Individual skill
n8n-multi-instance
Use when an n8n-mcp account targets more than one n8n instance — i.e. the `n8n_instances` tool is available, the user mentions multiple n8n instances or environments (prod vs staging, several teams or clients), several agents or chats work on one account in parallel, a workflow / datatable / credential / execution call returns an unexpected NOT_FOUND or reads data you don't recognize, or a call is refused with `INSTANCE_AMBIGUOUS` or `INSTANCE_NOT_FOUND`. Covers naming the target instance on each call with the `instance` argument, setting the default with `switch`, verifying the target before high-stakes work — credential writes above all — and recovering from misroutes and fail-closes. Always consult this skill before operating on a specific instance, before any credential create/update/delete on a multi-instance account, or when a call hits the wrong/empty data or an instance error.
skills/n8n-multi-instance/SKILL.md
Source commit e037563e101749e630e6688d121d04529fe6ee7b
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- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
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- Repository last updated
- Oct 24, 2026
- License
- MIT
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- ai-agents Repository topic
- n8n Repository topic
- workflow-automation Repository topic
- operations Derived category
- data Derived category
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# Working with multiple n8n instances over MCP
When the `n8n_instances` tool is available, the user has **multi-instance mode** on: one MCP
connection can reach several n8n instances (e.g. `prod`, `staging`, or one per client/team).
There are two ways to say which instance a call should hit:
- **Name it on the call** — every n8n tool (`n8n_get_workflow`, `n8n_list_workflows`,
`n8n_update_partial_workflow`, `n8n_manage_datatable`, `n8n_manage_credentials`,
`n8n_executions`, `n8n_test_workflow`, `n8n_health_check`, …) takes an optional
`instance: "<name>"`. It routes **that one call** and changes nothing else. **Prefer this.**
- **Set the default with `switch`** — `n8n_instances({mode:"switch", name})` sets the instance used
by calls that *don't* name one.