Deploy and Host n8n-mcp on Railway

n8n-mcp is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants deep knowledge of n8n. It ships with documentation, schemas and examples for 500+ n8n nodes, so Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf or any MCP client can look up node parameters, validate configurations and — when connected to your n8n instance — create, update and run workflows for you. Stop copy-pasting JSON into n8n; describe the automation and let the agent build it correctly.

About Hosting n8n-mcp

This template deploys the official Railway-optimised image ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp-railway as a single HTTP service with a public domain. It runs in MCP_MODE=http, protected by a generated AUTH_TOKEN that you paste into your MCP client. The node database is bundled in the image, so it works instantly with zero external dependencies. To enable workflow management (not just documentation), set N8N_API_URL to your n8n instance and N8N_API_KEY from n8n → Settings → API. Pair it with the n8n template on Railway and reference https://${{n8n.RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN}} for a fully private setup. It is lightweight (under 256 MB RAM) and stateless.

Common Use Cases

Let Claude Code / Cursor build and fix n8n workflows from natural language
Validate node configurations before deploying automations
Search 500+ n8n nodes and their parameters without leaving your editor
Create, update and trigger workflows on your n8n instance via MCP tools

Dependencies for n8n-mcp Hosting

Docker image ghcr.io/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp-railway:latest
Optional: an n8n instance URL + API key for workflow management

Implementation Details

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http n8n-mcp https:///mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer "

Claude Desktop / Cursor (mcpServers):

{ "n8n-mcp": { "url": "https:///mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer " } } }

Why Deploy n8n-mcp on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying n8n-mcp on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.