Code-First n8n Development

Build workflows locally with AI assistance. Test everything before deploy. One command to production.

The Problem

Real pain points from the n8n community

"Every time a developer starts they have to create a user"
"If I have 100 sub-workflows, it's impractical to manually replace every ID"
"We don't have an API to automatically create an initial user" — n8n team

The Solution

From local development to production in one command

Local Dev
Git
Production

How It Works

Four simple steps to production

1

Clone the template

Start with a ready-to-use project structure

2

Develop workflows locally

Write workflows as JSON with AI assistance

3

Run tests

Verify everything works with hot-reload

4

Deploy to production

One command: docker compose up

Features

Everything you need for code-first n8n development

Zero-Touch Production Deploy

Deploy a fully configured n8n instance without opening the UI. Owner account, credentials, workflows — all automated.

Code-First Workflow Development

AI agents write workflows as JSON files. No clicking in the editor — pure code with Git version control.

Local-First Development

Full local dev environment with hot-reload. Test everything before deploy.

AI-Agent Ready

Credentials for AI services out of the box: OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic. MCP server support included.

Reproducible Instances

Same result on any server. Infrastructure as Code approach. Copy to new projects with minimal changes.

One-Command Deploy

docker compose up → working instance. No manual configuration required.

Community Problems We Solve

Links to real discussions from the n8n community

AI Documentation Assistant

Ask questions about setup and usage

Getting Started

Quick start in 3 commands

git clone https://github.com/narasim-dev/n8n-boilerplate my-n8n
cd my-n8n && cp .env.example .env
docker compose up