251 lines
7.8 KiB
Markdown
251 lines
7.8 KiB
Markdown
# Railway Deployment Guide for n8n-MCP
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Deploy n8n-MCP to Railway's cloud platform with zero configuration and connect it to Claude Desktop from anywhere.
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## 🚀 Quick Deploy
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Deploy n8n-MCP with one click:
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[](https://railway.com/deploy/VY6UOG?referralCode=n8n-mcp)
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## 📋 Overview
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Railway deployment provides:
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- ☁️ **Instant cloud hosting** - No server setup required
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- 🔒 **Secure by default** - HTTPS included, auth token warnings
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- 🌐 **Global access** - Connect from any Claude Desktop
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- ⚡ **Auto-scaling** - Railway handles the infrastructure
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- 📊 **Built-in monitoring** - Logs and metrics included
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## 🎯 Step-by-Step Deployment
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### 1. Deploy to Railway
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1. **Click the Deploy button** above
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2. **Sign in to Railway** (or create account)
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3. **Configure your deployment**:
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- Project name (optional)
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- Environment (leave as "production")
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- Region (choose closest to you)
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4. **Click "Deploy"** and wait ~2-3 minutes
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### 2. Configure Security
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**IMPORTANT**: The deployment includes a default AUTH_TOKEN for instant functionality, but you MUST change it:
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1. **Go to your Railway dashboard**
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2. **Click on your n8n-mcp service**
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3. **Navigate to "Variables" tab**
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4. **Find `AUTH_TOKEN`**
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5. **Replace with secure token**:
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```bash
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# Generate secure token locally:
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openssl rand -base64 32
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```
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6. **Railway will automatically redeploy** with the new token
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> ⚠️ **Security Warning**: The server displays warnings every 5 minutes until you change the default token!
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### 3. Get Your Service URL
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1. In Railway dashboard, click on your service
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2. Go to **"Settings"** tab
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3. Under **"Domains"**, you'll see your URL:
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```
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https://your-app-name.up.railway.app
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```
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4. Copy this URL for Claude Desktop configuration and add /mcp at the end
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### 4. Connect Claude Desktop
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Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:
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```json
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{
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"mcpServers": {
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"n8n-railway": {
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"command": "npx",
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"args": [
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"-y",
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"mcp-remote",
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"https://your-app-name.up.railway.app/mcp",
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"--header",
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"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SECURE_TOKEN_HERE"
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]
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}
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}
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}
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```
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**Configuration file locations:**
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- **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
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- **Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
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- **Linux**: `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
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**Restart Claude Desktop** after saving the configuration.
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## 🔧 Environment Variables
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### Default Variables (Pre-configured)
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These are automatically set by the Railway template:
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| Variable | Default Value | Description |
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|----------|--------------|-------------|
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| `AUTH_TOKEN` | `REPLACE_THIS...` | **⚠️ CHANGE IMMEDIATELY** |
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| `MCP_MODE` | `http` | Required for cloud deployment |
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| `USE_FIXED_HTTP` | `true` | Stable HTTP implementation |
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| `NODE_ENV` | `production` | Production optimizations |
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| `LOG_LEVEL` | `info` | Balanced logging |
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| `TRUST_PROXY` | `1` | Railway runs behind proxy |
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| `CORS_ORIGIN` | `*` | Allow any origin |
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| `HOST` | `0.0.0.0` | Listen on all interfaces |
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| `PORT` | (Railway provides) | Don't set manually |
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### Optional: n8n API Integration
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To enable workflow management features:
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1. **Go to Railway dashboard** → Your service → **Variables**
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2. **Add these variables**:
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- `N8N_API_URL`: Your n8n instance URL (e.g., `https://n8n.example.com`)
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- `N8N_API_KEY`: API key from n8n Settings → API
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3. **Save changes** - Railway will redeploy automatically
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## 🏗️ Architecture Details
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### How It Works
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```
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Claude Desktop → mcp-remote → Railway (HTTPS) → n8n-MCP Server
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```
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1. **Claude Desktop** uses `mcp-remote` as a bridge
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2. **mcp-remote** converts stdio to HTTP requests
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3. **Railway** provides HTTPS endpoint and infrastructure
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4. **n8n-MCP** runs in HTTP mode on Railway
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### Single-Instance Design
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**Important**: The n8n-MCP HTTP server is designed for single n8n instance deployment:
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- n8n API credentials are configured server-side via environment variables
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- All clients connecting to the server share the same n8n instance
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- For multi-tenant usage, deploy separate Railway instances
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### Security Model
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- **Bearer Token Authentication**: All requests require the AUTH_TOKEN
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- **HTTPS by Default**: Railway provides SSL certificates
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- **Environment Isolation**: Each deployment is isolated
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- **No State Storage**: Server is stateless (database is read-only)
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## 🚨 Troubleshooting
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### Connection Issues
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**"Invalid URL" error in Claude Desktop:**
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- Ensure you're using the exact configuration format shown above
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- Don't add "connect" or other arguments before the URL
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- The URL should end with `/mcp`
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**"Unauthorized" error:**
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- Check that your AUTH_TOKEN matches exactly (no extra spaces)
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- Ensure the Authorization header format is correct: `Authorization: Bearer TOKEN`
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**"Cannot connect to server":**
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- Verify your Railway deployment is running (check Railway dashboard)
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- Ensure the URL is correct and includes `https://`
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- Check Railway logs for any errors
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### Railway-Specific Issues
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**Build failures:**
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- Railway uses AMD64 architecture - the template is configured for this
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- Check build logs in Railway dashboard for specific errors
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**Environment variable issues:**
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- Variables are case-sensitive
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- Don't include quotes in the Railway dashboard (only in JSON config)
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- Railway automatically restarts when you change variables
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**Domain not working:**
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- It may take 1-2 minutes for the domain to become active
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- Check the "Deployments" tab to ensure the latest deployment succeeded
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## 📊 Monitoring & Logs
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### View Logs
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1. Go to Railway dashboard
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2. Click on your n8n-mcp service
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3. Click on **"Logs"** tab
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4. You'll see real-time logs including:
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- Server startup messages
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- Authentication attempts
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- API requests (without sensitive data)
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- Any errors or warnings
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### Monitor Usage
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Railway provides metrics for:
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- **Memory usage** (typically ~100-200MB)
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- **CPU usage** (minimal when idle)
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- **Network traffic**
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- **Response times**
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## 💰 Pricing & Limits
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### Railway Free Tier
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- **$5 free credit** monthly
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- **500 hours** of runtime
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- **Sufficient for personal use** of n8n-MCP
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### Estimated Costs
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- **n8n-MCP typically uses**: ~0.1 GB RAM
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- **Monthly cost**: ~$2-3 for 24/7 operation
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- **Well within free tier** for most users
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## 🔄 Updates & Maintenance
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### Manual Updates
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Since the Railway template uses a specific Docker image tag, updates are manual:
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1. **Check for updates** on [GitHub](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp)
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2. **Update image tag** in Railway:
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- Go to Settings → Deploy → Docker Image
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- Change tag from current to new version
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- Click "Redeploy"
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### Automatic Updates (Not Recommended)
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You could use the `latest` tag, but this may cause unexpected breaking changes.
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## 📝 Best Practices
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1. **Always change the default AUTH_TOKEN immediately**
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2. **Use strong, unique tokens** (32+ characters)
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3. **Monitor logs** for unauthorized access attempts
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4. **Keep credentials secure** - never commit them to git
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5. **Use environment variables** for all sensitive data
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6. **Regular updates** - check for new versions monthly
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## 🆘 Getting Help
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- **Railway Documentation**: [docs.railway.app](https://docs.railway.app)
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- **n8n-MCP Issues**: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/issues)
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- **Railway Community**: [Discord](https://discord.gg/railway)
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## 🎉 Success!
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Once connected, you can use all n8n-MCP features from Claude Desktop:
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- Search and explore 500+ n8n nodes
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- Get node configurations and examples
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- Validate workflows before deployment
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- Manage n8n workflows (if API configured)
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The cloud deployment means you can access your n8n knowledge base from any computer with Claude Desktop installed! |