feat: Document n8n_manage_credentials and n8n_audit_instance tools (n8n-mcp v2.47.0)

Add comprehensive documentation for two new n8n-mcp tools:
- n8n_manage_credentials: Full credential CRUD (list, get, create, update, delete)
  plus schema discovery (getSchema), with security notes on response stripping,
  log redaction, and get fallback behavior (v2.47.1)
- n8n_audit_instance: Security audit combining n8n built-in audit (5 risk
  categories) with custom deep scan (hardcoded secrets, unauthenticated webhooks,
  error handling, data retention)

Updated skills: n8n-mcp-tools-expert, n8n-validation-expert
Updated: CLAUDE.md, dist packages

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -94,6 +94,12 @@ The n8n-mcp server provides these unified tools:
 ### Data Tables
 - `n8n_manage_datatable` - Manage data tables and rows (CRUD, filtering, dry-run)
 
+### Credential Management
+- `n8n_manage_credentials` - Full credential CRUD (list, get, create, update, delete) + schema discovery (`getSchema`)
+
+### Security & Audit
+- `n8n_audit_instance` - Security audit combining n8n built-in audit (5 risk categories) + custom deep scan (hardcoded secrets, unauthenticated webhooks, error handling, data retention)
+
 ### Templates
 - `search_templates` - Multiple modes (keyword, by_nodes, by_task, by_metadata)
 - `get_template` - Get template details

skills/n8n-mcp-tools-expert/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: n8n-mcp-tools-expert
-description: Expert guide for using n8n-mcp MCP tools effectively. Use when searching for nodes, validating configurations, accessing templates, managing workflows, or using any n8n-mcp tool. Provides tool selection guidance, parameter formats, and common patterns.
+description: Expert guide for using n8n-mcp MCP tools effectively. Use when searching for nodes, validating configurations, accessing templates, managing workflows, managing credentials, auditing instance security, or using any n8n-mcp tool. Provides tool selection guidance, parameter formats, and common patterns.
 ---
 
 # n8n MCP Tools Expert
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ n8n-mcp provides tools organized into categories:
 3. **Workflow Management** → [WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md](WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md)
 4. **Template Library** - Search and deploy 2,700+ real workflows
 5. **Data Tables** - Manage n8n data tables and rows (`n8n_manage_datatable`)
-6. **Documentation & Guides** - Tool docs, AI agent guide, Code node guides
+6. **Credential Management** - Full credential CRUD + schema discovery (`n8n_manage_credentials`)
+7. **Security & Audit** - Instance security auditing with custom deep scan (`n8n_audit_instance`)
+8. **Documentation & Guides** - Tool docs, AI agent guide, Code node guides
 
 ---
 
@@ -36,6 +38,8 @@ n8n-mcp provides tools organized into categories:
 | `validate_workflow` | Checking complete workflow | 100-500ms |
 | `n8n_deploy_template` | Deploy template to n8n instance | 200-500ms |
 | `n8n_manage_datatable` | Managing data tables and rows | 50-500ms |
+| `n8n_manage_credentials` | Credential CRUD + schema discovery | 50-500ms |
+| `n8n_audit_instance` | Security audit (built-in + custom scan) | 500-5000ms |
 | `n8n_autofix_workflow` | Auto-fix validation errors | 200-1500ms |
 
 ---
@@ -388,6 +392,8 @@ See [WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md](WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md) for:
 - Workflow activation (activateWorkflow/deactivateWorkflow)
 - n8n_deploy_template
 - n8n_workflow_versions
+- n8n_manage_credentials (credential CRUD + schema discovery)
+- n8n_audit_instance (security auditing)
 
 ---
 
@@ -518,6 +524,106 @@ n8n_manage_datatable({
 
 ---
 
+## Credential Management
+
+### n8n_manage_credentials
+
+Unified tool for managing n8n credentials. Supports full CRUD operations and schema discovery.
+
+**Actions**: `list`, `get`, `create`, `update`, `delete`, `getSchema`
+
+```javascript
+// List all credentials
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "list"})
+// → Returns: id, name, type, createdAt, updatedAt (never exposes secrets)
+
+// Get credential by ID
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "get", id: "123"})
+// → Returns: credential metadata (data field stripped for security)
+
+// Discover required fields for a credential type
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "getSchema", credentialType: "httpHeaderAuth"})
+// → Returns: required fields, types, descriptions
+
+// Create credential
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "create",
+  name: "My Slack Token",
+  type: "slackApi",
+  data: {accessToken: "xoxb-..."}
+})
+
+// Update credential
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "update",
+  id: "123",
+  name: "Updated Name",
+  data: {accessToken: "xoxb-new-..."},
+  type: "slackApi"  // Optional, needed by some n8n versions
+})
+
+// Delete credential
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "delete", id: "123"})
+```
+
+**Security**:
+- `get`, `create`, and `update` responses strip the `data` field (defense-in-depth)
+- `get` action falls back to list+filter if direct GET returns 403/405 (not all n8n versions expose this endpoint)
+- Credential request bodies are redacted from debug logs
+
+**Best practices**:
+- Use `getSchema` before `create` to discover required fields for a credential type
+- The `data` field contains the actual secret values — provide it only on create/update
+- Always verify credential creation by listing afterward
+
+---
+
+## Security & Audit
+
+### n8n_audit_instance
+
+Security audit tool that combines n8n's built-in audit with custom deep scanning of all workflows.
+
+```javascript
+// Full audit (default — runs both built-in + custom scan)
+n8n_audit_instance()
+
+// Built-in audit only (specific categories)
+n8n_audit_instance({
+  categories: ["credentials", "nodes"],
+  includeCustomScan: false
+})
+
+// Custom scan only (specific checks)
+n8n_audit_instance({
+  customChecks: ["hardcoded_secrets", "unauthenticated_webhooks"]
+})
+```
+
+**Built-in audit categories**: `credentials`, `database`, `nodes`, `instance`, `filesystem`
+
+**Custom deep scan checks**:
+- `hardcoded_secrets` — Detects 50+ patterns for API keys, tokens, passwords (OpenAI, AWS, Stripe, GitHub, Slack, etc.) plus PII (email, phone, credit card). Secrets are masked in output (first 6 + last 4 chars).
+- `unauthenticated_webhooks` — Flags webhook/form triggers without authentication
+- `error_handling` — Flags workflows with 3+ nodes and no error handling
+- `data_retention` — Flags workflows saving all execution data (success + failure)
+
+**Parameters** (all optional):
+- `categories` — Array of built-in audit categories
+- `includeCustomScan` — Boolean (default: `true`)
+- `customChecks` — Array subset of the 4 custom checks
+- `daysAbandonedWorkflow` — Days threshold for abandoned workflow detection
+
+**Output**: Actionable markdown report with:
+- Summary table (critical/high/medium/low finding counts)
+- Findings grouped by workflow
+- Remediation Playbook with three sections:
+  - **Auto-fixable** — Items you can fix with tool chains (e.g., add auth to webhooks)
+  - **Requires review** — Items needing human judgment (e.g., PII detection)
+  - **Requires user action** — Items needing manual intervention (e.g., rotate exposed keys)
+
+---
+
 ## Self-Help Tools
 
 ### Get Tool Documentation
@@ -580,6 +686,8 @@ n8n_health_check({mode: "diagnostic"})
 - n8n_workflow_versions
 - n8n_autofix_workflow
 - n8n_manage_datatable
+- n8n_manage_credentials
+- n8n_audit_instance
 
 If API tools unavailable, use templates and validation-only workflows.
 
@@ -649,6 +757,8 @@ validate_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.webhook", config: {}, mode: "minimal"})
 | validate_node (minimal) | <50ms | Small |
 | validate_node (full) | <100ms | Medium |
 | validate_workflow | 100-500ms | Medium |
+| n8n_manage_credentials | 50-500ms | Small-Medium |
+| n8n_audit_instance | 500-5000ms | Large |
 | n8n_create_workflow | 100-500ms | Medium |
 | n8n_update_partial_workflow | 50-200ms | Small |
 | n8n_deploy_template | 200-500ms | Medium |
@@ -691,7 +801,9 @@ validate_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.webhook", config: {}, mode: "minimal"})
 7. Workflows can be **activated via API** (`activateWorkflow` operation)
 8. Workflows are built **iteratively** (56s avg between edits)
 9. **Data tables** managed with `n8n_manage_datatable` (CRUD + filtering)
-10. **AI agent guide** available via `ai_agents_guide()` tool
+10. **Credentials** managed with `n8n_manage_credentials` (CRUD + schema discovery)
+11. **Security audits** via `n8n_audit_instance` (built-in + custom deep scan)
+12. **AI agent guide** available via `ai_agents_guide()` tool
 
 **Common Workflow**:
 1. search_nodes → find node

skills/n8n-mcp-tools-expert/WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md

@@ -523,6 +523,161 @@ n8n_test_workflow({
 
 ---
 
+## n8n_manage_credentials (CREDENTIAL MANAGEMENT)
+
+**Speed**: 50-500ms
+
+**Use when**: Creating, updating, listing, or deleting credentials; discovering credential schemas
+
+### 6 Actions
+
+1. `list` - List all credentials (id, name, type, timestamps)
+2. `get` - Get credential by ID (data field stripped)
+3. `create` - Create credential (requires name, type, data)
+4. `update` - Update credential by ID (name, data, and/or type)
+5. `delete` - Permanently delete credential by ID
+6. `getSchema` - Discover required fields for a credential type
+
+### List Credentials
+```javascript
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "list"})
+// → [{id, name, type, createdAt, updatedAt}, ...]
+```
+
+### Get Credential
+```javascript
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "get", id: "123"})
+// → {id, name, type, ...} (data field stripped for security)
+// Falls back to list+filter if GET returns 403/405
+```
+
+### Discover Schema
+```javascript
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "getSchema",
+  credentialType: "httpHeaderAuth"
+})
+// → Required fields, types, descriptions for this credential type
+```
+
+### Create Credential
+```javascript
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "create",
+  name: "My Slack Token",
+  type: "slackApi",
+  data: {accessToken: "xoxb-your-token"}
+})
+// → Created credential (data field stripped from response)
+```
+
+### Update Credential
+```javascript
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "update",
+  id: "123",
+  name: "Updated Slack Token",
+  data: {accessToken: "xoxb-new-token"},
+  type: "slackApi"  // Optional, some n8n versions require it
+})
+// → Updated credential (data field stripped from response)
+```
+
+### Delete Credential
+```javascript
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "delete", id: "123"})
+```
+
+### Typical Workflow: Set Up Credentials for a New Integration
+```javascript
+// 1. Discover what fields are needed
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "getSchema",
+  credentialType: "slackApi"
+})
+
+// 2. Create the credential
+n8n_manage_credentials({
+  action: "create",
+  name: "Production Slack",
+  type: "slackApi",
+  data: {accessToken: "xoxb-..."}
+})
+
+// 3. Verify it was created
+n8n_manage_credentials({action: "list"})
+```
+
+### Security Notes
+- **Response stripping**: `get`, `create`, and `update` all strip the `data` field from responses (defense-in-depth — secrets are never returned)
+- **Log redaction**: Credential request bodies are redacted from debug logs
+- **Fallback resilience**: `get` falls back to list+filter when `GET /credentials/:id` returns 403/405 (endpoint not in all n8n versions)
+
+---
+
+## n8n_audit_instance (SECURITY AUDIT)
+
+**Speed**: 500-5000ms (scans all workflows)
+
+**Use when**: Auditing instance security, finding hardcoded secrets, checking for unauthenticated webhooks, verifying error handling
+
+### Two Scanning Approaches
+
+**1. Built-in Audit** (via n8n's `POST /audit` API):
+- 5 risk categories: `credentials`, `database`, `nodes`, `instance`, `filesystem`
+- Wraps n8n's native audit endpoint; gracefully degrades if unavailable
+
+**2. Custom Deep Scan** (workflow analysis):
+- `hardcoded_secrets` — 50+ regex patterns for API keys/tokens/passwords plus PII detection
+- `unauthenticated_webhooks` — Webhook/form triggers without authentication
+- `error_handling` — Workflows with 3+ nodes and no error handling
+- `data_retention` — Workflows saving all execution data
+
+### Examples
+
+```javascript
+// Full audit (default)
+n8n_audit_instance()
+
+// Built-in audit only
+n8n_audit_instance({
+  categories: ["credentials", "nodes", "instance"],
+  includeCustomScan: false
+})
+
+// Custom scan only — specific checks
+n8n_audit_instance({
+  customChecks: ["hardcoded_secrets", "unauthenticated_webhooks"]
+})
+
+// Custom abandoned workflow threshold
+n8n_audit_instance({
+  daysAbandonedWorkflow: 90
+})
+```
+
+### Output
+
+Returns an actionable markdown report with:
+- **Summary table**: Critical/high/medium/low finding counts
+- **Findings by workflow**: Per-workflow tables of issues
+- **Built-in audit results**: n8n's native audit findings
+- **Remediation Playbook**:
+  - Auto-fixable items (with tool chains to apply)
+  - Items requiring review (human judgment needed)
+  - Items requiring user action (e.g., key rotation)
+
+### Secret Masking
+Detected secrets are masked in output — shows first 6 + last 4 characters only. Raw values are never stored or returned.
+
+### Remediation Types
+- `auto_fixable` — Can be fixed with MCP tools (e.g., add webhook auth)
+- `review_recommended` — Needs human judgment (e.g., PII detection)
+- `user_input_needed` — Requires user decision (e.g., choose auth method)
+- `user_action_needed` — Manual action required (e.g., rotate exposed API key)
+
+---
+
 ## n8n_validate_workflow (by ID)
 
 **Use when**: Validating workflow stored in n8n
@@ -709,6 +864,8 @@ update → update → update → ... (56s avg between edits)
 - `n8n_test_workflow` - Trigger execution
 - `n8n_executions` - Manage executions
 - `n8n_manage_datatable` - Data table and row management
+- `n8n_manage_credentials` - Credential CRUD + schema discovery
+- `n8n_audit_instance` - Security audit (built-in + custom scan)
 - `n8n_delete_workflow` - Permanently delete workflows
 - `n8n_list_workflows` - List workflows with filtering
 - `n8n_update_full_workflow` - Full workflow replacement

skills/n8n-validation-expert/SKILL.md

@@ -754,7 +754,8 @@ For comprehensive error catalogs and false positive examples:
 3. Review warnings and decide if acceptable
 4. Deploy with confidence
 
-**Related Skills**:
+**Related Skills & Tools**:
 - n8n MCP Tools Expert - Use validation tools correctly
 - n8n Expression Syntax - Fix expression errors
 - n8n Node Configuration - Understand required fields
+- `n8n_audit_instance` - Proactive security validation (hardcoded secrets, unauthenticated webhooks, missing error handling, data retention)