Configuration

Before using the CLI, configure your n8n instance credentials.

Interactive Setup

n8n-cli configure

This prompts for:

• n8n API URL - Your n8n instance URL (e.g., http://localhost:5678)
• API Key - Your n8n API key

Configuration is saved to ~/.config/n8n-cli/.env with secure permissions.

Non-Interactive Setup (CI/CD)

n8n-cli configure --url http://localhost:5678 --api-key your-api-key

Environment Variable Override

Environment variables take precedence over saved configuration:

export N8N_API_URL=http://localhost:5678
export N8N_API_KEY=your-api-key
n8n-cli workflows

Configuration File Location

Platform	Location
Linux/macOS	~/.config/n8n-cli/.env
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\.config\n8n-cli\.env

Getting an API Key

1. Open your n8n instance
2. Go to Settings > API
3. Click Create API Key
4. Copy the generated key
5. Run n8n-cli configure and paste the key when prompted

Verifying Configuration

After configuring, verify your setup:

n8n-cli workflows

If successful, you'll see a list of workflows (or an empty array if none exist).