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n8n MCP Bridge - Model Context Protocol for AI Workflow Automation

Bridge between n8n workflow automation and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, enabling AI models to interact with 2000+ Apify tools through standardized protocols.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard that allows AI models (like Claude, GPT, etc.) to interact with external tools and data sources. This bridge implements MCP to connect:

• n8n workflows → MCP protocol → Apify Actors
• AI assistants → MCP tools → Web scrapers & automation

Key Features

Target Audience

• Workflow Automation Specialists: Enhance n8n with AI-driven decision making
• AI Developers: Connect LLMs to real-world data via MCP
• DevOps Engineers: Integrate AI capabilities into automation pipelines
• Non-Technical Users: Access AI-powered web scraping without coding

Quick Start

1. Start the Actor in Standby Mode

Run this Actor to get your MCP endpoint URL:

https://n8n-apify-bridge.apify.actor

2. Connect via MCP Protocol

Create a session:

curl-X POST https://[your-url]/mcp/session \
-H"Content-Type: application/json"

List available tools:

curl-X POST https://[your-url]/mcp/tools/list \
-H"Content-Type: application/json"

Call a tool:

curl-X POST https://[your-url]/mcp/tools/call \
-H"Content-Type: application/json"\
-d'{
 "name": "execute_actor",
 "arguments": {
 "actorId": "apify/web-scraper",
 "input": {"startUrls": [{"url": "https://example.com"}]}
 }
 }'

MCP Protocol Endpoints

GET /mcp

Get MCP server info and available capabilities.

POST /mcp/session

Create a new MCP session. Returns session ID for subsequent requests.

Response:

{
"success":true,
"sessionId":"uuid-here",
"data":{
"expiresIn":3600,
"message":"MCP session created"
}
}

POST /mcp/tools/list

List all available MCP tools.

Response:

{
"success":true,
"data":{
"tools":[
{
"name":"search_actors",
"description":"Search the Apify Store for Actors",
"inputSchema":{ ... }
},
{
"name":"execute_actor",
"description":"Execute an Apify Actor with given input",
"inputSchema":{ ... }
}
]
}
}

POST /mcp/tools/call

Execute an MCP tool.

Request:

{
"name":"tool_name",
"arguments":{ ... }
}

Available MCP Tools

n8n Integration

Using HTTP Request Node

{
"method":"POST",
"url":"https://[your-url]/mcp/tools/call",
"headers":{
"Content-Type":"application/json",
"X-MCP-Session":"{{$json.sessionId}}"
},
"body":{
"name":"execute_actor",
"arguments":{
"actorId":"apify/google-maps-scraper",
"input":{
"searchStringsArray":["restaurants in NYC"],
"maxCrawledPlaces":100
}
}
}
}

Data Transformation

Transform n8n workflow data to MCP format:

{
"name":"transform_n8n_data",
"arguments":{
"workflowData":{
"workflowId":"workflow-123",
"executionId":"exec-456",
"nodeName":"Scrape Data",
"inputData":{
"url":"https://example.com",
"searchQuery":"products"
}
},
"targetActorId":"apify/web-scraper"
}
}

Response:

{
"success":true,
"data":{
"transformed":{
"actorId":"apify/web-scraper",
"input":{
"startUrls":[{"url":"https://example.com"}],
"queries":["products"]
},
"metadata":{
"source":"n8n",
"workflowId":"workflow-123",
"mcpVersion":"1.0.0"
}
}
}
}

Legacy n8n Endpoints

For backwards compatibility with existing n8n workflows:

Configuration

Session Management

Sessions allow:

• Client identification for logging and debugging
• Activity tracking for timeout management
• Concurrent support for multiple AI clients

Include session ID in requests:

X-MCP-Session: your-session-id

Error Handling

The bridge includes:

• Automatic retries for transient errors
• Exponential backoff for rate limits
• Detailed error messages in responses
• Timeout handling for long-running operations

Use Cases

1. AI-Powered Lead Generation

AI Assistant → MCP → search_actors("lead generation")
 → MCP → execute_actor("apify/google-maps-scraper")
 → Returns business data to AI

2. Automated Research

n8n Trigger → Transform Data → MCP Tools → Execute Scrapers → Process Results

3. Real-Time Data for LLMs

User Question → AI Model → MCP Bridge → Web Scraper → Fresh Data → AI Response

Security

• Webhook Secret: Protect endpoints with X-Webhook-Secret header
• Session Isolation: Each client gets isolated session
• Token Security: Apify tokens stored as secrets, never exposed

Cost Estimation

Support

• Apify Docs: docs.apify.com
• MCP Specification: modelcontextprotocol.io
• n8n Docs: docs.n8n.io

License

MIT License - free for commercial and personal use.

Built for the Apify $1M Challenge