n8n Workflow Builder

Turn a plain-English brief into a working n8n workflow. This skill plans the node graph, wires triggers to actions, inserts error-handling branches, lists the credentials you'll need, and emits a JSON file you can import directly into the n8n editor. It's aimed at developers and ops folks who know what they want automated but don't want to hand-assemble nodes and expressions in the canvas.

When to use it

• You have a one-line idea ("when a Stripe webhook fires, look up the customer in HubSpot and post to Slack") and want the full graph scaffolded.
• You need a scheduled job (poll an API every 15 minutes, dedupe, write to Postgres) with retry and failure alerting already in place.
• You're building an AI step — summarize inbound email, classify a ticket, draft a reply — and want the Agent / LLM nodes wired with the right input mapping.
• You want a synchronous webhook that does work and returns a response to the caller (the "Respond to Webhook" pattern).

How it works

The skill reasons about n8n's node model and produces importable JSON (the same shape you get from Export → Download in the editor: a nodes array, a connections map, and settings). It selects from real nodes — Webhook, Schedule Trigger, HTTP Request, IF / Switch, Code, Set / Edit Fields, Merge, the AI Agent and Basic LLM Chain nodes, and Respond to Webhook. Branching uses n8n expression syntax ({{ $json.field }}, $node["Name"].json). For resilience it sets per-node Retry On Fail and routes failures through an Error Trigger workflow or a node's error output. Credentials are never invented — the skill names the credential type each node requires (e.g. httpHeaderAuth, slackApi) and leaves you to fill secrets in n8n's credential store.

Example

curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o ~/.claude/skills/n8n-workflow-builder/SKILL.md https://claudeskil.com/skills/n8n-workflow-builder/SKILL.md

# Then describe the workflow:
"Every hour, GET https://api.example.com/orders, keep only status=paid,
upsert each into Postgres, and Slack me if the HTTP call fails."

You get workflow.json plus a node-by-node rundown and the credentials to configure. Import via Workflows → Import from File.

Tips & gotchas

• After import, re-select each credential — credential IDs don't transfer between instances, so dropdowns will show empty.
• For sync webhooks, set the Webhook node's Respond to "Using Respond to Webhook Node," or the caller gets an immediate 200 with no body.
• Retry On Fail only catches transient errors; logic errors still need an IF guard or error output.
• Pin the n8n version when sharing JSON — node typeVersion differs across releases and a mismatch can break parameters on import.

FAQ

Does it run the workflow? No. It produces import-ready JSON and setup notes; you execute inside n8n.

Cloud or self-hosted? Both. The JSON is identical; only credential setup differs.

Can it use community nodes? It targets core/verified nodes by default. Name a community node explicitly and it'll wire it, but you must install that node first.