Overview
n8n Wizard provides multiple ways to edit and refine your generated workflows. Whether you want to make quick AI-powered improvements or manually adjust nodes in n8n, you have full flexibility to perfect your workflows.
Key Insight: The Iterative Workflow Editor allows you to make natural language changes while maintaining full version history - perfect for evolving workflows over time.
Two Ways to Edit Workflows
1. Import your workflow
You can import an existing workflow to the canvas and then use the chat section to refine it.
How to Access:
- 1.Start a new chat session
- 2.Click the upload icon below the chat box
- 3.Choose the JSON file from your device
- 4.Once uploaded, you can chat with it.
Key Features:
- •Natural Language Modifications: Describe changes in plain English (e.g., "Add error handling to all nodes", "Include Slack notifications for failures")
- •Context-Aware: AI understands your current workflow and previous changes, making intelligent modifications
- •Live Preview: See workflow updates in real-time with the n8n workflow visualizer
- •Preserves Existing Functionality: Unless you specifically ask to remove something, the AI maintains your current nodes and connections
2. Chat-Based Refinement
The regular Workflow Generator includes chat functionality for conversational workflow refinement. Great for quick one-time generations with minor tweaks.
How to Use:
- 1.Generate a workflow from the regular generator using natural language prompts
- 2.Use the chat interface to request changes
- 3.Each message refines the workflow based on your feedback
- 4.Download or copy the final version when satisfied
Examples of editing your workflows once generated
You can make various types of modifications to your workflows:
Adding Nodes
Request new functionality by describing what you want to add:
Removing Nodes
Specify which nodes or functionality to remove:
Modifying Node Configuration
Change node parameters, operations, or data mappings:
Updating Connections
Change how nodes are linked together:
Adding Logic & Conditions
Include decision-making in your workflow:
Manual Editing in n8n
After generating or iterating on a workflow, you can always export it and make manual adjustments in n8n:
- 1.Copy the JSON
Click the "Copy JSON" button to copy the workflow to your clipboard
- 2.Import into n8n
Open your n8n instance, click the menu, select "Import from File" or "Import from Clipboard", and paste the JSON
- 3.Make Manual Adjustments
Use n8n's visual editor to add credentials, adjust parameters, test connections, and fine-tune configurations
- 4.Save and Activate
Save your changes and activate the workflow to start using it
Best Practices for Editing
- •Be Specific: Clearly describe what you want to change, add, or remove for best results
- •Use Version History: Review previous versions before making changes to understand the evolution of your workflow
- •Incremental Changes: Make one change at a time rather than requesting multiple modifications at once
- •Test in n8n: Always test workflows in n8n after making significant changes to ensure they work as expected
- •Save Important Versions: Export and backup workflow versions that work well before making major changes
- •Combine AI and Manual: Use AI for structure and logic, then manually add credentials and test specific configurations in n8n
Common Editing Scenarios
Adding Error Handling to Existing Workflow
Use the prompt: "Add error handling to all nodes with try-catch logic and send failure notifications to Slack"
Converting Scheduled Workflow to Webhook Trigger
Use the prompt: "Replace the schedule trigger with a webhook trigger that accepts POST requests with JSON payload"
Adding Data Persistence
Use the prompt: "Add a PostgreSQL node to store all processed records with timestamp and status fields"
Splitting Workflow Into Parallel Branches
Use the prompt: "After the HTTP request, split the workflow so one branch sends to Slack and another saves to Google Sheets simultaneously"
Pro Tip: If a modification doesn't turn out as expected, you can always restore a previous version from the version history or regenerate with a more detailed description.