n8n-mcp/docs/DOCKER_README.md

Docker Deployment Guide for n8n-MCP

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for deploying n8n-MCP using Docker.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine 20.10+ (Docker Desktop on Windows/macOS, or Docker Engine on Linux)
• Docker Compose V2
• (Optional) openssl for generating auth tokens

1. HTTP Server Mode (Recommended)

The simplest way to deploy n8n-MCP is using Docker Compose with HTTP mode:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp.git
cd n8n-mcp

# Create .env file with auth token
cat > .env << EOF
AUTH_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
USE_FIXED_HTTP=true
EOF

# Start the server
docker compose up -d

# Check logs
docker compose logs -f

# Test the health endpoint
curl http://localhost:3000/health

2. Using Pre-built Images

Pre-built images are available on GitHub Container Registry:

# Pull the latest image (~280MB optimized)
docker pull ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

# Run with HTTP mode
docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp \
  -e MCP_MODE=http \
  -e USE_FIXED_HTTP=true \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-token \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

📋 Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default	Required
MCP_MODE	Server mode: stdio or http	stdio	No
AUTH_TOKEN	Bearer token for HTTP authentication	-	Yes (HTTP mode)*
AUTH_TOKEN_FILE	Path to file containing auth token (v2.7.5+)	-	Yes (HTTP mode)*
PORT	HTTP server port	3000	No
NODE_ENV	Environment: development or production	production	No
LOG_LEVEL	Logging level: debug, info, warn, error	info	No
NODE_DB_PATH	Custom database path (v2.7.16+)	/app/data/nodes.db	No

*Either AUTH_TOKEN or AUTH_TOKEN_FILE must be set for HTTP mode. If both are set, AUTH_TOKEN takes precedence.

Configuration File Support (v2.8.2+)

You can mount a JSON configuration file to set environment variables:

# Create config file
cat > config.json << EOF
{
  "MCP_MODE": "http",
  "AUTH_TOKEN": "your-secure-token",
  "LOG_LEVEL": "info",
  "N8N_API_URL": "https://your-n8n-instance.com",
  "N8N_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
EOF

# Run with config file
docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp \
  -v $(pwd)/config.json:/app/config.json:ro \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

The config file supports:

• All standard environment variables
• Nested objects (flattened with underscore separators)
• Arrays, booleans, numbers, and strings
• Secure handling with command injection prevention
• Dangerous variable blocking for security

Docker Compose Configuration

The default docker-compose.yml provides:

• Automatic restart on failure
• Named volume for data persistence
• Memory limits (512MB max, 256MB reserved)
• Health checks every 30 seconds
• Container labels for organization

Custom Configuration

Create a docker-compose.override.yml for local customizations:

# docker-compose.override.yml
services:
  n8n-mcp:
    ports:
      - "8080:3000"  # Use different port
    environment:
      LOG_LEVEL: debug
      NODE_ENV: development
    volumes:
      - ./custom-data:/app/data  # Use local directory

🔧 Usage Modes

HTTP Mode (Remote Access)

Perfect for cloud deployments and remote access:

# Start in HTTP mode
docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp-http \
  -e MCP_MODE=http \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-token \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

Configure Claude Desktop with mcp-remote:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/mcp-remote@latest",
        "connect",
        "http://your-server:3000/mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-secure-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Stdio Mode (Local Direct Access)

For local Claude Desktop integration without HTTP:

# Run in stdio mode (interactive)
docker run --rm -i --init \
  -e MCP_MODE=stdio \
  -v n8n-mcp-data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

Server Mode (Command Line)

You can also use the serve command to start in HTTP mode:

# Using the serve command (v2.8.2+)
docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-token \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest serve

Configure Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-docker": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "--init",
        "-e", "MCP_MODE=stdio",
        "-v", "n8n-mcp-data:/app/data",
        "ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

🏗️ Building from Source

Build Locally

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp.git
cd n8n-mcp

# Build image
docker build -t n8n-mcp:local .

# Run your local build
docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp-local \
  -e MCP_MODE=http \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN=test-token \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  n8n-mcp:local

Multi-architecture Build

Build for multiple platforms:

# Enable buildx
docker buildx create --use

# Build for amd64 and arm64
docker buildx build \
  --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
  -t n8n-mcp:multiarch \
  --load \
  .

🔍 Health Monitoring

Health Check Endpoint

The container includes a health check that runs every 30 seconds:

# Check health status
curl http://localhost:3000/health

Response example:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "uptime": 120.5,
  "memory": {
    "used": "8.5 MB",
    "rss": "45.2 MB",
    "external": "1.2 MB"
  },
  "version": "2.3.0",
  "mode": "http",
  "database": {
    "adapter": "better-sqlite3",
    "ready": true
  }
}

Docker Health Status

# Check container health
docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}"

# View health check logs
docker inspect n8n-mcp | jq '.[0].State.Health'

🔒 Security Considerations

Authentication

n8n-MCP supports two authentication methods for HTTP mode:

Method 1: AUTH_TOKEN (Environment Variable)

• Set the token directly as an environment variable
• Simple and straightforward for basic deployments
• Always use a strong token (minimum 32 characters)

# Generate secure token
openssl rand -base64 32

# Use in Docker
docker run -e AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-token ...

Method 2: AUTH_TOKEN_FILE (File Path) - NEW in v2.7.5

• Read token from a file (Docker secrets compatible)
• More secure for production deployments
• Prevents token exposure in process lists

# Create token file
echo "your-secure-token" > /path/to/token.txt

# Use with Docker secrets
docker run -e AUTH_TOKEN_FILE=/run/secrets/auth_token ...

Best Practices

• Never commit tokens to version control
• Rotate tokens regularly
• Use AUTH_TOKEN_FILE with Docker secrets for production
• Ensure token files have restricted permissions (600)

Network Security

For production deployments:

1. Use HTTPS - Put a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) in front
2. Firewall - Restrict access to trusted IPs only
3. VPN - Consider VPN access for internal use

Example with Caddy:

your-domain.com {
  reverse_proxy n8n-mcp:3000
  basicauth * {
    admin $2a$14$... # bcrypt hash
  }
}

Container Security

• Runs as non-root user (uid 1001)
• Read-only root filesystem compatible
• No unnecessary packages installed
• Regular security updates via GitHub Actions

📊 Resource Management

Memory Limits

Default limits in docker-compose.yml:

• Maximum: 512MB
• Reserved: 256MB

Adjust based on your needs:

services:
  n8n-mcp:
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 1G
        reservations:
          memory: 512M

Volume Management

# List volumes
docker volume ls | grep n8n-mcp

# Inspect volume
docker volume inspect n8n-mcp-data

# Backup data
docker run --rm \
  -v n8n-mcp-data:/source:ro \
  -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/n8n-mcp-backup.tar.gz -C /source .

# Restore data
docker run --rm \
  -v n8n-mcp-data:/target \
  -v $(pwd):/backup:ro \
  alpine tar xzf /backup/n8n-mcp-backup.tar.gz -C /target

Custom Database Path (v2.7.16+)

You can specify a custom database location using NODE_DB_PATH:

# Use custom path within mounted volume
docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp \
  -e MCP_MODE=http \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN=your-token \
  -e NODE_DB_PATH=/app/data/custom/my-nodes.db \
  -v n8n-mcp-data:/app/data \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

Important Notes:

• The path must end with .db
• For data persistence, ensure the path is within a mounted volume
• Paths outside mounted volumes will be lost on container restart
• The directory will be created automatically if it doesn't exist

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Container Exits Immediately

# Check logs
docker logs n8n-mcp

# Common causes:
# - Missing AUTH_TOKEN in HTTP mode
# - Database initialization failure
# - Port already in use

Database Not Initialized

# Manually initialize database
docker exec n8n-mcp node dist/scripts/rebuild.js

# Or recreate container with fresh volume
docker compose down -v
docker compose up -d

Permission Errors

# Fix volume permissions
docker exec n8n-mcp chown -R nodejs:nodejs /app/data

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging:

docker run -d \
  --name n8n-mcp-debug \
  -e MCP_MODE=http \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN=test \
  -e LOG_LEVEL=debug \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest

Container Shell Access

# Access running container
docker exec -it n8n-mcp sh

# Run as root for debugging
docker exec -it -u root n8n-mcp sh

🚀 Production Deployment

Recommended Setup

1. Use Docker Compose for easier management
2. Enable HTTPS with reverse proxy
3. Set up monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana)
4. Configure backups for the data volume
5. Use secrets management for AUTH_TOKEN

Example Production Stack

# docker-compose.prod.yml
services:
  n8n-mcp:
    image: ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest
    restart: always
    environment:
      MCP_MODE: http
      AUTH_TOKEN_FILE: /run/secrets/auth_token
      NODE_ENV: production
    secrets:
      - auth_token
    networks:
      - internal
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 1G
        reservations:
          memory: 512M
  
  nginx:
    image: nginx:alpine
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf:ro
      - ./certs:/etc/nginx/certs:ro
    networks:
      - internal
      - external

networks:
  internal:
  external:

secrets:
  auth_token:
    file: ./secrets/auth_token.txt

📦 Available Images

• ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:latest - Latest stable release
• ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:2.3.0 - Specific version
• ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp:main-abc123 - Development builds

Image Details

• Base: node:22-alpine
• Size: ~280MB compressed
• Features: Pre-built database with all node information
• Database: Complete SQLite with 525+ nodes
• Architectures: linux/amd64, linux/arm64
• Updated: Automatically via GitHub Actions

🔄 Updates and Maintenance

Updating

# Pull latest image
docker compose pull

# Recreate container
docker compose up -d

# View update logs
docker compose logs -f

Automatic Updates (Watchtower)

# Add to docker-compose.yml
services:
  watchtower:
    image: containrrr/watchtower
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    command: --interval 86400 n8n-mcp

📚 Additional Resources

• Main Documentation
• HTTP Deployment Guide
• Troubleshooting Guide
• Installation Guide

🤝 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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Last updated: July 2025 - Docker implementation v1.1