Restore n8n Workflows Automatically from GitHub Backups

1. Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a workflow automation specialist who manages dozens of n8n workflows for her company. One day, due to an unexpected server crash, she loses several critical workflows that took hours to build and fine-tune. Manually restoring these workflows from backups scattered across emails and local drives could take her many frustrating hours, delaying business operations and risking costly downtime.

Sarah wishes for a quicker, foolproof method to recover lost workflows without sifting through messy backup files. The pain grows as she imagines the manual process of creating each workflow again — wasted time, potential for errors, and money lost in lost productivity.

2. What This Automation Does

This unique n8n workflow is designed specifically to restore all your n8n workflows from GitHub backups in just one click. When you run it, it:

• Fetches all workflow files from a designated GitHub repository folder.
• Splits the list to process each workflow file individually.
• Retrieves each workflow’s JSON content directly from GitHub.
• Converts file contents from JSON format suitable for n8n.
• Creates or restores the workflows inside your n8n instance automatically.
• Eliminates manual backup restoration time, saving hours of effort.

This automation is a lifesaver for anyone who backs up workflows to GitHub and wants a reliable restoration method after accidental data loss or migration.

3. Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n Account with Admin/API access to restore workflows.
• GitHub Account with a repository containing workflow backup files (JSON format).
• Configured GitHub API credentials in n8n for authentication.
• The workflows must be backed up in a specific repository folder (e.g., workflows/).
• Basic familiarity with navigating n8n to edit nodes and run workflows.

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Trigger the Workflow Manually

Navigate to your n8n editor and open this “Restore your workflows from GitHub” workflow. Click the Execute Workflow button at top right to start.

You should see the workflow begin execution from the manual trigger node “When clicking ‘Test workflow’”.

Common mistake: Forgetting to start manually since this trigger does not run automatically.

Step 2: Set Your GitHub Repository Details

Open the Globals node. Here, set your GitHub repository info:

• repo.owner: Your GitHub username or organization name. E.g., john-doe.
• repo.name: Your repo name holding workflow backups. E.g., n8n-backups.
• repo.path: Folder path within your repo where workflow files live. Usually workflows/.

Save the changes.

Visual tip: The sticky note near this node reminds you to update these values.

Common mistake: Leaving trailing slashes inconsistent or misspelling repository names.

Step 3: Fetch All Workflow Files from GitHub

The Get all files in given path HTTP Request node calls GitHub’s API to list all files in your specified backup folder.

This node uses your GitHub credentials securely and dynamically inserts the repo details from the Globals node.

Expected outcome: A JSON list of file metadata, including file paths.

Step 4: Split Each File Path for Processing

The Split the result node takes the array of files and splits it into individual items. This allows the next nodes to process each workflow file one by one.

Common mistake: Not understanding split nodes might confuse beginners but it’s key to flow control.

Step 5: Retrieve Each Workflow’s JSON Content

The Get file content from GitHub node uses the GitHub node type to fetch content of each file by path, repository, and owner.

This ensures you get the raw workflow JSON as stored in the backup file.

Step 6: Convert Retrieved Files to JSON

The Convert files to JSON node uses the Extract from File node type with operation “fromJson” to parse the content strings into usable JSON objects n8n can work with.

Step 7: Restore Workflows in n8n

The Restore n8n Workflows node uses the n8n node API to create workflows with the given JSON object.

This node finalizes the automation by actually recreating your workflows inside your n8n instance.

Expected result: After this runs successfully, check your workflows editor to see all restored workflows listed.

Common mistake: Running without proper API credentials or insufficient permissions will cause failure here.

5. Customizations ✏️

• Change repository or folder dynamically: In the Globals node, update repo.owner, repo.name, or repo.path to restore from different backups.
• Restore only selected workflows: Add a Filter node after splitting results to specify filenames to restore specific workflows.
• Schedule automatic restores: Replace the manual trigger with a Cron node to restore workflows periodically for backup verification.

6. Troubleshooting 🔧

• Problem: “Could not authenticate GitHub request.”
  Cause: Invalid or missing GitHub credentials.
  Solution: Check and update the GitHub API credential in n8n Settings under Credentials → GitHub API.
• Problem: “Workflow creation failed due to permission denied.”
  Cause: Insufficient n8n API key permissions.
  Solution: Verify your n8n API credentials and API user permissions before triggering restore workflow.

7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Verify GitHub token has repo read permissions.
• Confirm repo.owner, repo.name, repo.path are correct in Globals node.
• Test manual trigger to ensure files are fetched and workflows restored without errors.
• Backup current workflows in n8n before running to avoid overwriting important data unintentionally.

8. Deployment Guide

This workflow is designed for manual execution via the Manual Trigger node. To deploy:

• Activate your workflow by enabling it (toggle on in n8n editor).
• Use the manual trigger button “Execute Workflow” to start restoration.
• Monitor execution via n8n’s execution logs for success or errors.

10. Conclusion

By following this guide, you have automated the restoration of your n8n workflows directly from GitHub backups. Sarah, our automation specialist, would now save hours of manual rebuilding work with this streamlined restoration — protecting her company from costly downtime.

Try extending this workflow next by adding automated backup schedules to GitHub or integrating Slack alerts for restoration results. Keep your n8n workflows safe, recoverable, and manageable with this powerful restore automation.