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Export Command

The export command downloads all workflows from your n8n instance and saves them locally in mirror mode.

Usage​

n8n-gitops export

Mirror Mode​

The export command operates in mirror mode, which means:

✅ Always exports ALL workflows from your n8n instance ✅ Deletes local workflows that don't exist in n8n ✅ Deletes orphaned script files when switching modes ✅ Updates the manifest to match remote state exactly

This ensures your local repository is always a perfect mirror of your n8n instance.

Externalize Code Setting​

Code externalization is controlled by the externalize_code flag in n8n/manifests/workflows.yaml (default: true).

  • externalize_code: true → Extract code to n8n/scripts/ and insert include directives in workflow JSON (default behavior).
  • externalize_code: false → Keep code inline in workflow JSON; script directories are removed on export.

Adjust the manifest before running n8n-gitops export to switch modes.

Examples​

Basic Export​

Export all workflows with inline code:

n8n-gitops export

Result:

n8n/
├── workflows/
│   ├── workflow1.json
│   └── workflow2.json
├── credentials.yaml
└── manifests/
    └── workflows.yaml

Export with Code Externalization (default)​

With externalize_code: true in n8n/manifests/workflows.yaml (default), export produces:

n8n/
├── workflows/
│   ├── workflow1.json (contains @@n8n-gitops:include directives)
│   └── workflow2.json
├── scripts/
│   ├── workflow1/
│   │   ├── process_data.py
│   │   └── transform.js
│   └── workflow2/
│       └── helper.py
├── credentials.yaml
└── manifests/
    └── workflows.yaml

Switching Between Modes​

  • Go inline: Set externalize_code: false in n8n/manifests/workflows.yaml, then run n8n-gitops export (scripts are removed; workflows contain inline code).
  • Go back to externalized: Set externalize_code: true in n8n/manifests/workflows.yaml, then run n8n-gitops export (scripts are regenerated; workflows reference include directives).

What Gets Exported​

Workflow Files​

Each workflow is saved as a JSON file in n8n/workflows/:

  • Filename is sanitized from workflow name
  • File contains normalized JSON (stable formatting)
  • Volatile fields are stripped (id, createdAt, updatedAt, etc.)

Manifest​

The manifest file n8n/manifests/workflows.yaml is updated with:

  • Workflow names
  • File paths (relative to n8n/)
  • Active state
  • Tags

Example:

workflows:
  - name: "Payment Processing"
    file: "workflows/payment-processing.json"
    active: true
    tags:
      - production
      - payments
  - name: "Data Sync"
    file: "workflows/data-sync.json"
    active: false
    tags: []

Credentials Documentation​

The export command automatically generates n8n/credentials.yaml to document which credentials are used by your workflows. This file is informational only and helps you understand credential dependencies across your workflows.

What's included:

  • Credential type (e.g., postgres, slack, httpHeaderAuth)
  • Credential name (as configured in n8n)
  • List of workflows using each credential

Example:

postgres:
  - name: Production DB
    workflows:
      - Data Sync
      - Payment Processing
  - name: Analytics DB
    workflows:
      - Reporting Workflow
slack:
  - name: Team Notifications
    workflows:
      - Alert System
      - Status Updates
httpHeaderAuth:
  - name: External API Key
    workflows:
      - Data Import

Important notes:

  • This file is documentation only and is not used during deployment
  • Credentials themselves (API keys, passwords, etc.) are never exported
  • Credentials must be manually configured in each n8n instance
  • The file is regenerated on each export based on workflow analysis

File location:

n8n/
├── credentials.yaml  ← Generated credential documentation
├── workflows/
│   └── *.json
└── manifests/
    └── workflows.yaml

Script Files (when externalize_code is true)​

Code is extracted from these node fields:

  • pythonCode → .py files
  • jsCode → .js files
  • code → .js files
  • functionCode → .js files

Script file naming:

  • Format: {node-name}.{ext}
  • Example: Process_Data.py
  • Saved in: n8n/scripts/{workflow-name}/

Mirror Mode Behavior​

Deleting Workflows​

If a workflow exists locally but not in n8n:

n8n-gitops export

Output:

🗑  Deleting local workflow not in remote: Old Workflow
    → Deleted scripts directory: scripts/Old_Workflow/

Deleting Script Files​

When externalize_code is false, export removes script directories to keep the repo aligned with inline code:

🗑  Deleting scripts directory (inline code mode): scripts/workflow1/
🗑  Deleting scripts directory (inline code mode): scripts/workflow2/

Overwriting Files​

When externalize_code is true, script files are overwritten on each export (no _1, _2 suffixes).

Output Example​

Exporting workflows from https://n8n.example.com
Target directory: /path/to/project/n8n/workflows

Fetching workflows...
Found 3 workflow(s)

Exporting 3 workflow(s) (mirror mode)...
Code externalization: ENABLED

  Exporting: Payment Processing
    ✓ Externalized 2 code block(s)
      → Externalized pythonCode from node 'Process Payment' to scripts/Payment_Processing/Process_Payment.py
      → Externalized jsCode from node 'Transform Data' to scripts/Payment_Processing/Transform_Data.js
    ✓ Saved to: n8n/workflows/Payment_Processing.json

  Exporting: Data Sync
    ✓ Saved to: n8n/workflows/Data_Sync.json

  Exporting: Email Notifications
    ✓ Externalized 1 code block(s)
      → Externalized pythonCode from node 'Format Email' to scripts/Email_Notifications/Format_Email.py
    ✓ Saved to: n8n/workflows/Email_Notifications.json

Generating credentials documentation...
  ✓ Documented 3 credential(s) in n8n/credentials.yaml

Updating manifest...
  ✓ Updated manifest: n8n/manifests/workflows.yaml

✓ Export complete! Exported 3 workflow(s)
✓ Externalized 3 code block(s) to script files

Next steps:
  1. Review the exported workflows
  2. Review the externalized scripts in n8n/scripts/ (when `externalize_code` is true)
  3. git add n8n/
  4. git commit -m 'Export workflows from n8n'

Authentication​

The export command requires authentication. See Authentication for details.

See Also​