# Connect n8n

> Start an n8n workflow when a domain is expiring, a monitor goes down or a certificate is about to lapse — and let a workflow open a maintenance window, pause…

Source: https://infranest.io/docs/connect-n8n
Last updated: 2026-10-26

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Connect n8n to start workflows automatically from InfraNest events, and let those workflows take action back in InfraNest — useful for anyone who wants domain, monitor or certificate changes to trigger automated steps without manual work.

## Overview
- Trigger an n8n workflow when a domain is expiring, a monitor goes down, or a certificate is about to lapse.
- Let an n8n workflow open a maintenance window, pause a monitor or resolve an incident in InfraNest.
- Both directions use a URL you copy between the two tools, and work the same whether your n8n is cloud-hosted or self-hosted.

## Before you start

1. In n8n, add a **Webhook** node to a workflow.
2. Copy its **Production URL** — not the Test URL. The test URL only listens while the editor is open, so deliveries stop the moment you close it.

> [!NOTE]
> If you self-host n8n, that address has to be reachable from the internet for InfraNest to deliver to it.

## Send InfraNest events to n8n

1. Go to **Integrations → n8n**.
2. Select **Add endpoint** and paste the **Production URL**. Leave **Send every event here** ticked, so every event is sent from the start.
3. Copy the **signing secret** shown once after saving, if you want to verify that deliveries really came from InfraNest.
4. Select **Send test event** and pick the event it should imitate, so your workflow can be built against a real payload.
5. Choose what gets sent: the endpoint page lists the **Send everything to …** automation it started. Open it to narrow it to the events you care about — or, if you unticked the box, pick a starting point under **Start an automation that posts to n8n** or build your own rule.

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## Let n8n trigger InfraNest

1. Go to **Integrations → Custom webhook → URLs we give you** and select **Add incoming URL**.
2. Give it a name you'll recognise later — you pick it by name when writing the rule.
3. Optionally set a **shared secret**, so a leaked URL on its own isn't enough to trigger anything.

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4. Copy **Your URL** into an **HTTP Request** node in your workflow, set to POST.
5. Back in InfraNest, use **Start an automation n8n can trigger** and add what should happen — open a maintenance window, pause a monitor, resolve an incident.

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## Tips
- You can add more than one endpoint — for example one workflow for incidents and another for domains.
- Both directions keep a delivery log under the integration page's **Activity** tab, so you can see what went out and what arrived.

> [!WARNING]
> The signing secret is shown once and never again. You can rotate it later; the old one stops working immediately. Your incoming URL works like a password — anyone holding it can trigger your organization's automations, so set a shared secret and regenerate the URL if it leaks.

## Troubleshooting

**Deliveries stop when you leave the n8n editor.** That's the Test URL. Swap the endpoint to the node's **Production URL** and activate the workflow.

**Nothing arrives, and n8n is self-hosted.** InfraNest has to be able to reach it from the internet — check that the address resolves publicly and isn't behind a VPN, a local-only firewall rule or an allowlist. The delivery log on the n8n page shows the error received.

**Your workflow doesn't trigger InfraNest.** Confirm the HTTP Request node posts to the exact **incoming URL**, and that the shared secret — if you set one — is sent as the `X-InfraNest-Secret` header.