `n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflow` v1.3 | `source:'database'`, `waitForSubWorkflow:true` |140| Execute WF Trigger | `n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflowTrigger` v1.1 | `inputSource:'workflowInputs'` + typed fields |141| Schedule Trigger | `n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger` v1.3 | `rule.interval[]` weeks/day/hour/minute |142| Manual Trigger | `n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger` v1 | — |143| Sticky Note | `sticky(text, [nodes], {color})` | documentation ke liye, har workflow me daalo |144145**AI / LangChain nodes** (`@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.*`):146147| Node | Type | Attach as |148|------|------|-----------|149| Chat Trigger | `chatTrigger` v1.4 | trigger |150| AI Agent | `agent` v3.1 | `subnodes:{model, memory, tools:[...]}` |151| Basic LLM Chain | `chainLlm` v1.9 | `promptType:'define'`, `messages.messageValues[]` |152| OpenAI Chat Model | `lmChatOpenAi` v1.3 | `languageModel()` |153| Groq Chat Model | `lmChatGroq` v1 | `languageModel()`, model e.g. `openai/gpt-oss-20b` |154| Simple Memory | `memoryBufferWindow` v1.3 | `memory()` |155| Structured Output Parser | `outputParserStructured` v1.3 | `outputParser()`, `schemaType:'fromJson'` |156| HTTP Request Tool | `n8n-nodes-base.httpRequestTool` v4.4 | `tool()`, params via `fromAi(...)` |157| Data Table Tool | `n8n-nodes-base.dataTableTool` v1.1 | `tool()` |158159---160161## Step 6: Assessment ID & Auth (Academy-style courses)162163- **Assessment ID** har HTTP node ke header me jaata hai: `X-Assessment-ID` (kabhi lowercase `x-assessment-id` — jaisa course bole waisa).164- **Ek constant me rakho** top pe: `const ASSESSMENT_ID = '...'` — saare nodes me reuse.165- **Har course ki alag ID ho sakti hai** — naya course start ho to confirm karo.166- **API key credential** alag hoti hai assessment ID se:167 - Quickstart/S1-S2: `X-API-KEY` / `j[vKYdY68H(:WFb` → cred naam `n8n Quickstart Header Auth account`168 - Foundations (N8N101/102/103): `X-API-Key` / `pFT1jtDoVHAmVan$7eb6` → cred naam `n8n Academy API Key`169- **Common 403 causes:** galat credential selected (`Header Auth account 4/5` type random), ya assessment ID me extra chars paste ho gaye. Dono check karao.170171---172173## Common Gotchas & Fixes174175| Symptom | Cause | Fix |176|---------|-------|-----|177| 403 "Authorization data is wrong" | Galat credential ya bad assessment ID | Cred = course wali select karo; ID me extra chars hatao |178| `autoAssignedCredentials` me random naam (`test 55 chaqra`) | Webhook/HTTP node ko koi purani cred auto-lag gayi | UI me sahi cred manually select karao |179| Workflow publish nahi ho raha ("references workflow X") | Sub-workflow published nahi | Pehle sub-workflow `publish_workflow`, phir parent |180| `versionId ≠ activeVersionId` | Update kiya par publish nahi | Dobara Publish dabwao — live abhi purana version |181| Node update ke baad reference tuta | Node accidentally drop ho gaya update me | `get_workflow_details` se verify karo, missing node wapas add karo |182| Merge 0 items | Match field case mismatch (`customerId` vs `customer_id`) | Exact snake/camel case match karao |183| Summarize warning | `fieldsToSplitBy` bina `separateItems` | `options.outputFormat:'separateItems'` set karo |184| Data Table query halt on no-match | Default empty return | `alwaysOutputData:true` (Always Output Data) on karo |185| Pinned data ignored | Pin sirf manual runs me | Production/tester real data bhejta hai — pin optional |186| Webhook tester "url not valid" | Not published / Test URL / instance not public | Publish karo, Production URL node se copy karo, curl se reachability test |187188---189190## Quick Build Checklist191192- [ ] Unit self-contained hai? Nahi → confirmation format me missing cheez poochho193- [ ] Assessment ID pata hai? (naya course = re-confirm)194- [ ] `validate_workflow` pass hua (warnings padhe)?195- [ ] Sahi tool: naya = `create_workflow_from_code`, edit = `update_workflow`196- [ ] Credential naam consistent (`newCredential('...')`)?197- [ ] Data Table chahiye? → `create_data_table` + `add_data_table_rows` (CSV mila to)198- [ ] Report me: link + ASCII flow + UI-only steps + expected result199- [ ] Course me typo/conflict tha? → user ko flag kiya?200- [ ] Sub-workflow hai? → publish order batao (sub pehle, parent baad me)201- [ ] Sticky note documentation daali?
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