Introduction
Build workflow logic in n8n and use AgentBrains for triggering, knowledge access, retrieval, and synthetic QA.
Introduction to AgentBrains n8n Nodes
The AgentBrains node pack connects n8n workflows to the parts of AgentBrains that matter in production: deterministic knowledge access, semantic retrieval, inbound workflow triggering, and synthetic conversation testing.
Why use the node pack
You can call the AgentBrains APIs with raw HTTP nodes, but the dedicated nodes remove repetitive setup and make workflows easier to maintain.
| Benefit | What you get in n8n |
|---|---|
| Credential handling | Access tokens live in the n8n credential store instead of being repeated in every HTTP node. |
| Better AI ergonomics | Knowledge and retrieval responses are already shaped for workflow logic and LLM tooling. |
| Visual selection | Categories, indexes, and synthetic users can be selected from dropdowns instead of hardcoded IDs. |
| Faster production setup | You can connect a live workflow, search your knowledge base, and run QA without building custom request chains first. |
Install the package
AgentBrains ships as an n8n community node package: n8n-nodes-agent-brains.
n8n supports three installation paths for community nodes:
| Path | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nodes panel | Verified community nodes | Available from the canvas search panel for verified packages |
| Settings → Community Nodes | Self-hosted npm installation through the UI | Requires an Owner or Admin account |
| Manual npm install | Queue mode or private-package setups | Self-hosted only |
Recommended path for self-hosted n8n
- Open Settings.
- Go to Community Nodes.
- Select Install.
- Enter
n8n-nodes-agent-brains. - Confirm the community-node risk prompt.
Manual installation
If your n8n deployment runs in queue mode or you install packages manually inside the runtime container, install it from npm in ~/.n8n/nodes, then restart n8n:
mkdir -p ~/.n8n/nodes
cd ~/.n8n/nodes
npm install n8n-nodes-agent-brainsIf you run n8n in Docker, open the container shell first and then run the same commands there.
Important limitations
- Manual npm installation is available on self-hosted n8n instances.
- Unverified community nodes are not available on n8n Cloud.
- Verified community nodes can also be installed directly from the nodes panel by instance owners or admins.
Configure credentials
Create one AgentBrains Integration API credential and reuse it across all nodes.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Access Token | Generate it from the AgentBrains system integration page. |
| Custom Domain | Optional override for sandbox or a custom environment. Leave it empty to use the package default. |
The credential sends the same token both as a bearer token and as an access-key header, so you do not need to manage request headers manually.
If you need help creating the token first, open Access API Key.
Choose the right node
| Node | Best for | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| AgentBrains Integration Trigger | Starting an n8n workflow from AgentBrains | A live AgentBrains conversation or external integration invokes your workflow webhook. |
| AgentBrains Knowledge Base | Deterministic document, image, and category access | Your flow reads exact records, categories, attachments, or company data. |
| AgentBrains RAG | Semantic retrieval across indexes | Your AI agent searches large knowledge collections without managing embeddings yourself. |
| AgentBrains Synthetic QA | Automated validation of agent behavior | You get scored test conversations and a structured QA report. |
Recommended workflow patterns
Deterministic answer flow
Use Integration Trigger to receive the user request, then call Knowledge Base when the answer must come from a specific policy, price list, instruction manual, or product sheet.
Hybrid agent flow
Use RAG as an AI tool for broad semantic search, then call Knowledge Base when the model needs an exact source document or image.
Quality gate flow
Use Synthetic QA in a validation workflow after prompt, policy, or automation changes. This gives you repeatable scoring instead of manually reading JSON outputs.
What the nodes map to
The node pack is built on top of the AgentBrains integration APIs and helper routes:
- The Knowledge Base node maps to entity, category, attachment, and company helper routes.
- The RAG node uses index discovery and retrieval endpoints.
- The Synthetic QA node uses AgentBrains external QA services to start and poll test runs.
- The Integration Trigger registers your n8n webhook with AgentBrains when the workflow is activated.
Node Interface
Here is how the AgentBrains nodes look in n8n:
Next steps
- Open Access API Key if you still need to create or organize your integration credentials.
- Open AgentBrains Integration Trigger if you need to connect a production workflow.
- Open AgentBrains Knowledge Base if you need exact documents or image metadata.
- Open AgentBrains RAG if you want semantic search as an AI tool.
- Open AgentBrains Synthetic QA if you want repeatable testing and scoring.