Subagents

Three purpose-built agents, each specialized for one phase of the workflow lifecycle.

n8n-workflow-builder

Invoke when: starting a new workflow from scratch.

Orchestrates the full build loop: discovers nodes, pulls schemas, validates configs, creates the workflow, validates end-to-end, activates.

Delegates to:

• n8n-workflow-validator when validation gets complex
• n8n-workflow-deployer once the workflow exists and needs iteration

Won't:

• Hand-write node configs from memory
• Try to build in one shot (always iterates via n8n_update_partial_workflow)

n8n-workflow-validator

Invoke when: you have an existing workflow (by ID or JSON) that needs checking.

Runs validate_workflow with the appropriate profile, interprets errors in plain language, and proposes fixes. Can optionally run n8n_autofix_workflow — always previews changes first.

Profile selection:

• runtime by default (covers values + types)
• strict before production hand-off
• minimal when debugging connection structure
• ai-friendly when validating AI-generated configs

Delegates to:

• n8n-workflow-deployer to apply proposed fixes
• n8n-workflow-builder if the workflow needs to be rebuilt from scratch

n8n-workflow-deployer

Invoke when: modifying, activating, or inspecting a workflow that already exists.

Handles:

• Partial updates via n8n_update_partial_workflow (with intent)
• Activation / deactivation
• Execution diagnosis via n8n_executions

Won't:

• Use n8n_update_full_workflow when a partial update would do
• Skip the intent parameter
• Activate a workflow with validation errors

How they fit together

user: "build me a webhook → AI → Slack workflow"
    │
    ▼
n8n-workflow-builder
    │
    ├── (validation gets weird) ──▶ n8n-workflow-validator
    │
    ├── (workflow created, now iterate) ──▶ n8n-workflow-deployer
    │
    └── (activate) ──▶ done

All three reference the bundled skills — n8n-mcp-tools-expert, n8n-workflow-patterns, n8n-node-configuration, n8n-validation-expert. You don't need to invoke the skills manually; the agents do.