n8n-deploy 0.4.1

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 (schema v6)
  • 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

• 📁 Folder Synchronization (NEW in v0.2.0)

  • Bidirectional folder sync between local and n8n server
  • folder CLI command group for folder operations
  • Automatic folder mapping and tracking

• 📜 Script Synchronization (NEW)

  • Sync external scripts (.js, .cjs, .py) referenced by Execute Command nodes
  • Git-based change detection (only sync modified scripts)
  • Extensible transport plugin system (SCP included)
  • Automatic remote folder creation per workflow

• 💻 Versatile CLI Interface

  • Emoji-rich output for interactive use
  • Script-friendly mode with --no-emoji flag
  • Verbose logging with -v and -vv flags for debugging
  • 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

# Delete workflow from local database
n8n-deploy wf delete workflow-name

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

# Folder synchronization (NEW in v0.2.0)
n8n-deploy folder sync --remote production  # Sync folders with server

# Script synchronization (sync .js, .cjs, .py files with workflow push)
n8n-deploy wf push workflow-name \
  --scripts ./scripts \
  --scripts-host n8n.example.com \
  --scripts-user deploy \
  --scripts-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa

# Dry run to see what scripts would sync
n8n-deploy wf push workflow-name --scripts ./scripts --scripts-dry-run

# Enable verbose logging for debugging
n8n-deploy -v wf push workflow-name   # Basic verbose
n8n-deploy -vv wf push workflow-name  # Extended verbose

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
• N8N_SCRIPTS_HOST: Remote host for script sync
• N8N_SCRIPTS_USER: Remote username for script sync
• N8N_SCRIPTS_PORT: SSH port for script sync (default: 22)
• N8N_SCRIPTS_KEY: SSH key file path for script sync

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 3.9+
• 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.