Who is this for?
This template is ideal for DevOps engineers, automation specialists, and n8n users who manage multiple workflows and want a reliable version control system for backups. It’s especially useful for teams collaborating via GitHub.
What problem is this workflow solving?
Manually backing up n8n workflows to GitHub can be time-consuming and error-prone. This workflow solves that by automating the backup of new and updated n8n workflows, ensuring your GitHub repository always reflects the latest changes.
What this workflow does
- Retrieves all workflows from your local n8n instance.
- Decodes their content and compares it with existing GitHub files.
- Detects newly created or updated workflows.
- Creates a new Git branch and commits changes.
- Opens a pull request (PR) to the main branch.
- Sends a Slack notification when the PR is created.
The system uses GitHub API, n8n, Merge, Set, and Slack nodes for full automation.
Setup
- GitHub credentials: Add your GitHub API credentials in n8n.
- Slack integration: Connect your Slack Bot token if you want PR notifications.
- Repository details: Update github_owner, repo_name, and workflow directory path in the “Define Local Variables” node.
- n8n API key - Check this doc
How to customize this workflow to your needs
- Change the workflow directory from workflows/ to a custom path.
- Modify the Slack message or add email notification support.
- Add filters to back up only specific workflows based on naming or tags.
- Adjust branch naming conventions or use different GitHub base branches.
This workflow provides a seamless backup and versioning pipeline, minimizing manual Git interactions and supporting collaborative automation development.