Workflow Management

n8n-deploy provides comprehensive workflow management capabilities, allowing you to interact with n8n workflows seamlessly.

🌟 Workflow Operations

List Workflows

Local Workflows

n8n-deploy wf list

Remote Server Workflows

n8n-deploy --server-url http://n8n.example.com:5678 wf list-server

Pull Workflow from Remote Server

# Pull specific workflow
n8n-deploy --server-url http://n8n.example.com:5678 wf pull "Customer Onboarding"

# Pull with custom flow directory
n8n-deploy --flow-dir /path/to/workflows wf pull "Customer Onboarding"

Push Workflow to Remote Server

# Push specific workflow
n8n-deploy --server-url http://n8n.example.com:5678 wf push "Deployment Pipeline"

# Push with custom flow directory
n8n-deploy --flow-dir /path/to/workflows wf push "Deployment Pipeline"

Script Synchronization

Sync external scripts (.js, .cjs, .py) referenced by Execute Command nodes alongside workflow push.

Remote path formula: <scripts-base-path>/<workflow-name>/

Example: With --scripts-base-path=/opt/n8n/scripts and workflow “My Workflow”, scripts upload to /opt/n8n/scripts/My_Workflow/

# Push workflow with script sync
n8n-deploy wf push "My Workflow" \
  --scripts ./scripts \
  --scripts-host n8n.example.com \
  --scripts-user deploy \
  --scripts-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa

# Custom base path (default: /opt/n8n/scripts)
n8n-deploy wf push "My Workflow" \
  --scripts ./scripts \
  --scripts-base-path /mnt/n8n/local-files \
  --scripts-host n8n.example.com \
  --scripts-user deploy \
  --scripts-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa

# Dry run to preview without uploading
n8n-deploy wf push "My Workflow" --scripts ./scripts --dry-run

# Sync all scripts (ignore git change detection)
n8n-deploy wf push "My Workflow" --scripts ./scripts --scripts-all

Environment variables:

  • N8N_SCRIPTS_HOST: Remote host
  • N8N_SCRIPTS_USER: SSH username
  • N8N_SCRIPTS_PORT: SSH port (default: 22)
  • N8N_SCRIPTS_KEY: SSH key file path
  • N8N_SCRIPTS_BASE_PATH: Base path on remote (default: /opt/n8n/scripts)

Workflow Backup

# Backup all workflows
n8n-deploy wf backup

# Backup specific workflow
n8n-deploy wf backup "My Workflow"

Workflow Restore

# Restore from backup
n8n-deploy wf restore backup_file.tar.gz

🔍 Advanced Workflow Management

Search Workflows

# Search workflows by name or tag
n8n-deploy wf search "customer"

Workflow Statistics

# Show workflow statistics
n8n-deploy wf stats

💡 Pro Tips

  • Use quotes for workflow names with spaces
  • Leverage --no-emoji flag for scripting
  • Keep workflow files organized in a consistent directory

🧩 Workflow File Management

Workflow File Location

  • Stored as JSON files
  • Named by n8n workflow ID
  • Can be stored in custom directories

Workflow Status Tracking

  • Workflows tracked in SQLite database
  • Metadata includes:
    • Workflow name
    • File path
    • Timestamps
    • Tags

🆘 Troubleshooting

  • Verify server URL and API key
  • Check file permissions
  • Ensure workflow names are exact
  • Use --skip-ssl-verify for self-signed certificates

📖 Related Guides

💻 Example Workflow Management Scenario

# Add API key for server
echo "your-api-key" | n8n-deploy apikey add my_server

# List remote workflows
n8n-deploy --server-url http://n8n.example.com:5678 wf list-server

# Pull a specific workflow
n8n-deploy wf pull "Customer Onboarding"

# Backup all workflows
n8n-deploy wf backup

# Search workflows
n8n-deploy wf search "customer"