n8n-deploy 0.1.5

n8n-deploy - a simple N8N Workflow Manager with SQLite metadata store

n8n-deploy: Database-First n8n Workflow Management CLI

Overview

n8n-deploy is a powerful Python CLI tool designed to simplify n8n workflow management through a database-first approach. It provides a flexible, efficient solution for managing n8n workflows, especially in environments without direct web UI access.

Key Features

• 🗂️ Database-Driven Workflow Management

  • SQLite metadata store for tracking workflows
  • Support for new workflows without server ID (auto-generates draft ID)
  • Flexible base folder configuration
  • Plain text API key storage

• 🚀 Seamless n8n Server Integration

  • Push and pull workflows directly from remote n8n servers
  • Workflow-server linking for automatic server resolution
  • Priority-based server configuration (linked server → ENV → --remote)
  • Support for multiple server configurations with API key management

• 💻 Versatile CLI Interface

  • Emoji-rich output for interactive use
  • Script-friendly mode with --no-emoji flag
  • Comprehensive workflow operations

Installation

# Pip install
pip install n8n-deploy

# Use uv for faster setup and virtual environment
uv venv --python /usr/bin/python3 .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install n8n-deploy

Quick Start

# Initialize database
n8n-deploy db init --data-dir ~/.n8n-deploy

# Create server and add API key
n8n-deploy server create production https://n8n.example.com
echo "your-n8n-api-key" | n8n-deploy apikey add - --name "prod-key"

# Link workflow to server (automatic server resolution)
n8n-deploy wf add workflow.json --link-remote production

# Push/pull uses linked server automatically (no --remote needed!)
n8n-deploy wf push workflow-name  # Uses production server
n8n-deploy wf pull workflow-name  # Uses production server

# Override with --remote for ad-hoc operations
n8n-deploy wf push workflow-name --remote staging

# List workflows from server
n8n-deploy wf server --remote production

Community & Support

💬 Get Help & Connect:

• Discussions - Ask questions, share ideas, showcase workflows
• Issues - Report bugs or request features
• Documentation - Complete guides and API reference

Discussion Categories:

• 📣 Announcements - Project updates and releases
• 🙏 Q&A - Get help from the community
• 💡 Ideas - Suggest new features
• 🎯 Show and Tell - Share your workflows
• #️⃣ General - Everything else

Configuration

n8n-deploy supports multiple configuration methods:

1. CLI Flags
2. Environment Variables
3. .env Files (in development mode)

Environment Variables

• N8N_DEPLOY_FLOWS_DIR: Workflow files directory
• N8N_DEPLOY_DATA_DIR: Application data directory
• N8N_SERVER_URL: n8n server URL for remote operations

Documentation

📚 Read the full documentation

Quick Links:

• Getting Started
• Configuration Guide
• Workflow Management
• API Key Management
• Troubleshooting

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide and Code of Conduct.

Quick Links:

• Developer Guide
• Architecture Overview
• Testing Framework

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• n8n server (local or remote)
• Basic understanding of workflow management

Performance Note

Designed for efficient workflow management with minimal overhead. Ideal for DevOps, automation engineers, and workflow enthusiasts.