Using n8n-mcp Skills (Router)

The always-on router for the n8n-mcp-skills pack. Loaded into every session by the plugin's SessionStart hook, it tells Claude which skill owns the task at hand, gives working knowledge of every n8n-mcp tool from turn one, and states the cross-cutting rules.

What This Skill Teaches

Core Concepts

Route first — recognize which skill owns your task before the first MCP call
Three non-negotiables — invoke the matching skill before any n8n action; validate AND verify connections before activating; secrets only via the credential system
Lean on skills + live tools, not training data — n8n drifts faster than the model cutoff
Strong defaults — Code node is a last resort; a Set node feeding ≤1 consumer is an antipattern; per-item iteration is automatic
The n8n-mcp tool surface — a one-line summary of every tool, including the SHORT-vs-LONG node-type-form trap and the absence of an execute_workflow tool

Skill Activation

This skill is loaded automatically at session start (via the SessionStart hook) when the pack is installed as a Claude Code / Codex plugin. It also activates by description whenever the user mentions n8n, workflows, nodes, or automation — which makes it work as a plain skill on Claude.ai too, where hooks are not available.

Example queries:

"Build me an n8n workflow that …"
"Which n8n skill should I use for …?"
"How do I edit a workflow with the n8n-mcp tools?"

File Structure

SKILL.md

The router itself — loaded every session.

The three non-negotiables and strong defaults
The "about to ___ → invoke ___" red-flags table
The skill index (which skill owns what)
A compact reference for every n8n-mcp tool
The protocol, in order; and the common "when in doubt" cases

This skill has no reference files — it is intentionally a thin router. Depth lives in the skills it points to.

Integration with Other Skills

This skill points to every other skill in the pack. It does not duplicate their content; it routes to them. The skills it most often hands off to first are n8n-mcp-tools-expert (tool usage), n8n-workflow-patterns (architecture), and n8n-node-configuration (node setup).

How It's Loaded

The plugin's hooks/session-start.sh reads this SKILL.md and injects it as additionalContext at the start of every session, re-firing on resume/clear/compact so the protocol survives compaction. If the file is missing or hooks aren't available, the session proceeds normally and the skill still activates by its description.

Version

Version: 1.0.0 Compatibility: n8n-mcp MCP server; hooks require the Claude Code / Codex plugin install.

Credits

Part of the n8n-skills project.

Remember: this is a router. It names the skill that owns your task — then get out of the way and let that skill do the work.