n8n-mcp vs n8n instance-level MCP
Both are automation / agent builders MCP servers, and we ran both through the same test (node lookup, run fixture) in each app. n8n-mcp passed 4 of 4 apps we tested it in; n8n instance-level MCP passed 2 of 2.
Test results side by side
| n8n-mcp | n8n instance-level MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Passed 2026-10-21 | Passed 2026-10-16 |
| Cursor | Passed 2026-10-21 | Passed 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Desktop | Passed 2026-10-19 | Not tested yet |
| ChatGPT (Codex) | Passed 2026-10-15 | Not tested yet |
| Tools exposed (protocol check) | 7 tools | 50 tools |
| GitHub stars | 23,069 | 207,721 |
| License | MIT | Sustainable Use License (fair-code) |
| Last push | 2026-10-14 | 2026-10-17 |
Results from our own harness runs, dated per cell. Stars and last push from GitHub at our last data refresh. We don’t pick a winner here: which one fits depends on your app and setup.
What each does
n8n-mcp: Docs and node reference for building n8n workflows; can manage workflows if given an n8n API key.
n8n instance-level MCP: Find, run and build workflows on your own n8n instance.
