/design-n8n-agent-workflow

name: design-n8n-agent-workflow
description: Design safe n8n workflows with deterministic routing, credentials, idempotency, recovery, local-model checks, drafts, and exact approval gates.

Design n8n Agent Workflow

Use this skill when n8n is the right visual, trigger-driven integration surface. It does not turn n8n into a default durable multi-agent runtime.

Source Check

• n8n hosting: <https://docs.n8n.io/hosting/>
• n8n and Ollama: <https://n8n.io/integrations/ollama/>
• Ollama: <https://ollama.com/>

Workflow

1. Map trigger, deterministic transforms/routes, external reads, model step, draft output, and any external write separately. 2. Select credentials/storage ownership, webhook exposure, retry policy, idempotency key, concurrency limit, and failed-run record before connecting an AI node. 3. Treat the local model as one bounded node: prove structured output, tool compatibility when used, no-call behavior, malformed result recovery, and the exact model/server combination before exposing a write node. 4. Keep source data minimised and trace/log retention explicit. Do not put secrets in workflow exports or prompts. 5. Leave write nodes disabled or draft-only until `auto-with-escalation` names the recipient, action, payload evidence, and approval event. 6. Export a testable workflow fixture and verify happy path, duplicate event, failed model response, credential failure, rejected approval, and recovery.

Output Shape

Return trigger, node graph, credentials, idempotency/retry behavior, model contract, draft artifact, approval event, and recovery evidence.

Guardrails

• Prefer deterministic n8n nodes over agent planning whenever the route is

known.

• Do not expose a self-hosted instance publicly without an explicit deployment

and authentication decision.

• Do not claim a local model is reliable for tool use without a capability gate.