n8n-uvx

Repository Description

Self-hosted N8N integration for MCP UVX servers via Docker—run UVX-powered MCP servers locally in your N8N workflows without any cloud dependency.

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n8n-uvx

A Dockerized setup that integrates Astral UV/UVX MCP servers directly into your local N8N instance—no external cloud services required.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Features
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Dockerfile Overview
• Environment Variables (.env)
• Docker Compose Setup
• Configuration
• Usage
• Additional Resources
• Contributing
• License

Introduction

This repository provides everything you need to self-host MCP UVX servers inside your N8N workflows using Docker. It installs the Astral UV/UVX CLI tools into an N8N container, exposes a data directory for MCP assets, and configures a Docker Compose service for seamless local automation.

Features

• 🐳 Docker-First: Fully containerized setup for portability and isolation.
• ⚙️ Astral CLI Tools: Installs uv and uvx via Astral’s installer for MCP server management.
• 📁 Persistent Data Volumes: Separate directories for N8N workflows and MCP assets.
• 🔒 Local-Only: Keep all data and execution on your machine—ideal for sensitive or offline environments.

Prerequisites

• Docker (20.10+)
• Docker Compose
• A basic local N8N setup (v0.x or later)
• Familiarity with Docker and environment variables

Installation

1. Clone this repository

   git clone https://github.com/The-AI-Workshops/n8n-uvx.git
   cd n8n-uvx
   

2. Copy .env.example to .env and edit it (update variables as needed — see Environment Variables).

3. Build the Docker image:

   docker build -t n8n-uvx .
   

4. Launch with Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up -d
   

**Alternative with **docker run (no Compose):

docker run -d \
  --name n8n-uvx \
  -p ${N8N_PORT}:5678 \
  -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE} \
  -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER} \
  -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD} \
  -e N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE=${N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE} \
  -v ${N8N_DATA_DIR}:/home/node/.n8n \
  -v ${MCP_DATA_DIR}:/data/mcp \
  n8n-uvx

Dockerfile Overview

The Dockerfile extends the official N8N image and includes steps to install system dependencies and Astral UV/UVX:

FROM n8nio/n8n:latest

USER root

# Install necessary system packages
RUN apk add --no-cache \
    curl \
    git \
    build-base \
    chromium \
    bash \
    tar \
    xz \
    util-linux \
    coreutils

# Install Astral uv/uvx and make available system-wide
RUN curl -Ls https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | bash \
    && cp /root/.local/bin/uv /usr/local/bin/uv \
    && cp /root/.local/bin/uvx /usr/local/bin/uvx \
    && chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/uv /usr/local/bin/uvx \
    && mkdir -p /data/mcp \
    && chown -R node:node /data/mcp

ENV PATH="/usr/local/bin:/root/.local/bin:${PATH}"

USER node

Environment Variables (.env)

Create a .env at the project root with these values:

# N8N Settings
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=admin123
N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE=true
N8N_PORT=5678

# Data Volume Paths
N8N_DATA_DIR=./data
MCP_DATA_DIR=./mcp

Docker Compose Setup

Use explicit variable mappings in docker-compose.yml:

version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "${N8N_PORT}:5678"
    environment:
      # N8N Core
      N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE:           "${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE}"
      N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER:             "${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER}"
      N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD:         "${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD}"
      N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE: "${N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE}"

      # Volume Paths (for clarity)
      N8N_DATA_DIR: "${N8N_DATA_DIR}"
      MCP_DATA_DIR: "${MCP_DATA_DIR}"
    volumes:
      - "${N8N_DATA_DIR}:/home/node/.n8n"
      - "${MCP_DATA_DIR}:/data/mcp"

Configuration

• Ports: Adjust N8N_PORT if port 5678 is in use.
• Volumes: Ensure ./data and ./mcp exist with proper permissions.
• Authentication: Change default admin123 password to a secure secret.

Usage

1. Visit http://localhost:${N8N_PORT} and log in.
2. Install the MCP Client node if needed: Settings > Community Nodes > n8n-nodes-mcp-client.
3. Create workflows using the uv/uvx CLI commands via N8N’s Execute Command node or custom nodes.

Additional Resources

• Astral UV/UVX CLI: https://astral.sh/docs/uv
• Awesome MCP Servers: https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers
• N8N Docker Docs: https://docs.n8n.io/getting-started/docker/

Contributing

1. Fork the repo.
2. Create a branch (git checkout -b feature/xyz).
3. Commit changes (git commit -m "Add feature").
4. Push to origin and open a PR.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.