n8n
n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform that helps developers and organizations build and orchestrate complex processes across APIs, databases, and cloud services. It is highly useful in building Agent AI systems by acting as a backend integration layer for task execution and coordination.
What Is n8n?
n8n (short for "nodemation") is a node-based low-code platform that lets you visually build workflows to automate repetitive tasks or connect multiple services. It offers a self-hosted or cloud-hosted solution and is designed for developers who want control and extensibility in their automation stack.
How n8n Supports Agent AI
- It provides a workflow engine that can act as the reasoning or execution layer for AI agents, chaining API calls, data operations, and conditionals.
- Agents can trigger or respond to events via webhooks, enabling real-time, reactive behavior using the Webhook node.
- n8n includes integrations with services like OpenAI, Slack, Discord, and HTTP endpoints, allowing agents to take action across platforms.
- Custom JavaScript code can be executed inside workflows using the Code node, giving flexibility for advanced logic.
- State can be stored or passed through multiple steps, making it suitable for planning, memory, and chaining in agentic architectures.
Example Use Case
An LLM-based agent receives a message from a user through a Slack bot. n8n captures this message via a webhook, queries a database, sends the input to OpenAI's GPT API, formats the result, and posts a summary back to Slack. The entire loop is managed within an n8n workflow, reducing infrastructure complexity.