Automation System Documentation

Overview

The automation system provides a way for admins to discover, view, and trigger n8n workflows directly from the frontend application. Automations are discovered by scanning workflow files in apps/workflows/n8n_workflows/workflows/ and exposed via API endpoints.

Architecture

Components

1. Workflow Discovery Service (lib/workflows/discover-workflows.ts)

   • Scans n8n workflow JSON files
   • Extracts webhook information, tags, and metadata
   • Categorizes workflows (command, agent, orchestrator, tool)

2. API Endpoints

   • GET /api/admin/automations - List all automations with filtering
   • GET /api/admin/automations/[id] - Get specific automation details
   • POST /api/admin/automations/[id]/trigger - Trigger an automation

3. UI Components

   • app/(dashboard)/dashboard/admin/n8n/page.tsx - Full n8n automation panel
   • components/admin/automation-quick-trigger.tsx - Quick trigger dropdown for sidebar

Usage

For Admins

1. Access Automation Panel

   • Navigate to /dashboard/admin/n8n
   • Or use "n8n Automation Panel" link in admin dashboard

2. Quick Actions

   • Use the "Quick Actions" dropdown in admin sidebar
   • Select an automation to trigger
   • Confirm in the dialog

3. Full Panel Features

   • Search automations by name, description, or tags
   • Filter by category (command, agent, orchestrator, tool)
   • Filter by tags
   • View automation details
   • Trigger automations with confirmation
   • Open automation in n8n editor

For Developers

Adding New Automations

Automations are automatically discovered from workflow files. To add a new automation:

1. Create a workflow JSON file in the appropriate directory:

   • commands/ - Executable commands
   • agents/ - AI-powered agents
   • orchestrators/ - Workflow orchestrators
   • tools/ - Utility tools

2. Ensure the workflow has:

   • A webhook node (for triggering)
   • A name field
   • Optional tags array for categorization

3. The workflow will be automatically discovered on next refresh

Environment Variables

NEXT_PUBLIC_N8N_URL=https://n8n.altsportsleagues.ai
N8N_WEBHOOK_TOKEN=your-webhook-token-here  # Optional, for authenticated webhooks

API Usage

List Automations

const response = await fetch('/api/admin/automations?category=command&tag=admin')
const { automations } = await response.json()

Trigger Automation

const response = await fetch(`/api/admin/automations/${automationId}/trigger`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    data: { /* custom payload */ },
    waitForResponse: false
  })
})

Workflow Discovery

The discovery service scans workflow files and extracts:

• Webhook Path: From webhook node path or webhookId
• HTTP Method: From webhook node httpMethod (defaults to POST)
• Tags: From workflow tags array
• Category: Determined from file path
• Description: Generated from workflow name and category

Security

• All automation triggers require admin authentication (handled by Next.js middleware)
• Webhook tokens can be configured via N8N_WEBHOOK_TOKEN environment variable
• Automations marked with requiresAuth: true will include auth headers

Future Enhancements

• Real-time execution status updates
• Execution history and logs
• Custom parameter input forms
• Workflow scheduling
• Bulk operations
• Workflow testing interface