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N8n Credentials And Security Official

n8nOfficialPublished by n8n

  • Skill
  • Guidelines
  • Automation and integrations
  • Apache-2.0
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From the author

Use when handling any auth, API keys, tokens, OAuth, bearer tokens, basic auth, or secret values in n8n workflows. Triggers on "API key", "token", "bearer", "OAuth", "secret", "auth", "credentials", "Authorization header", "x-api-key", or any node configuration that mentions a third-party service.
— the description by n8n

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides the official guidelines for handling sensitive authentication data in n8n. It emphasizes the use of the native credential system to ensure secrets are encrypted at rest and never exposed in workflow JSON or plain text fields. It outlines the decision-making process for selecting the correct credential type, how to bind credentials to nodes, and how to handle scenarios where no native node exists.

What it does

  • Defines the mandatory use of the n8n credential system for all secrets.
  • Provides a decision tree for selecting between native, standard, and custom credential types.
  • Instructs on how to bind credentials by ID to avoid silent configuration errors.
  • Explains how to handle user-provided secrets by directing them to the UI for secure entry.
  • Outlines the use of httpCustomAuth for non-standard authentication shapes.
  • Details the security implications of credential rotation and project scoping.

When to use it

  • When configuring nodes that require API keys, bearer tokens, OAuth, or basic auth.
  • When a user provides a raw secret in a chat and needs to know how to secure it.
  • When determining the correct credential type for a third-party service integration.
  • When troubleshooting authentication failures or credential binding issues.
  • When building workflows that require multiple headers or header-plus-query authentication.

Advantages

  • Prevents accidental leakage of sensitive credentials in exported workflow files.
  • Ensures credentials remain secure and encrypted at rest within the n8n database.
  • Enables seamless credential rotation without requiring workflow redeployment.
  • Reduces configuration errors by enforcing explicit credential binding.
  • Maintains consistency across different n8n environments and projects.

Usage examples

“How do I add my API key to an HTTP Request node?”
The agent will guide you to create a credential of the appropriate type (e.g., Header Auth or Bearer Auth) in the n8n UI, then show you how to reference that credential by ID in your node configuration.
“I have a service that requires both an API key and a tenant ID in the header. How do I set this up?”
The agent will instruct you to use the 'Custom Auth' (httpCustomAuth) credential type, providing the specific JSON structure required to include both headers securely.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/n8n-io/n8n-credentials-and-security-official/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip n8n-credentials-and-security-official.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by n8n

n8n Credentials and Security

Non-negotiables

  1. Secrets via the credential system, never in text fields or SDK code. API keys, bearer tokens, OAuth secrets, passwords: all go through newCredential() or the node's credentials parameter. A Set node hardcoding a token and read via {{$json.token}} is a text field with extra steps.

  2. List credentials, then bind by ID. Call list_credentials({type}) before configuring an auth-needing node. One match: bind via 2-arg newCredential('Label', 'credId') at create time, or setNodeCredential op on update_workflow. Multiple matches: ask the user which. The one-arg newCredential('Label') is a placeholder; n8n auto-assigns the most recently edited credential of that type and silently picks wrong when the user has multiples.

  3. Credential creation is the user's job, not yours. The n8n MCP doesn't expose credential creation. Tell the user the exact credential type to create in the UI, then reference it by label in your node config. Don't attempt to create credentials programmatically and don't accept secrets in chat to "set up later".

Strong defaults

  • Use native credentials when available. Every native node (Slack, Gmail, Postgres, OpenAI, etc.) has a credential type. Don't reach for generic credential types when a native option exists.

  • For multi-header or header-plus-query auth shapes, use the httpCustomAuth credential type. See references/CUSTOM_CREDENTIALS.md.

The credential system

In n8n, credentials are first-class objects:

  • Stored encrypted at rest in the n8n database.

  • Referenced by ID from nodes that need them.

  • Scoped to projects (Cloud & enterprise) or shared globally (some self-hosted setups).

  • Identified by a type slug (googleSheetsOAuth2Api, slackApi, httpHeaderAuth). The slug is what nodes reference and what determines which auth fields the credential collects.

A node that needs auth has a credentials parameter pointing to a credential ID + type. Secret values never appear in workflow JSON. Exporting a workflow leaks the reference, not the secret.

For the full model (SDK resolution, rotation, project scoping), see references/CREDENTIAL_SYSTEM.md.

Decision tree: how to authenticate this thing

Need to call an external service?
├── Native credential exists (Slack, Gmail, OpenAI, Postgres, ...)?
│   └── Use the native node + its credential type. Done.
│
├── Service is "standard-shaped" (REST + Bearer/Basic/OAuth)?
│   ├── Configure HTTP Request with one of the built-in auth types:
│   │   - Generic OAuth2
│   │   - Header Auth
|   |   - Bearer Auth (same as header auth but with only field being for actual token)
│   │   - Basic Auth
│   │   - Custom Auth
│   └── See references/HTTP_REQUEST_WITH_AUTH.md
│
└── Service needs multiple static headers, or headers plus query params?
    └── Use the httpCustomAuth credential type.
        See references/CUSTOM_CREDENTIALS.md

When the user pastes a secret into a chat

This happens. The user types something like:

"Set up a workflow to call Acme API with bearer sk-abc123def456"

What to do:

  1. Don't put the token in a text field, even temporarily. A Set node that hardcodes the value and is referenced via {{$json.token}} is a text field with extra steps.

  2. Bind to an existing credential if possible. list_credentials({type}) first; if a match exists, bind via setNodeCredential and tell the user which one you used. If none exists, tell them to create one in the UI (Bearer Auth for bearer tokens, Header Auth for custom headers, etc.). Credential creation is still UI-only.

  3. Treat the pasted secret as compromised, and tell the user to rotate it. Don't soften this. The token has been transmitted to the LLM provider, may persist in chat history, transcripts, and cache layers. Tell them: "Rotate this token as soon as the new credential is set up. Treat it as leaked."

When no native node exists

Common case: the user wants a service n8n has no node for. Use HTTP Request with appropriate auth.

  • references/FINDING_API_DOCS.md: discovering auth scheme, base URL, common shapes.

  • references/HTTP_REQUEST_WITH_AUTH.md: wiring HTTP Request to a credential.

  • references/CUSTOM_CREDENTIALS.md: when built-in auth types don't fit.

Reference files

FileRead when
references/CREDENTIAL_SYSTEM.mdYou need to understand how credentials are stored, referenced, scoped, or rotated
references/CUSTOM_CREDENTIALS.mdMulti-header / header-plus-query auth in one credential, or per-request signing patterns (HMAC, JWT, webhook validation)
references/HTTP_REQUEST_WITH_AUTH.mdConfiguring HTTP Request with auth: Bearer, Basic, OAuth, Header Auth
references/FINDING_API_DOCS.mdThe user mentioned a service you don't have node-level knowledge of

Anti-patterns

Anti-patternWhat goes wrongFix
Pasting sk-... into HTTP Request's Authorization header value fieldToken in plain text in the workflow JSON, leaks on export, copy, screenshotUse a credential: Bearer Auth for bearer tokens, Header Auth for other custom auth schemes
Storing token in a Set node and referencing via expressionSame problem, value lives in workflow JSONSame fix: credential, not a Set node
Storing a secret in $vars.X and reading it as the auth valueNot encrypted at rest, leaks in exports, no rotationUse the right credential type (httpBearerAuth, httpHeaderAuth, httpCustomAuth, or the native one). For inbound webhook auth, use the trigger's authentication field, not an IF on $vars.token
Reaching for $env.X to read a secret during custom auth setupDoesn't work, throws at runtimeUse a credential of the appropriate type
Using HTTP Request when a native node existsLoses auto-refresh on OAuth, loses native error handling, more codeUse the native node
Hardcoding credentials in SDK code (new HttpRequest({ headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer xxx' } }))Same leak surfaceUse newCredential() in SDK code
Asking the user to create a credential without naming the credential typeUser picks the wrong type, auth fails confusinglyAlways specify: "create a credential of type <exact type name>"

Files

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Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs an API key, Needs Node.js

Security

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Attribution and licence

Published by
n8n
Publisher
n8n (Official)
Source
n8n-io/skills · skills/n8n-credentials-and-security-official · commit 27b6b9f
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Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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