5.9 KiB
@n8n/node-cli
Official CLI for developing community nodes for n8n.
🚀 Getting Started
To create a new node, run:
npm create @n8n/node@latest # or pnpm/yarn/...
This will generate a project with npm scripts that use this CLI under the hood.
📦 Generated Project Commands
After creating your node with npm create @n8n/node, you'll use these commands in your project:
Development
npm run dev
# Runs: n8n-node dev
Building
npm run build
# Runs: n8n-node build
Linting
npm run lint
# Runs: n8n-node lint
npm run lint:fix
# Runs: n8n-node lint --fix
Publishing
npm run release
# Runs: n8n-node release
🛠️ CLI Reference
Note: These commands are typically wrapped by
npmscripts in generated projects.
n8n-node [COMMAND] [OPTIONS]
Commands
n8n-node new
Create a new node project.
n8n-node new [NAME] [OPTIONS]
Flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-f, --force |
Overwrite destination folder if it already exists |
--skip-install |
Skip installing dependencies |
--template <template> |
Choose template: declarative/custom, declarative/github-issues, programmatic/example |
Examples:
n8n-node new
n8n-node new n8n-nodes-my-app --skip-install
n8n-node new n8n-nodes-my-app --force
n8n-node new n8n-nodes-my-app --template declarative/custom
Note: This command is used internally by
npm create @n8n/nodeto provide the interactive scaffolding experience.
n8n-node dev
Run n8n with your node in development mode with hot reload.
n8n-node dev [--external-n8n] [--custom-user-folder <value>]
Flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--external-n8n |
Run n8n externally instead of in a subprocess |
--custom-user-folder <path> |
Folder to use to store user-specific n8n data (default: ~/.n8n-node-cli) |
This command:
- Starts n8n on
http://localhost:5678(unless using--external-n8n) - Links your node to n8n's custom nodes directory (
~/.n8n-node-cli/.n8n/custom) - Rebuilds on file changes for live preview
- Watches for changes in your
src/directory
Examples:
# Standard development with built-in n8n
n8n-node dev
# Use external n8n instance
n8n-node dev --external-n8n
# Custom n8n extensions directory
n8n-node dev --custom-user-folder /home/user
n8n-node build
Compile your node and prepare it for distribution.
n8n-node build
Flags: None
Generates:
- Compiled TypeScript code
- Bundled node package
- Optimized assets and icons
- Ready-to-publish package in
dist/
n8n-node lint
Lint the node in the current directory.
n8n-node lint [--fix]
Flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--fix |
Automatically fix problems |
Examples:
# Check for linting issues
n8n-node lint
# Automatically fix fixable issues
n8n-node lint --fix
n8n-node cloud-support
Manage n8n Cloud eligibility.
n8n-node cloud-support [enable|disable]
Arguments:
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
| (none) | Show current cloud support status |
enable |
Enable strict mode + default ESLint config |
disable |
Allow custom ESLint config (disables cloud eligibility) |
Strict mode enforces the default ESLint configuration and community node rules required for n8n Cloud verification. When disabled, you can customize your ESLint config but your node won't be eligible for n8n Cloud verification.
n8n-node release
Publish your community node package to npm.
n8n-node release
Flags: None
This command handles the complete release process using release-it:
- Builds the node
- Runs linting checks
- Updates changelog
- Creates git tags
- Creates GitHub releases
- Publishes to npm
🔄 Development Workflow
The recommended workflow using the scaffolding tool:
-
Create your node:
npm create @n8n/node my-awesome-node cd my-awesome-node -
Start development:
npm run dev- Starts n8n on
http://localhost:5678 - Links your node automatically
- Rebuilds on file changes
- Starts n8n on
-
Test your node at
http://localhost:5678 -
Lint your code:
npm run lint -
Build for production:
npm run build -
Publish:
npm run release
📁 Project Structure
The CLI expects your project to follow this structure:
my-node/
├── src/
│ ├── nodes/
│ │ └── MyNode/
│ │ ├── MyNode.node.ts
│ │ └── MyNode.node.json
│ └── credentials/
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json
⚙️ Configuration
The CLI reads configuration from your package.json:
{
"name": "n8n-nodes-my-awesome-node",
"n8n": {
"n8nNodesApiVersion": 1,
"nodes": [
"dist/nodes/MyNode/MyNode.node.js"
],
"credentials": [
"dist/credentials/MyNodeAuth.credentials.js"
]
}
}
🐛 Troubleshooting
Development server issues
# Clear n8n custom nodes cache
rm -rf ~/.n8n-node-cli/.n8n/custom
# Restart development server
npm run dev
Build failures
# Run linting first
npm run lint
# Clean build
npm run build
📚 Resources
- Creating Nodes Guide - Complete documentation
- Node Development Reference - API specifications
- Community Forum - Get help and showcase your nodes
- @n8n/create-node - Recommended scaffolding tool
🤝 Contributing
Found an issue? Contribute to the n8n repository on GitHub.
Happy node development! 🎉