CLI Commands

Complete reference of all n8n CLI commands for starting services, executing workflows, and managing your instance

The n8n CLI provides a comprehensive set of commands for managing your n8n instance. Access the CLI through the n8n command in your terminal.

Getting Help

To see available commands:

n8n --help

To check your n8n version:

n8n --version
# or
n8n -v

Main Commands

start

Starts the n8n server with Web UI and activates all workflows.

n8n start

--open · boolean · default: "false"

Automatically opens the n8n UI in your default browser after startup.

Examples:

Basic Start

n8n start

n8n start --open
# or
n8n start -o

The start command initializes the full n8n server including:

• Web UI (Editor)
• Workflow execution engine
• Active workflow triggers
• Webhook endpoints
• REST API

worker

Starts an n8n worker process for queue mode execution. Workers handle workflow executions from the queue.

n8n worker

--concurrency · number · default: "10"

Number of jobs that can run in parallel on this worker.

Examples:

Default Worker

n8n worker

n8n worker --concurrency=5

n8n worker --concurrency=20

Important: Concurrency less than 5 can lead to an unstable environment. Consider setting it to at least 5 for best performance.

Environment Variables:

• N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT: Overrides the --concurrency flag if set to a value other than -1
• QUEUE_WORKER_TIMEOUT: Graceful shutdown timeout (deprecated, use N8N_GRACEFUL_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT)

webhook

Starts a dedicated webhook process that intercepts production webhook URLs. Useful for scaling webhook handling separately.

n8n webhook

Queue Mode Required: The webhook command only works when execution mode is set to queue. It cannot run in regular execution mode.

Use Cases:

• Separate webhook handling from main process
• Scale webhook endpoints independently
• Improve reliability for high-traffic webhooks

execute

Executes a specific workflow once from the command line.

n8n execute --id=WORKFLOW_ID

--id · string · required

The ID of the workflow to execute.

--rawOutput · boolean · default: "false"

Outputs only JSON data with no additional text.

Examples:

Execute Workflow

n8n execute --id=5

n8n execute --id=10 --rawOutput

The execute command does not support queue mode and will automatically fall back to regular execution mode.

execute-batch

Executes multiple workflows for testing and comparison purposes.

n8n execute-batch

--ids · string

Comma-separated workflow IDs or path to file containing IDs.

--concurrency · number · default: "1"

How many workflows can run in parallel.

--debug · boolean · default: "false"

Display all errors and debug messages.

--output · string

Path to save execution results JSON file.

--snapshot · string

Directory to save execution snapshots for later comparison.

--compare · string

Directory containing snapshots to compare against current execution.

--shallow · boolean · default: "false"

Compare only top-level attributes, ignoring nested JSON objects.

--skipList · string

Path to JSON file containing workflow IDs to skip.

--retries · number · default: "1"

Number of times to retry failed workflows (0 to disable).

--shortOutput · boolean · default: "false"

Show only summary, omitting full execution details.

Examples:

Execute All Workflows

n8n execute-batch

n8n execute-batch --ids=10,13,15 --shortOutput

n8n execute-batch --concurrency=10 --skipList=/data/skipList.json

n8n execute-batch --debug --output=/data/output.json

n8n execute-batch --snapshot=/data/snapshots --shallow

n8n execute-batch --compare=/data/previousExecutionData --retries=2

This command is particularly useful for automated testing, regression testing, and CI/CD workflows.

Additional Commands

List Commands

list:workflow

Lists all workflows in the database.

n8n list:workflow

Database Commands

db:reset

Resets the database (development only).

n8n db:reset

db:prune

Prunes execution data according to retention settings.

n8n db:prune

Command-Line Options

Global Options

These options work with most commands:

Option	Description
--version, -v, -V	Display n8n version
--help	Display help for command

Interactive Features

When running n8n start in a TTY terminal:

• Press o to open the n8n editor in your browser
• Press Ctrl+C to gracefully shut down n8n

Environment Configuration

All CLI commands respect environment variables for configuration. See the Environment Variables documentation for details.

Key configuration areas:

• Database connection
• Execution mode (regular/queue)
• Network and ports
• Security settings
• Node.js settings

Next Steps

Execution Modes

Learn about different execution modes and flags

Import/Export

Import and export workflows and credentials

User Management

Manage users via CLI

Configuration

Configure n8n settings