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n8n Integration

n8n is configured through the unified API & Webhooks tool in Webhook mode. This page covers the n8n-specific setup; see the unified tool page for everything else.
Trigger your n8n workflows from an agent conversation. Whether you self-host n8n or use n8n Cloud, the integration works the same way: the agent fires a webhook when something worthy happens, and n8n picks it up to run whatever workflow you’ve wired.

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How it works

  1. In n8n, add a Webhook node as the workflow’s trigger.
  2. Copy its Production URL (looks like https://n8n.yourhost.com/webhook/abc123 or https://your-workspace.app.n8n.cloud/webhook/abc).
  3. In thinnestAI, add the n8n tool to your agent and paste the URL.
  4. When the agent decides to trigger the workflow, it POSTs a JSON payload to that URL.
  5. n8n receives the payload and runs downstream nodes (CRM, databases, messaging — anything n8n supports).
No API keys, no OAuth, no per-platform credentials in thinnestAI. The webhook URL is the auth surface; for extra protection n8n’s Webhook node supports Header Auth.

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Setting it up

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Step 1 — create the n8n workflow

  1. Open n8n (self-hosted or Cloud).
  2. Create a new workflow and add a Webhook node as the first step.
  3. Configure the node:
    • HTTP Method: POST
    • Path: a unique slug (e.g. thinnest-leads)
    • Response Mode: “Immediately” (so the agent doesn’t wait on your whole workflow)
    • (Optional) Authentication: set to Header Auth and add a credential like X-Webhook-Secret: <your-random-secret>.
  4. Switch to the Production URL tab on the node and copy the URL.
  5. Wire downstream nodes (HTTP request to your CRM, database insert, Slack message, etc.) and activate the workflow with the top-right toggle.
A deactivated workflow won’t run production webhooks even if the URL is correct — activating is a common miss.

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Step 2 — add the tool in thinnestAI

  1. Open your agent → Tools → Add Tool → API & Webhooks, and choose Webhook mode.
  2. Paste the n8n Webhook Production URL.
  3. (Optional) If you enabled Header Auth in n8n, paste the secret in the Header Auth Secret field. thinnestAI sends it as X-Webhook-Secret on every request.
  4. Save.

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Step 3 — tell the agent when to use it

Add a line to your agent’s instructions: 
When a caller finishes describing an issue, trigger the n8n workflow
with their contact info and a summary of what they reported.
The agent now has two LLM-callable functions:
FunctionWhen to use
send_event(event_name, customer_name, customer_email, customer_phone, notes, custom_fields)Structured CRM-style events (new lead, support ticket, callback request). Use for most cases.
send_webhook(data, event_type)Free-form — send any JSON payload. Use for non-CRM data.

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Payload format

Every request n8n receives has this shape: 
{
  "event": "support_ticket",
  "source": "thinnestai",
  "data": {
    "customer_name": "Priya Patel",
    "customer_email": "priya@example.com",
    "customer_phone": "+91-98-7654-3210",
    "notes": "Billing question — charged twice for October invoice"
  }
}
In n8n, downstream nodes can reference fields with expressions like {{ $json.body.data.customer_email }} — the whole payload sits under $json.body.

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Example: support ticket → Freshdesk + Slack

Voice flow: 
User: "Hey, you guys charged me twice last month. Invoice #INV-8822."
Agent: "Really sorry about that. I'm raising a priority ticket for finance now.
        What's the best email to reach you on?"
User: "priya@example.com"
Agent: "Got it. You'll hear back within an hour."
       [calls send_event with event_name="billing_issue",
        customer_email="priya@example.com", notes="Duplicate charge Oct invoice INV-8822"]
n8n workflow: 
Webhook → Freshdesk: Create Ticket (priority=High) → Slack: Post to #billing

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Securing the webhook

  1. In the n8n Webhook node, set Authentication to Header Auth.
  2. Click Create New Credential, name it, set:
    • Header Name: X-Webhook-Secret
    • Header Value: a long random string
  3. In the thinnestAI tool config, paste the same random string into Header Auth Secret.
n8n rejects requests without the matching header; anyone who discovers the URL alone still can’t trigger your workflow.
Important: The n8n tool always sends its secret on the X-Webhook-Secret header. If your n8n Header Auth credential uses a different header name (for example Authorization or X-API-Key), n8n will reject the request because the header won’t match. If you need a custom header name, use the generic Webhook tool instead — it accepts a webhook_headers field where you can pass any header name you want.

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Option 2 — IP allow-listing (self-hosted only)

If you self-host n8n behind a reverse proxy, you can allow-list thinnestAI’s outbound IPs at the proxy level. Ask support for the current IP list if you go this route.

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Self-hosted vs. n8n Cloud

Both work identically with this tool. The only difference is the Webhook Production URL:
EditionURL pattern
n8n self-hostedhttps://n8n.yourdomain.com/webhook/<path>
n8n Cloudhttps://<workspace>.app.n8n.cloud/webhook/<path>
n8n local devhttps://localhost:5678/webhook/<path> (won’t work from thinnestAI Cloud — use a tunnel like ngrok if you need to test locally)

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Limits & pricing

  • n8n self-hosted: no per-execution fee; you’re limited by your server capacity.
  • n8n Cloud: varies by plan — check your workspace’s execution quota.
  • thinnestAI’s side: no per-call charge. Unlimited webhook triggers from the agent.
  • Latency: the agent waits up to 15s for n8n to respond. Set the Webhook node’s Response Mode to “Immediately” so n8n acks quickly and runs downstream nodes async.

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When to use n8n vs. alternatives

NeedUse
Trigger a self-hosted automation workflown8n (this tool)
Trigger Make.com / IntegromatUse the Make.com tool
Generic HTTP POST to your own backendUse the generic Webhook tool
Deep native integration (Gmail, HubSpot, Sheets)Use the native Gmail / Sheets tools

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Troubleshooting

SymptomFix
Agent says “Webhook returned status 404”Workflow is deactivated in n8n. Activate it with the top-right toggle.
Agent says “Could not connect to webhook URL”URL is wrong, n8n is down, or you used the Test URL instead of the Production URL.
n8n returns 401 / 403Header Auth mismatch. Re-check that the secret in thinnestAI exactly matches the n8n credential.
Workflow fires but fields emptyn8n downstream nodes reference the wrong path. Fields live under $json.body.data.* (not $json.*).
Timeout every timeYour workflow runs long and n8n isn’t set to Respond Immediately. Change the Webhook node’s Response Mode.

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Configuration reference

FieldRequiredDescription
n8n Webhook URLYesThe Production URL from the Webhook node.
Header Auth SecretNoMatches the n8n Webhook node’s Header Auth credential value. Sent as X-Webhook-Secret.

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Next steps

  • Make.com — same pattern but for Make.com scenarios.
  • CRM & Webhooks — generic webhook tool and CRM lookup patterns.
  • Custom Tools — build bespoke HTTP tool calls when a webhook isn’t expressive enough.