n8n MCP Server (instance-level) 🔌 MCP server Freemium

What it is

n8n's instance-level MCP server is built into n8n itself. Once an owner or admin enables it, AI clients can find and run the workflows you expose, and on recent versions create and edit workflows and agents. It is separate from the MCP Server Trigger node, which turns a single workflow into its own MCP server.

Key features

• search_workflows to find workflows exposed to MCP
• execute_workflow runs the published version
• Workflow creation and editing (from n8n 2.13.0)
• Agent management (from n8n 2.34.0)
• Data table operations
• Per-workflow opt-in and a list of connected clients

How to install

Go to Settings > Instance-level MCP and select Enable MCP access, then enable each workflow you want to expose. Under Connect a client, copy the server URL (it ends in /mcp-server/http) and sign in with OAuth, or copy the generated personal access token. n8n's docs include client examples for Claude Desktop and others. Available on n8n Cloud and self-hosted instances.

Pricing and rights

Included in n8n at no extra cost. Self-hosted Community Edition is free under n8n's Sustainable Use License; n8n Cloud Starter costs €20 per month for 2,500 executions (about $23; not listed in USD on the page). Each workflow run counts as one execution.

Who it is for

Teams that run content automations in n8n and want assistants to trigger them safely, with admin control over what is exposed.

Verdict

The official and most controlled way to connect agents to n8n, with per-workflow opt-in. You cannot limit specific workflows to specific clients, and the build tools depend on running a recent n8n version.