Monitor n8n Automations with OpenClaw

Monitor and debug n8n workflow executions via webhook. Provides health checks (GREEN/YELLOW/RED), failure analysis, error debugging, and formatted alerting t...

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only monitor for a self-hosted n8n webhook and is generally coherent with its stated purpose, but there are minor metadata inconsistencies and a few operational details you should confirm before installing.

Purpose & Capability

The skill's name and description match the instructions: it queries an n8n webhook for workflow executions and builds health reports. Requiring a webhook URL is appropriate. However, the registry metadata lists no required env vars while the SKILL.md/README explicitly require N8N_WEBHOOK_URL — a small inconsistency between metadata and the runtime instructions.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions are scoped to calling the user-provided webhook endpoints (get_active_workflows, get_workflow_executions, get_execution_details), computing KPIs, logging, and constructing alert payloads. The skill recommends logging to files and sending alerts (e.g., Telegram) but does not instruct the agent to read unrelated system files or exfiltrate data to third-party endpoints beyond the user-controlled webhook and optional notification channels.

Install Mechanism

Instruction-only skill with no install spec or code to download; minimal disk/system impact and lower risk.

Credentials

SKILL.md expects a single environment variable (N8N_WEBHOOK_URL), which is proportional to the purpose. The registry metadata, however, doesn't declare this required env var. The skill mentions Telegram alerts but does not declare or document Telegram credentials or how they would be provided; if you enable alerting you will need to provide notification credentials separately.

Persistence & Privilege

Skill does not request always:true and has no install-time persistence. Autonomous invocation is allowed (platform default) but not combined with unusual privileges or broad environment access.

Assessment

This skill is essentially a set of instructions for calling a webhook you run in your n8n instance. Before installing: - Confirm the webhook URL (N8N_WEBHOOK_URL) will be stored securely (workspace .env) and that the webhook is protected with authentication so external callers cannot query your execution data. The skill requires this variable, but the registry metadata omitted it — set it yourself. - If you enable alerts (Telegram or other channels), make sure you supply and secure any notification tokens/credentials; the skill does not declare or manage those secrets. - Review the imported n8n webhook workflow (template URL shown in README) so you understand exactly what data it returns and ensure it doesn't expose sensitive payloads (API keys, PII) in execution details or logs. - The skill suggests logging health status to a file for heartbeat reading — verify that logs won't contain sensitive execution payloads and are rotated/permissioned appropriately. - Because this is instruction-only (no code installed), the risk surface is limited to the webhook you deploy and any notification channels you wire up. If you want higher assurance, inspect the referenced n8n workflow template and the MCP repository linked in the README before deploying. If you want, I can list specific checks to perform on the n8n workflow template or draft a secure webhook checklist.

n8n Monitor Skill

Monitor your self-hosted n8n instance through a webhook-based API. Get health reports, detect failing workflows, and debug errors using structured data from your n8n executions.

Quick Workflow

1. Call the webhook with {"action": "get_workflow_executions", "limit": 50} to get a health overview
2. Check the summary.failureRate to determine status: GREEN (<10%), YELLOW (10-25%), RED (>25%)
3. If failures exist, check workflowPerformance.topProblematicWorkflows for the worst offenders
4. For deep debugging, call {"action": "get_execution_details", "limit": 5, "workflow_id": "<ID>"} to get error messages and failed nodes

Available Endpoints

All endpoints are POST requests to the N8N_WEBHOOK_URL environment variable.

get_active_workflows

Returns all active workflows with IDs, names, and metadata.

{"action": "get_active_workflows"}

get_workflow_executions

Returns recent executions with computed KPIs: failure rate, timing metrics, per-workflow performance, alerts.

{"action": "get_workflow_executions", "limit": 50}

Key response fields:

• summary.totalExecutions, summary.failureRate, summary.successRate
• timing.averageExecutionTime, timing.minExecutionTime, timing.maxExecutionTime
• workflowPerformance.topProblematicWorkflows (sorted by failure rate)
• alerts.highFailureRate (boolean), alerts.workflowsNeedingAttention (list)

get_execution_details

Returns detailed error data for a specific workflow: error messages, failed node names and types, timestamps.

{"action": "get_execution_details", "limit": 5, "workflow_id": "<WORKFLOW_ID>"}

Health Thresholds

Status	Failure Rate	Action
GREEN	< 10%	No action needed
YELLOW	10-25%	Investigate flagged workflows
RED	> 25%	Immediate attention required

Notification Templates

One-Line Summary

n8n <EMOJI> | failure <RATE>% (<N> exec) | <NOTE>

Quick Status (for cron/heartbeat)

n8n monitor (<TIME> UTC) -> <EMOJI> <STATUS>

Hot spots:
<EMOJI> <WORKFLOW_NAME> - "<ERROR_MESSAGE>" (<FAILED_NODE> node)

Full Report

Combine all three endpoints for a complete picture:

1. Active workflows summary (count, categories)
2. Health status with KPIs (failure rate, timing, execution modes)
3. Hot spots table (per-workflow failure rates)
4. Error details for critical workflows
5. Alerts and recommended actions

Recommended Monitoring Patterns

Automated Cron Monitoring

• Run a monitor script every 30 minutes that calls get_workflow_executions
• Log health status to a file
• Use a heartbeat (e.g., every hour at :32) to read the log and send alerts only when status is YELLOW or RED
• Stay quiet when everything is GREEN

On-Demand Debugging

• Call get_workflow_executions to identify which workflows are failing
• Note the workflow ID
• Call get_execution_details with that ID for error patterns and failed node info

Alert Deduplication

• Hash each alert payload
• Only notify when the hash changes (new error or status change)
• Prevents notification fatigue when the same error persists

Environment

• N8N_WEBHOOK_URL: Your n8n webhook endpoint (required)
• Webhook timeout: 30 seconds (use lower limit values for large instances)

Prompts That Work Well

• "Check the health of my n8n instance"
• "Which workflows are failing?"
• "Debug errors in workflow <ID>"
• "Generate a health report for the last 100 executions"
• "What's causing failures in my data processing workflow?"

Failure Modes

• Webhook timeout: Reduce the limit parameter
• Authorization errors: Check n8n API credentials in the webhook workflow
• Empty results: Verify the webhook workflow is active and the URL is correct