Back up and restore n8n workflows with GitHub sync

n8n Workflows GitHub Manager

> A comprehensive n8n workflow that provides complete bidirectional sync between your n8n instance and GitHub - automatically backs up all your workflows with intelligent change detection AND restores them when needed.

This workflow combines two powerful features in one:

• Backup: Automatically detects new, edited, renamed, and deleted workflows in your n8n instance, then syncs them to GitHub with smart commit messages and an index tracking system.
• Restore: Easily restore all workflows from your GitHub repository back to n8n - perfect for disaster recovery, new instance setup, or environment cloning.

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How It Works

🔄 Backup Mode (Automatic)

1. Trigger: Runs automatically every day at 7 PM UTC (or manually when triggered via the Schedule Trigger).
2. Get/Create Index: Attempts to fetch index.json from your GitHub repository.

• If found → Downloads and parses it.
• If not found → Creates a new empty index file and waits 3 seconds for GitHub to process.

3. Fetch All Workflows: Retrieves all workflows from your n8n instance via the n8n API.
4. Smart Comparison: The "C,E,D Checker" (Create, Edit, Delete) analyzes differences:

• CREATE → New workflow not in index.
• RENAME → Workflow name changed (deletes old file, creates new one).
• EDIT → Existing workflow (flagged for content comparison).
• DELETE → Workflow removed from n8n but still in GitHub.
• INDEX UPDATE → Triggered if any changes detected.

5. Route Actions: Switch node routes each action to the appropriate branch:

• Create Branch → Creates new workflow files in GitHub.
• Edit Branch → Performs smart edit detection:
• Fetches current file from GitHub.
• Compares GitHub version vs. n8n version (normalized JSON).
• Only commits if content actually changed (avoids timestamp-only updates).
• Delete Branch → Removes workflow files from GitHub.
• Update Index Branch → Updates index.json with latest mappings.

6. Commit Messages: Auto-generated with format: [Workflow Name] (Action) YYYY-MM-DD

⬇️ Restore Mode (Manual)

1. Trigger: Manually execute via the "When clicking 'Execute workflow'" manual trigger.
2. Set GitHub Details: Configure your repository owner and name.
3. List Workflow Files: Fetches all workflow JSON files from the workflows/ folder in your GitHub repository.

• If folder not found → Workflow stops gracefully (ensure backup ran at least once first).

4. Loop Through Files: Sequentially processes each workflow file:

• Downloads the JSON content from GitHub.
• Creates the workflow in your n8n instance via the n8n API.

5. Sequential Processing: Handles one workflow at a time to prevent conflicts and respect rate limits.
6. Result: All workflows from GitHub are restored to your n8n instance.

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Requirements

• GitHub OAuth2 Credentials:

• Go to GitHub Developer Settings → OAuth Apps → New OAuth App.

• Set Authorization callback URL to your n8n instance URL (e.g., https://your-n8n.com/rest/oauth2-credential/callback).

• Copy Client ID and Client Secret.

• Add as OAuth2 credential in n8n (Credentials → New → GitHub OAuth2).

• GitHub Repository:

• Create a new repository (public or private).

• Note your username (repo owner) and repository name.

• n8n API Credentials:

• In your n8n instance → Settings → API → Create new API key.

• Add as n8n API credential in the workflow.

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How to Use

Initial Setup

1. Import the Workflow:

• Copy the provided JSON file.
• In your n8n instance → click Import Workflow → paste or upload the JSON.

2. Create GitHub Repository:

• Go to GitHub → Create a new repository (e.g., n8n-workflows-manager).
• Leave it empty (no README, no .gitignore).

3. Set Up GitHub OAuth2:

• In n8n → Credentials → New → GitHub OAuth2.
• Fill in:
• Client ID → from GitHub OAuth App.
• Client Secret → from GitHub OAuth App.
• Click Connect my account and authorize.

4. Set Up n8n API Credentials:

• In n8n → Settings → API → Create new API key.
• Copy the key.
• In workflow → Credentials → New → n8n API → paste the key.
• Set Base URL to your n8n instance (e.g., https://your-n8n.com).

5. Configure Repository Details:

• Find both "Set Github Data" nodes in the workflow (one for backup, one for restore).
• Edit the assignments in each:
• repo_owner: Replace "your-github-username" with your GitHub username.
• repo_name: Replace "your-github-repository-name" with your repository name.

6. Connect Credentials to Nodes:

• Open each GitHub node (there are 8 total):
• Backup section: Create Index File, Get Download Url for Index File, Create New Files, Update Index File, Get Download Url for Github File, Delete Files, Edit Files
• Restore section: List Workflow Files
• Set Credential for GitHub OAuth2 to the one you created.
• Open the n8n API nodes (Get All Workflows, Create Workflow) → Set Credential for n8n API to the one you created.

Using Backup Mode

7. Test Backup:

• Click the "Schedule Trigger" node at the top of the workflow.
• Click "Test workflow".
• Monitor execution → All nodes in the backup section should turn green.
• Check your GitHub repository → Should see index.json and workflows/ folder with your workflows.

8. Activate for Auto Backup:

• Once tested successfully, toggle the workflow to Active.
• It will now run automatically every day at 7 PM UTC.

Using Restore Mode

9. Test Restore (only after you have backups in GitHub):

• Click the "When clicking 'Execute workflow'" manual trigger node at the bottom.
• Click "Test workflow".
• Monitor execution → All nodes in the restore section should turn green.
• Check your n8n workflows list → All workflows from GitHub should now be present.

10. When to Use Restore:

• Setting up a new n8n instance.
• Recovering after data loss.
• Cloning workflows to another environment.
• Rolling back to a previous state (manually download older commits from GitHub first).

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Important Notes

• Smart Edit Detection: Uses normalized JSON comparison to avoid unnecessary commits when only timestamps change.
• Credentials: Credential IDs are included but not actual secrets. You must reconnect credentials after restore.
• Restored Workflows: Created as new workflows with new IDs in inactive state by default.
• File Structure: index.json tracks all workflows; workflows/ folder contains individual workflow files.
• Security: Use a private repository if workflows contain sensitive data. Credential secrets are never backed up.

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Customization

• Change Schedule: Edit "Schedule Trigger" node → modify triggerAtHour (default: 19 = 7 PM UTC)
• File Path: Modify filePath in GitHub nodes to change storage location
• Notifications: Add email/notification nodes to get alerts on backup completion
• Selective Restore: Add IF nodes to filter which workflows to restore
• Multiple Repos: Duplicate workflow for separate prod/dev backups

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Author: Muhammad Anas Farooq