# N8n CLI From MCP > Convert an MCP server or Claude Code skill into an n8n workflow. Moves agent capabilities into n8n to run on a schedule or webhook without an agent. Use when productizing an MCP-driven prototype. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/n8n-cli-from-mcp` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/n8n-cli-from-mcp` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/n8n-cli-from-mcp/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/n8n-cli-from-mcp --- # /n8n-cli-from-mcp — MCP / Skill → n8n Workflow Take an MCP server config or a Claude Code skill and generate an n8n workflow that does the same thing without needing an agent at runtime. ## Procedure 1. **Identify the source**: - **MCP server**: ask for the server name, command, and tools it exposes (or read from `~/.config/claude/mcp.json` style config) - **Claude Code skill**: ask for the skill name or path to its SKILL.md 2. **Read the source's actual capabilities**: - For an MCP server: list the tools, their input schemas, what they return - For a skill: read the procedure section, identify what commands/APIs it calls 3. **Map MCP tools / skill steps to n8n nodes**: - HTTP API call → HTTP Request node - Slack post → Slack node - Notion read/write → Notion node - File read/write → Read/Write Files node - Code execution → Code node (JS or Python) - LLM call → OpenAI / Anthropic node - Branching logic → IF / Switch node 4. **Identify what the workflow's trigger should be**: - If the original MCP/skill was invoked by an agent on demand → Manual Trigger or Webhook - If it was meant to run on a schedule → Schedule Trigger - If it was reactive to events → Webhook Trigger or specific event trigger node 5. **Build the workflow JSON**: - Start with the trigger - Chain the mapped nodes - Add credentials where needed (use existing instance credentials, not new ones) - Add error handling for any external API calls 6. **Show the proposed workflow** before importing: - Print the node-by-node plan - Highlight any places where the mapping is approximate ("MCP tool X has no direct n8n equivalent — using Code node with the same logic") 7. **Import** (only after user approval): - `n8n-cli wf import /tmp/from-mcp.json` (don't activate) - Walk the user through testing it manually first - Then activate ## Output format - Show the source's tools/steps as a numbered list - Show the mapped n8n nodes as a parallel numbered list - Highlight any mappings that need user judgment - Confirm before importing ## Tips - The most natural conversions are MCP servers that just call HTTP APIs or run scripts — those map 1:1 to HTTP Request or Code nodes. - MCP servers with deep state (like memory MCPs) don't map well — n8n is stateless between runs unless you wire up a database. Surface this limitation up front. - Some Claude Code skills are pure prompts (e.g. "summarize this") — those need an LLM node in the n8n workflow, which means a credential and per-run cost. - For complex MCPs (browser automation, etc.), suggest keeping them as MCPs and having n8n call out to them via HTTP if exposed, rather than rebuilding them. - Document the resulting n8n workflow with /n8n-cli-document so the team can maintain it without referring back to the original MCP. --- > Source: [8Dvibes/n8n-cli](https://github.com/8Dvibes/n8n-cli) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).