Sync self-hosted workflow backups to GitHub for version control

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Last update 2 days ago

♾️ Unlimited Version Control

This workflow enables unlimited version control using GitHub, solving the limitation of version history that is not available in the self-hosted free version of n8n.

Every workflow change is stored as a Git commit, allowing you to:

Track full history of changes
Roll back to previous versions anytime
Maintain a reliable audit trail

⚡ Key Features

🔄 Automatic Sync – Runs on a schedule to keep workflows updated
🆕 Create New Workflows – Automatically adds new workflows to GitHub
✏️ Update Only When Changed – Detects and updates modified workflows
🧹 Auto Cleanup – Removes deleted or renamed workflows from GitHub
⚡ Smart Diff Check – Skips unchanged workflows to avoid unnecessary commits
🕒 Timestamped Commits – Clear and trackable commit history
♾️ Unlimited Version Control – Store unlimited workflow versions in GitHub

🛠️ How It Works

Fetch existing files from your GitHub repository
Retrieve all workflows from your n8n instance via API
Compare workflows using size-based change detection
Create or update workflow JSON files in GitHub
Remove orphaned files (deleted or renamed workflows)

⚙️ Setup Requirements

GitHub Personal Access Token (with repo scope)
n8n API Key (Settings → API)
A GitHub repository for storing workflow backups
Update GitHub nodes with your repository name and owner
Configure the schedule trigger as needed

📁 File Naming

Workflows are stored as:
workflow-name.json
(lowercase, hyphen-separated)

🛡️ Safety Mechanism

Includes a safety check to prevent accidental deletion of all files if the n8n API returns zero workflows (e.g., due to an error).

💡 Use Cases

Backup and restore n8n workflows
Version control and change tracking
Team collaboration via GitHub
CI/CD integration for workflow management