Description

n8n-nodes-autotask

!n8n-nodes-autotask
!License


> IMPORTANT: After updating this node to a new version, a restart of your n8n instance is highly recommended to ensure all changes are properly applied.

This is an n8n community node for integrating with Autotask PSA. It provides a comprehensive set of operations to interact with Autotask entities through their REST API.

!Overview of n8n-nodes-autotask

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation
Authentication
Features
Usage
Configuration
Limitations
Troubleshooting
Resources
Support
License

Installation

Follow these steps to install this node:

Install with npm
npm install n8n-nodes-autotask
Install with pnpm
pnpm install n8n-nodes-autotask

Requirements:

• n8n version 1.0.0 or later
• Node.js version 18.10 or later
• pnpm version 9.1 or later (if using pnpm)

Authentication

To use this node, you need to have API access to your Autotask instance. Follow these steps to set up authentication:

1. In Autotask, go to Admin > API User Security
2. Create or select an API user
3. Note the API Integration Code, Username, and Secret
4. In n8n, create a new credential of type Autotask API
5. Enter your API Integration Code, Username, and Secret
6. Select your Autotask zone
7. Select your timezone (affects how dates and times are displayed and entered)
8. Configure caching options as needed (this will cache dynamically fetched field picklists)

Features

Supported Resources

The node supports the following Autotask resources:

| Resource | Description |
|———-|————-|
| API Threshold | Check Autotask API usage limits and current usage levels |
| Billing Code | Manage billing codes for time entries and charges |
| Billing Items | Manage Autotask Billing Items, which represent billable items that have been approved and posted for potential invoicing |
| Company | Manage organisations in Autotask |
| Company Alert | Manage alerts associated with companies |
| Company Location | Manage locations for companies |
| Company Note | Manage notes attached to companies |
| Company Site Configuration | Manage company site configurations and user-defined fields for customer companies |
| Company Webhook | Manage webhooks for company events |
| Configuration Item | Manage configuration items (CIs) for companies |
| Configuration Item Billing Product Association | Manage product associations for configuration items |
| Configuration Item Category | Manage categories for configuration items |
| Configuration Item Category UDF Association | Manage UDF associations for CI categories |
| Configuration Item DNS Record | Manage DNS records for configuration items |
| Configuration Item Note | Manage notes for configuration items |
| Configuration Item Related Item | Manage related items for configuration items |
| Configuration Item SSL Subject Alternative Name | Manage SSL alternative names for configuration items |
| Configuration Item Type | Manage types for configuration items |
| Configuration Item Webhook | Manage webhooks for configuration item events |
| Contact | Manage contacts associated with companies |
| Contact Groups | Manage contact groups |
| Contact Group Contacts | Manage contacts within contact groups |
| Contact Webhook | Manage webhooks for contact events |
| Contract | Manage contracts for companies |
| Contract Billing Rules | Manage billing rules for contracts |
| Contract Block | Manage block hour contracts |
| Contract Block Hour Factor | Manage hour factors for block hour contracts |
| Contract Charge | Manage charges associated with contracts |
| Contract Exclusion Billing Codes | Manage excluded billing codes for contracts |
| Contract Exclusion Roles | Manage excluded roles for contracts |
| Contract Exclusion Set Excluded Roles | Manage excluded roles within exclusion sets |
| Contract Exclusion Set Excluded Work Types | Manage excluded work types within exclusion sets |
| Contract Exclusion Sets | Manage exclusion sets for contracts |
| Contract Milestone | Manage milestones for contracts |
| Contract Note | Manage notes attached to contracts |
| Contract Rate | Manage rates for contract services |
| Contract Retainers | Manage retainers for contracts |
| Contract Role Costs | Manage role costs for contracts |
| Contract Service | Manage services within contracts |
| Contract Service Adjustments | Manage adjustments for contract services |
| Contract Service Bundle Adjustments | Manage adjustments for service bundles |
| Contract Service Bundles | Manage service bundles within contracts |
| Contract Service Bundle Units | Manage service bundle units |
| Contract Service Unit | Manage service units for contracts |
| Contract Ticket Purchases | Manage ticket purchases for contracts |
| Countries | Query countries, which are used in address information for companies, contacts, and resources |
| Domain Registrars | Manage domain registrars |
| Holiday | Manage holiday dates |
| Holiday Set | Manage holiday sets for resources |
| Invoices | Manage invoices |
| Notification History | View notification history |
| Opportunity | Manage sales opportunities |
| Product | Manage products in the catalogue |
| Product Vendors | Manage vendor associations for products |
| Project | Manage projects |
| Project Charge | Manage charges associated with projects |
| Project Note | Manage notes attached to projects |
| Project Phase | Manage phases within projects |
| Project Task | Manage tasks within projects |
| Quote | Manage quotes for opportunities with pricing for products, services, and labor |
| Quote Item | Manage line items for quotes including products, services, and labor |
| Quote Location | Manage shipping and billing address information for quotes |
| Quote Template | Query quote templates that define content and appearance of quotes |
| Resource | Manage staff resources |
| Resource Role | Manage department/role relationships, service desk queues, and service desk roles |
| Roles | Manage roles in the system |
| Search Filter | Build advanced search filters |
| Service | Manage services offered to clients |
| Service Call | Manage service calls |
| Service Call Task | Manage tasks associated with service calls |
| Service Call Task Resource | Manage resources assigned to service call tasks |
| Service Call Ticket | Manage tickets linked to service calls |
| Service Call Ticket Resource | Manage resources assigned to service call tickets |
| Survey | Manage customer surveys |
| Survey Results | Manage results from customer surveys |
| Subscription | Manage Subscriptions, which represent recurring service agreements with customers |
| Subscription Period | Query Subscription Periods, which track billing periods and usage for subscriptions |
| Ticket | Manage service tickets |
| Ticket History | View historical changes to tickets |
| Ticket Note | Manage notes attached to tickets |
| Ticket Note Webhook | Manage webhooks for ticket note events |
| Ticket Webhook | Manage webhooks for ticket events |
| Time Entry | Manage time entries for billing |

Operations

For most resources, the following operations are available:

• Create: Add new records
• Read: Retrieve a single record by ID
• Update: Modify existing records
• Delete: Remove records
• Get Many: Retrieve multiple records with basic filtering options. This operation allows you to:

– Filter records using simple field conditions (equals)
– Filtering on User Defined Fields (UDFs)
– Automatically paginate through large result sets
– Choose to get all results or limit to a specific number (1-500)
– Set a maximum number of records to return when not retrieving all records
– Select specific columns to return in the response
– Add human-readable labels for picklist and reference fields
– Flatten User-Defined Fields for easier access in workflows

• Get Many Advanced: Build complex queries with multiple filter conditions and logical operators. This operation provides:

– Support for complex AND/OR logic in filters
– Nested condition groups for sophisticated queries
– Filtering on User Defined Fields (UDFs)
– Advanced operators like contains, beginsWith, endsWith, exists, notExists
– Support for IN and NOT IN operators with multiple values
– Choose to get all results or limit to a specific number (1-500)
– Set a maximum number of records to return when not retrieving all records
– Select specific columns to return in the response
– Add human-readable labels for picklist and reference fields
– Flatten User-Defined Fields for easier access in workflows
– Date-based filtering with automatic timezone handling

• Count: Get the number of matching records
• Get Entity Info: Retrieve metadata about the entity
• Get Field Info: Retrieve field definitions for the selected entity

For webhook resources (Company Webhook, Contact Webhook, Configuration Item Webhook, Ticket Webhook, Ticket Note Webhook), the following operations are available:

• Get: Retrieve a single webhook by ID
• Get Many: Retrieve multiple webhooks with basic filtering
• Delete: Remove a webhook

Webhook Trigger

The node includes an Autotask Trigger node that can receive webhook events from Autotask. The trigger supports:

• Events for multiple entity types (Companies, Contacts, Tickets, Configuration Items, Ticket Notes)
• Create, Update, and Delete events
• Field selection for webhook payloads (specify which fields to include)
• Resource exclusion (exclude specific resources from triggering the workflow)
• Email notifications for webhook delivery failures
• Threshold notifications for monitoring webhook performance
• Automatic webhook registration and cleanup
• Secure payload verification with HMAC signatures

Advanced Features

• Resource Mapping: Dynamically map fields based on entity definitions. When Mapping Column Mode is set to “Map automatically” (autoMapInputData), the node uses incoming item data directly and passes all fields whose keys match the selected entity’s schema IDs, regardless of whether those columns are toggled off in the UI. Node parameter mappings are ignored in this mode (matching n8n’s standard resource mapper behaviour). bodyJson still takes final precedence as an override.
• Advanced Filtering: Build complex queries with multiple conditions
• Column Selection: Choose specific fields to return in get operations
• Picklist Label Enrichment: Automatically add human-readable labels for picklist fields
• Reference Label Enrichment: Add human-readable labels for reference fields
• UDF Flattening: Bring user-defined fields up to the top level of response objects for easier access
• File-based Caching: Improved performance with persistent caching that can be shared between workflows and runs
• Timezone Handling: Automatic conversion between local time and UTC
• API Usage Monitoring: Check current API usage thresholds and limits using the API Threshold resource to help prevent hitting rate limits and ensure smooth operations

API Threshold Resource

The API Threshold resource provides a simple way to monitor your Autotask API usage limits and current consumption. This helps users:

• Track how many API requests have been made in the current timeframe
• See the maximum allowed requests (threshold limit)
• View the usage as a percentage and categorized level (Normal, Moderate, High, Critical)
• Calculate remaining available requests
• Monitor timeframe duration for rate limits

This is particularly useful for workflows that make many API calls, allowing you to implement conditional logic based on current usage levels to avoid hitting rate limits and ensure continuous operation.

AI Agent Playbook

This node is optimised for AI agents and tool-calling systems with specialised features designed for autonomous operation.

#### Quick Start for AI Agents

1. Introspect Resources

// Discover available fields and requirements
operation: aiHelper.describeResource
params: { resource: "ticket", mode: "write" }

2. Prepare Data

// Use JSON parameters for direct data input
bodyJson: {
  "title": "API Integration Issue", 
  "description": "Customer reporting connection problems",
  "priority": "Medium",
  "status": "New"
}

Note: You may provide labels for picklist/reference fields in bodyJson (e.g., status: "New"). They are automatically resolved to IDs pre-flight.

3. Preview First (Optional)

// Test your request without making API calls
dryRun: true

4. Execute with Optimal Output

// Choose output format for token efficiency
outputMode: "rawIds"        // Most efficient
outputMode: "idsAndLabels"  // Default (balanced)
outputMode: "labelsOnly"    // Most readable

#### AI Helper Operations

Introspection Endpoint:

• aiHelper.describeResource(resource, mode) – Get field metadata, requirements, constraints, and entity dependencies
• aiHelper.listPicklistValues(resource, fieldId, query, limit, page) – Get valid values for dropdown fields
• aiHelper.validateParameters(resource, mode, fieldValues) – NEW: Validate field values without API calls – pre-flight validation

Dynamic Dependency Discovery:

• Reference fields show what entity they link to (e.g., companyID → company)
• Field dependencies reveal required relationships (e.g., contactID requires: companyID)
• Workflow guidance provides creation order tips (e.g., “Ensure company exists before creating contact”)

Enhanced Validation:

• JSON Schema validation – Immediate feedback on malformed bodyJson/selectColumnsJson
• Parameter pre-validation – Validate field values, types, dependencies without API calls
• Structured error responses – Detailed validation results with field-by-field feedback

JSON Parameter Fallbacks:

• bodyJson – Override UI mappings for write operations (create/update)
• selectColumnsJson – Specify fields for read operations as JSON array

Agent-Friendly Features:

• outputMode – Control response format (rawIds/idsAndLabels/labelsOnly)
• dryRun – Get request preview without API execution
• Smart error hints with actionable suggestions

#### Tool Configuration for Maximum Effectiveness

For optimal AI agent integration, configure multiple instances of this node as separate tools. This provides focused, reliable access to different resource types.

Recommended Tool Setup:

// Tool 1: Resource Discovery and Field Introspection
{
  name: "autotask_inspector",
  description: "Discover Autotask resources, fields, and valid values",
  resource: "aiHelper",
  operations: ["describeResource", "listPicklistValues"]
}
// Tool 2: Contact Management 
{
  name: "autotask_contacts",
  description: "Read and write Autotask contacts and people",
  resource: "contact",
  operations: ["get", "getMany", "create", "update"],
  defaultParams: {
    outputMode: "idsAndLabels",
    selectColumnsJson: ["id", "firstName", "lastName", "emailAddress", "companyID", "title", "phone"]
  }
  // Accepts labels in bodyJson; labels are auto-resolved to IDs
}
// Tool 3: Company/Account Management
{
  name: "autotask_companies", 
  description: "Read and write Autotask companies and accounts",
  resource: "company",
  operations: ["get", "getMany", "create", "update"],
  defaultParams: {
    outputMode: "idsAndLabels",
    selectColumnsJson: ["id", "companyName", "companyType", "phone", "address1", "city", "state"]
  }
  // Accepts labels in bodyJson; labels are auto-resolved to IDs
}
// Tool 4: General Resource Access
{
  name: "autotask_resources",
  description: "Access any Autotask resource with full flexibility",
  allResources: true,
  defaultParams: {
    outputMode: "rawIds"  // Most token-efficient for exploratory queries
  }
  // Accepts labels in bodyJson; labels are auto-resolved to IDs
}

Usage Pattern:
1. Start with Inspector – Use autotask_inspector to understand field requirements
2. Use Focused Tools – Call autotaskcontacts or autotaskcompanies for CRM related operations
3. Use Specialist Tools – Use autotask_resources for lookups of Autotask MSP staff (resources)

Benefits:

• Faster execution – Pre-configured tools reduce parameter complexity
• Better reliability – Focused tools have predictable schemas
• Token efficiency – Default parameters optimised for each use case
• Easier debugging – Clear separation of concerns

#### Environment Setup

For AI tool usage, set this environment variable:

N8NCOMMUNITYPACKAGESALLOWTOOL_USAGE=true

Configuration options:

• Add to your .env file
• Set in system environment variables
• Include in Docker/container configuration
• Add to startup command: N8NCOMMUNITYPACKAGESALLOWTOOL_USAGE=true n8n start

#### Example Agent Workflow

Scenario: Create a contact for a new company

// 1. Inspect contact requirements using dedicated tool
autotask_inspector.call({
  operation: "describeResource",
  targetResource: "contact", 
  mode: "write"
})
// Returns: { 
//   fields: [
//     { id: "companyID", required: true, isReference: true, referencesEntity: "company" },
//     { id: "firstName", required: true, type: "string" },
//     { id: "lastName", required: true, type: "string" }
//   ],
//   notes: [
//     "Required fields for write: companyID, firstName, lastName",
//     "Reference fields (must reference existing entities): companyID → company",
//     "Workflow tip: Ensure referenced company exists before creating contact."
//   ]
// }
// 2. Check company picklist values if needed
autotask_inspector.call({
  operation: "listPicklistValues",
  targetResource: "contact",
  fieldId: "companyID",
  query: "Tech Solutions"  // Search for company
})
// 2.5. Validate parameters before creation (NEW!)
autotask_inspector.call({
  operation: "validateParameters",
  targetResource: "contact",
  mode: "create",
  fieldValues: {
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Smith",
    "emailAddress": "john.smith@techsolutions.com",
    "companyID": 12345,
    "title": "IT Manager"
  }
})
// Returns: {
//   isValid: true,
//   errors: [],
//   warnings: [
//     { field: "companyID", message: "Reference field 'companyID' points to company. Ensure the referenced record exists.", code: "REFERENCEEXISTENCECHECK" }
//   ],
//   summary: { totalFields: 15, providedFields: 5, validFields: 5, requiredFieldsMissing: 0, invalidValues: 0 }
// }
// 3. Create contact using focused tool
autotask_contacts.call({
  operation: "create",
  bodyJson: {
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Smith", 
    "emailAddress": "john.smith@techsolutions.com",
    "companyID": 12345,
    "title": "IT Manager"
  },
  dryRun: true  // Preview first
})
// Dry-run response includes a resolutions array when labels were resolved to IDs, e.g.:
// resolutions: [{ field: 'status', from: 'New', to: 1, method: 'picklist' }]
// 4. Execute after validation
autotask_contacts.call({
  operation: "create",
  bodyJson: { / same data / },
  outputMode: "idsAndLabels"
})
// 5. Retrieve company details using focused tool  
autotask_companies.call({
  operation: "get",
  id: 12345
})

#### Error Self-Healing

Errors include structured hints to help agents self-correct:

// Error response includes actionable guidance
{
  "error": "Field 'priority' has invalid value 'Urgent'",
  "extensions": {
    "hint": "Use aiHelper.listPicklistValues('ticket', 'priority') to get valid options, then retry with a valid value.",
    "suggestions": [
      "Get valid values: aiHelper.listPicklistValues('ticket', 'priority')",
      "Use exact values from the picklist response"
    ]
  }
}

#### Best Practices for Agents

• Configure focused tools – Set up separate tools for inspector, contacts, companies, and general resources
• Start with inspection – Always call autotask_inspector.describeResource first to understand field requirements
• Use focused tools – Prefer autotaskcontacts or autotaskcompanies over general tools for better reliability
• Validate before execution – Use autotask_inspector.validateParameters for pre-flight validation to catch errors early
• Optimise responses – Use selectColumnsJson to reduce payload size and outputMode: "rawIds" for token efficiency
• Double-check with dry-run – Use dryRun: true to preview requests before execution, especially for write operations
• Handle errors smartly – Follow the structured hints in error responses for self-correction
• Cache discoveries – Store field metadata and picklist values to avoid repeated introspection calls
• JSON validation – Invalid JSON in bodyJson/selectColumnsJson is caught immediately with helpful error messages

#### Troubleshooting

Tool Not Available: Ensure N8NCOMMUNITYPACKAGESALLOWTOOL_USAGE=true is set
No Parameters Visible: Call aiHelper.describeResource to inspect available fields
Large Responses: Use selectColumnsJson and outputMode: "rawIds" for efficiency
Validation Errors: Follow error hints to resolve field requirement issues

Usage

Basic Example: Creating a Ticket

1. Add an Autotask node to your workflow
2. Select Ticket as the resource
3. Select Create as the operation
4. Configure the required fields (Title, Status, etc.)
5. Connect to a trigger or previous node
6. Execute the workflow

Intermediate Example: Querying Projects with Filters

1. Add an Autotask node to your workflow
2. Select Project as the resource
3. Select Get Many as the operation
4. Add filter conditions (e.g., Status equals “Active”)
5. Choose whether to retrieve all results or limit the number:
– Toggle “Get All” to true to retrieve all matching records
– Toggle “Get All” to false and set “Max Records” (1-500) to limit the results
6. Connect to a trigger or previous node
7. Execute the workflow

Advanced Example: Using Column Selection and Reference Labels

1. Add an Autotask node to your workflow
2. Select Ticket as the resource
3. Select Get Many as the operation
4. Add filter conditions as needed
5. Enable Select Columns to choose specific fields to return
6. Select only the fields you need in the response (improves performance)
7. Enable Add Picklist Labels to get human-readable values for picklist fields
8. Enable Add Reference Labels to get human-readable values for reference fields
9. Enable Flatten User-Defined Fields to bring UDFs to the top level of response objects
10. Execute the workflow to get tickets with only the selected fields and human-readable labels

Advanced Example: Complex Filtering with Get Many Advanced

1. Add an Autotask node to your workflow
2. Select Ticket as the resource
3. Select Get Many Advanced as the operation
4. Build a complex filter, for example:

   {
      "filter": [
      {
        "op": "and",
        "items": [
          {
            "field": "status",
            "op": "noteq",
            "value": 5
          },
          {
            "op": "or",
            "items": [
              {
                "field": "priority",
                "op": "eq",
                "value": 6
              },
              {
                "field": "dueDateTime",
                "op": "lt",
                "value": "{{ $now.plus(3, 'days').toLocal()}}"
              }
             ]
           }
         ]
      }
    ]
   }
   

GitHub Issues to see if the problem has already been reported
2. If not, please submit a new issue with:
– A clear description of the problem
– Steps to reproduce the issue
– Expected vs actual behaviour
– Your environment details (n8n version, Node.js version)
– Any relevant error messages or screenshots

Bug reports should be submitted via GitHub at: https://github.com/msoukhomlinov/n8n-nodes-autotask/issues

Resources

• n8n Documentation
• GitHub Repository

Support

If you find this node helpful and want to support its ongoing development, you can buy me a coffee:


Your support helps maintain this project and develop new features.

License

MIT