Description

NodeFlex

n8n-nodes-nodeflex

This is an n8n community node package. It lets you execute remote private workflows securely in your n8n workflows using NodeFlex.

NodeFlex Private Workflow enables real-time, bidirectional workflow execution across n8n instances through a SignalR-based hub. One workflow can trigger another workflow that is running remotely — passing JSON, text, or binary payloads — and optionally wait for a response.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation
How It Works
Operations
Credentials
Compatibility
Usage
Resources
Version history

Installation

Prerequisites

• n8n v1.113.0 or later

Install via the n8n Community Nodes UI (Recommended)

1. Open your n8n instance
2. Go to Settings → Community Nodes
3. Select Install a community node
4. Enter @nodeflex/n8n-nodes-nodeflex in the package name field
5. Agree to the risks of using community nodes
6. Click Install

After installation the four nodes will appear in the node panel under the search term “Private Workflow”.

Install via npm (Self-hosted)

If you self-host n8n, you can install the package directly into your n8n custom extensions directory:

cd ~/.n8n/custom
npm install @nodeflex/n8n-nodes-nodeflex

Then restart your n8n instance for the nodes to be loaded.

Install via Docker

If you run n8n in Docker, add the package name to the N8NCOMMUNITYPACKAGES environment variable:

docker run -it --rm 
  -e N8NCOMMUNITYPACKAGES="@nodeflex/n8n-nodes-nodeflex" 
  -p 5678:5678 
  n8nio/n8n

Or in your docker-compose.yml:

environment:
  - N8NCOMMUNITYPACKAGES=@nodeflex/n8n-nodes-nodeflex

Verify Installation

Once installed, confirm the nodes are available:

1. Open any workflow in the n8n editor
2. Click the + button to add a node
3. Search for “Private Workflow”
4. You should see all four nodes: Execute Private Workflow, Private Workflow Trigger, Respond to Private Workflow, and Get Private Workflow Result

For more details, see the n8n community nodes installation guide.

How It Works

NodeFlex Private Workflows connects workflows on separate n8n instances, separate networks through a central hub which allows executing remote workflows from anywhere. It is an alternative to separately configuring WebHooks and Http request nodes. The communication flow works as follows:

API Key and message routing

Every NodeFlex account is assigned one or more API Keys, which you obtain from portal.nodeflex.io. Each API Key identifies your account and scopes all communication. Only workflows with matching API Keys can exchange messages with each other through the hub. Combined with a unique Workflow Name, (you can think of this combination as a “channel”) you can create unique communication pairs used for workflow routing.

For each API Key, the Workflow Name is used to route messages between the calling workflow and the target workflow. The Workflow Name configured on the Execute Private Workflow node must exactly match the Workflow Name configured on the Private Workflow Trigger node. When the hub receives an execution request, it uses the Workflow Name to find the connected trigger that is listening under that same name and delivers the message to it.

This means you can have multiple independent workflow pairs running under the same account — each pair is isolated by its unique API Key + Workflow Name. There is no limit to the number of combinations of API Key + Workflow Names you can create. Simply configure a different Workflow Name on each Execute Private Workflow and Private Workflow Trigger pair to route requests to different target workflows.

Sending a request

1. The Execute Private Workflow node is used on the calling workflow to send a payload to the NodeFlex hub to start a workflow. This node is configured with an API Key + Workflow Name.
2. The hub routes the request to the target instance where the Private Workflow Trigger is connected.
3. The Private Workflow Trigger receives the request and starts the target workflow.

flowchart LR
    subgraph CW[Calling Workflow]
        direction LR
        A[Execute Private Workflow]
    end
    A -->|HTTP POST| B[NodeFlex Hub]
    subgraph PW[Private Workflow — remote server]
        direction LR
        C[Private Workflow Trigger]
        D[Target Workflow]
        C --> D
    end
    B -->|SignalR| C

Returning a response

1. After the target workflow completes processing, the Respond to Private Workflow node sends the response back the calling workflow via the hub.
2. On the calling side, the Execute Private Workflow node (if waiting) or the Get Private Workflow Result node (if polling) receives the response and the result payload.

flowchart LR
    subgraph PW[Private Workflow — remote server]
        direction LR
        D[Target Workflow]
        C[Respond to Private Workflow]
        D --> C
    end
    C -->|HTTP POST| B[NodeFlex Hub]
    subgraph CW[Calling Workflow]
        direction LR
        A[Get Private Workflow Result]
    end
    B -->|"HTTP GET (poll)"| A

Summary of payload responsibilities

Payloads are routed automatically based on size. No configuration is needed — the nodes handle this transparently.

| Payload Size | Behavior | Upload Node | Download Node |
|————-|———-|————-|—————|
| ≤ 64 KB | Sent directly via SignalR to the remote workflow | — | — |
| 64 KB – 10 MB | Uploaded to blob storage on the hub, then downloaded by the receiving node | See below | See below |
| > 10 MB | Not supported by the hub — must use external storage (see note below) | — | — |

For payloads between 64 KB and 10 MB that use blob storage:

| Direction | Upload | Download |
|———–|——–|———-|
| Request (caller → target) | Execute Private Workflow | Private Workflow Trigger |
| Response (target → caller) | Respond to Private Workflow | Execute Private Workflow or Get Private Workflow Result |

> Note: Payloads larger than 10 MB are not supported by the hub. For these cases, you must store the data in your own external storage (e.g., Google Drive, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage) and pass a reference (such as a URL or file ID) as the payload. The receiving workflow can then retrieve the data using the appropriate n8n node for that storage service.

Operations

This package contains four nodes that work together:

Execute Private Workflow

Initiates a remote private workflow execution. Sends a JSON, text, or binary payload to the NodeFlex hub, which routes it to the target workflow via SignalR.

• Payload types: JSON (from input or custom expression), or binary file
• Wait for response: Optionally block until the remote workflow completes (1–15 second timeout). Use this only when the target workflow is known to complete quickly within the timeout window. For longer-running workflows, leave this disabled and use the Get Private Workflow Result node to poll for completion instead.
• Dual output: Returns an “Acknowledged” output immediately when the hub confirms the request. The “Completed” output is only used when Wait for Response is enabled, and returns the result once the remote workflow finishes.
• Large payload support: Payloads up to 64 KB are sent directly via SignalR. Payloads larger than 64 KB (up to 10 MB) are automatically uploaded to blob storage on the hub for the target workflow to retrieve.

Private Workflow Trigger

This node runs on the remote workflow host and maintains a persistent connection to the NodeFlex hub (via SignalR). When an Execute Private Workflow node on another n8n instance sends an execution request to the hub, the hub routes that request to this trigger, which starts the target workflow.

• Response modes:

– Immediately — Sends an acknowledgment right away
– Using Respond Node — Defers the response until a “Respond to Private Workflow” node executes

• Payload normalization: If the incoming payload was uploaded to blob storage by the Execute Private Workflow node (payloads larger than 64 KB), this node automatically downloads the full payload before starting the workflow.
• Auto-reconnect: Maintains connection with exponential backoff. This is useful for recovery when network outages occur.

Respond to Private Workflow

Sends a completed workflow response along with a desired payload to the hub. This marks the workflow “Completed” on the hub so the payload can be retrieved by the Get Private Workflow Result node. In normal workflow terms, this should be used when the trigger node response is set to Using ‘Respond to Private Workflow‘ Node.

• Response types: All items, first item, custom JSON, plain text, binary data, or no data
• Correlation passthrough: Uses the __correlationId from the trigger output to POST the response to the hub’s completed endpoint
• Large response support: Response payloads up to 64 KB are sent directly via SignalR. Responses larger than 64 KB (up to 10 MB) are automatically uploaded to blob storage on the hub for the calling workflow to retrieve.

Get Private Workflow Result

Polls the NodeFlex hub to retrieve the result of a previously initiated workflow execution. Useful when “Wait for Response” was not used or the wait timed out.

• Dual output: Routes results to “Completed” or “Pending” output based on execution status
• Payload decoding: Handles JSON, text, and base64/binary response payloads. If the response was uploaded to blob storage by the Respond to Private Workflow node (payloads larger than 64 KB), this node automatically downloads the full payload.

Credentials

This package uses a single credential type.

Private Workflow Credentials API

Used by all nodes in this package.

• API Key (required): Your NodeFlex API key for authentication

Obtain your API key from portal.nodeflex.io.

Compatibility

• Minimum n8n version: Tested with n8n v1.113.0+
• Node.js: Requires Node.js 20.15 or later
• No external dependencies: Uses a custom zero-dependency SignalR client implementation

Usage

Basic workflow: Fire and forget

1. Add Execute Private Workflow to your calling workflow
2. Set the Workflow Name to match the target workflow’s registered path
3. Set Wait for Response to false
4. Add Private Workflow Trigger in a separate workflow with the same workflow name
5. Set the trigger’s response mode to Immediately

Workflow with response

1. Add Execute Private Workflow with Wait for Response enabled
2. In the target workflow, set the trigger response mode to Using Respond Node
3. Add your processing nodes after the trigger
4. End with Respond to Private Workflow, setting the correlation ID to {{ $json.__correlationId }}

Polling for results

If the wait times out or you prefer asynchronous checking:

1. Use Execute Private Workflow to start the remote workflow
2. Capture the correlationId from the “Acknowledged” output
3. Use Get Private Workflow Result with that correlation ID to check status later

Resources

• n8n community nodes documentation
• NodeFlex — Private workflow hub service

Version history

0.1.4

• Removed dev-only tooling not needed to build, test, or publish this package
• Removed pending-approval banner from README title

0.1.3

• Release housekeeping and changelog generation

0.1.2

• Renamed package to @nodeflex/n8n-nodes-nodeflex
• Updated n8n SDK to current major version and fixed resulting lint gaps

0.1.1

• Code quality improvements: removed unused code, tightened TypeScript types, extracted named constants
• Added description for text payload parameter in Execute Private Workflow node

0.1.0

Initial release with four nodes:

• Execute Private Workflow
• Private Workflow Trigger
• Respond to Private Workflow
• Get Private Workflow Result

License

MIT