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n8n is a workflow automation tool. The n8n connector lets your Lovable app list workflows, read executions, trigger webhooks, and publish or unpublish workflows on one n8n Cloud or self-hosted instance. It’s designed for apps that start, inspect, or control workflows you already run in n8n. With n8n, your app can:
  • List workflows and see which ones are published
  • Read recent executions for a workflow
  • Start a workflow by calling its production webhook
  • Publish or unpublish a workflow
It’s a good fit for internal consoles, intake forms, and status pages that reuse an existing workflow instead of rebuilding that workflow in the app.

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Common use cases and example apps

These examples show what you can build with n8n, each with a prompt to start from.

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How to connect n8n

Who can create n8n connections depends on your plan and workspace settings. App + chat connectors are available by default on Free, Pro, and Business plans. On Enterprise plans, they are effectively disabled at first: Who can create connections and clients defaults to No one until an admin changes it in Connectors → Admin settings → App + chat connectors. You can create multiple n8n connections using different instances or API keys, which is useful for separating environments (for example, development and production). When the connection is created, you can link it to the projects where you want to use it. Anyone building in a project can ask Lovable in chat to link their project to it.

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Prerequisites

Before connecting n8n, make sure you have:
  • An n8n Cloud workspace on a paid plan, or a self-hosted n8n instance. The n8n API is not available during the n8n Cloud free trial.
  • An instance URL that uses HTTPS and is reachable on the public internet. Lovable calls your instance through the connector gateway. If a firewall allows traffic only from specific addresses, allowlist the gateway IP ranges.
  • An n8n API key
  • Permission to create connections in your Lovable workspace (see Who can create connections and clients)
Workflow runs and API calls through this connector use your n8n instance. Billing is handled directly by n8n, not Lovable. On a self-hosted instance, you pay for the host yourself.

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Step 1: Get an n8n API key

An n8n API key lets Lovable list workflows on your instance and confirm the connection. To create an n8n API key:
1

Open your n8n instance

Sign in to your n8n Cloud workspace or your self-hosted instance.
2

Open n8n API settings

Go to Settings → n8n API.
3

Create an API key

Select Create an API key. Choose a Label, for example Lovable, and set an Expiration time.On an Enterprise plan, n8n asks you to choose Scopes. Include workflow:list so Lovable can verify the key. Also include workflow:read, execution:list, execution:read, and workflow:activate when your app lists workflows, reads executions, or publishes workflows. On other plans, the key can access the whole account, and n8n does not ask for scopes.
4

Copy the key

Copy My API key and store it securely.
Your API key functions like a password. Keep it secure and never share it publicly. You’ll need it in the next step.
See n8n documentation for more: Authentication.

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Step 2: Connect n8n to Lovable

Open the connection form and enter the instance URL and API key from Step 1.
1

Open n8n in Connectors

Open Connectors and select n8n. For the other places to open the catalog from, see Where to find connectors.
2

Add a connection

Click Add connection and select App + chat connector. The form is split into collapsible sections, Details, Configure connection, and Sharing.
3

Name the connection

Under Details, Lovable fills in a name for the connection, which you can change. The name is only used inside Lovable to identify the connection.
4

Configure the connection

Under Configure connection, enter:
  1. Instance URL: the HTTPS URL of your n8n instance. For n8n Cloud, this looks like https://your-workspace.app.n8n.cloud. For a self-hosted instance served under a path, include the path, for example https://ops.example.com/n8n.
  2. API key: the key from Step 1.
5

Choose who can use this connection

Under Sharing, the connection is private to you by default and shows a Private label. To share it, click Share with others. Then add workspace members by email, or click Invite entire workspace to make the connection available to everyone in your Lovable workspace.Everyone you add uses the same n8n instance and the same API key.See Who can use connections and clients for more information.
6

Connect

Click Connect. Lovable verifies the API key against your n8n instance before saving the connection.If Lovable reports that no n8n API answered at this URL, the instance URL does not point at the n8n instance. Confirm the workspace is past the free trial, and that an Enterprise key includes workflow:list.
When connected, anyone building in a project can ask Lovable in chat to link their project to n8n (based on configured connection-level access). Your Lovable apps can then list workflows, read executions, trigger webhooks, and publish or unpublish workflows. If the API key expires or you delete it in n8n, create a new key under Settings → n8n API. Open the connection in Lovable and click Update under Configure connection to replace it.

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Trigger a workflow

Listing workflows, reading executions, and publishing a workflow use the API key on the connection. Starting a workflow does not. A published workflow exposes a production URL under /webhook/. While you test that workflow in the n8n editor, the same Webhook node uses /webhook-test/. Copy the path from the Webhook node. Lovable does not send the connection’s API key to those URLs. Authentication is whatever you set on the Webhook node.

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Limitations

The n8n app + chat connector documented on this page cannot:
  • Reach an instance on a private network or over plain HTTP. The instance URL must use HTTPS and be reachable on the public internet.
  • Support per-end-user n8n login. Each connection represents a single n8n API key shared across all projects linked to it.

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Manage your n8n connection

Connections are managed from Connectors: select n8n, then open the connection.
  • Unlink projects to remove n8n access from specific projects while keeping the connection available for others. See Unlink projects from a connection for the steps.
  • Delete the connection to remove it from the workspace entirely. Deleting is permanent. It removes the credentials from all linked projects, and app features that use n8n stop working until a new connection is added. See Delete a connection for the steps and who can delete.