n8n Integration

Automate content workflows with n8n's HTTP Request node — exact field-by-field configuration for self-hosted and cloud instances.

Overview

n8n is a self-hosted (and cloud-hosted) workflow automation tool. Use the HTTP Request node to connect to Brainpercent's API. This guide covers every field in n8n's node configuration, credential setup, and workflow patterns.

Prerequisites

An n8n instance — self-hosted (npx n8n or Docker) or n8n.cloud
A Brainpercent API key (bp_ prefix) with read + write permissions
n8n version 0.220+ (for latest HTTP Request node features)

Step 1: Create Header Auth Credential

Before configuring the HTTP Request node, create a reusable credential. Go to Settings → Credentials → Add Credential and search for "Header Auth".

Credential Field	Value
Credential Type	`Header Auth`
Name (Label)	`Brainpercent API`
Header Auth — Name	`Authorization`
Header Auth — Value	`Bearer bp_your_api_key_here`

Self-hosted alternative: You can use environment variables instead. Set BRAINPERCENT_API_KEY=bp_your_key in your n8n environment and reference it as {{ $env.BRAINPERCENT_API_KEY }} in the credential value.

Step 2: HTTP Request Node Configuration

Add an HTTP Request node to your workflow. Here is every field in the node settings panel:

n8n Field	Value
Method	`POST`
URL	`https://brainpercent.app/api/v1/articles/generate`
Authentication	`Generic Credential Type`
Generic Auth Type	`Header Auth`
Credential for Header Auth	Select your "Brainpercent API" credential
Send Headers	`ON`
Header Parameters	Add one header (see below)
Send Body	`ON`
Body Content Type	`JSON`
Specify Body	`Using JSON`
JSON	Your request body (see below)
Options → Response Format	`JSON` (auto-detected, default)
Options → Always Output Data	`ON` (for error handling)
Options → Timeout	`30000` ms (30 seconds)

Header Parameters

Under "Header Parameters", add one header (the Authorization is handled by the credential):

Name	Value
`Content-Type`	`application/json`

JSON Body

In the "JSON" field, paste your request body. Use n8n expressions with {{ }} to reference data from previous nodes:

{
  "topic": "Your Article Topic",
  "keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2"],
  "tone": "professional",
  "length": "long"
}

Workflow: Content Automation Pipeline

Cron → Generate Article → Wait → Check Status → IF Ready → Generate Social

Node 1: Schedule Trigger

Field	Value
Node	`Schedule Trigger` (previously "Cron")
Rule — Trigger Interval	`Days`
Rule — Hour	`9`
Rule — Minute	`0`

Node 2: HTTP Request (Generate Article)

Configured as shown in the HTTP Request Node Configuration above. POST to /api/v1/articles/generate.

{
  "topic": "Daily SEO Insights — {{ $now.format('MMMM D, YYYY') }}",
  "keywords": ["SEO", "daily insights"],
  "tone": "professional",
  "length": "medium"
}

Node 3: Wait

Field	Value
Node	`Wait`
Resume	`After Time Interval`
Wait Amount	`5`
Wait Unit	`Minutes`

The Wait node pauses the entire workflow execution. On self-hosted n8n, the workflow stays in memory during the wait. For production, use n8n's queue mode (EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue) so waits don't block other workflows.

Node 4: HTTP Request (Check Status)

Field	Value
Method	`GET`
URL	`https://brainpercent.app/api/v1/articles/{{ $json.data.article_id }}/status`
Authentication	Same "Brainpercent API" Header Auth credential
Send Body	`OFF` (GET request)

Node 5: IF (Check Generation Status)

IF Field	Value
Condition	`String`
Value 1	`{{ $json.data.status }}`
Operation	`is not equal to`
Value 2	`generating`

Output	Connect To
True (article ready)	→ Node 6: Generate Social Content
False (still generating)	→ Loop back to Node 3: Wait (creates a polling loop)

Field	Value
Method	`POST`
URL	`https://brainpercent.app/api/v1/social/generate`

{
  "source_url": "https://brainpercent.app/articles/{{ $json.data.slug }}",
  "platforms": ["twitter", "linkedin"],
  "tone": "professional"
}

Workflow: Conditional Generation

Check credits before generating to avoid failures and wasted workflow runs.

Schedule Trigger or Webhook

HTTP Request: GET https://brainpercent.app/api/v1/user/credits

IF Node: Check credits

IF Field	Value
Condition	`Number`
Value 1	`{{ $json.data.available_credits }}`
Operation	`Larger or Equal`
Value 2	`40` (cost of one article)

True: HTTP Request → POST /articles/generate

False: Send Notification (Slack/Email node) — "Low credits!"

Workflow: Webhook Listener

Expose an n8n webhook endpoint that triggers article generation when called externally.

Webhook Node Configuration

Field	Value
Node	`Webhook`
HTTP Method	`POST`
Path	`generate-article`
Respond	`Using 'Respond to Webhook' Node`

The full webhook URL will be: https://your-n8n-instance.com/webhook/generate-article

n8n Expressions Reference

n8n uses JavaScript expressions inside {{ }} to reference data from previous nodes:

Data	n8n Expression	Example
Article ID	`{{ $json.data.article_id }}`	f8c9d0e1-2345-...
Article status	`{{ $json.data.status }}`	draft
Article slug	`{{ $json.data.slug }}`	ai-content-marketing
Credit balance	`{{ $json.data.available_credits }}`	850
First social item	`{{ $json.data.items[0].id }}`	d5b2f9c3-a0e4-...
Current date	`{{ $now.format('YYYY-MM-DD') }}`	2026-02-02
Webhook body field	`{{ $json.body.topic }}`	AI Marketing
Env variable	`{{ $env.BRAINPERCENT_API_KEY }}`	bp_abc123...

Error Handling & Workflow Settings

Error Trigger Workflow

Create a separate "Error Workflow" in n8n that catches failures from all workflows:

Setting	Value
Error Workflow trigger node	`Error Trigger`
Connected to	Slack/Email node for alerts

Then in your main workflow's settings (gear icon), set Error Workflow to point to this error handler.

Retry on Failure

Workflow Setting	Value
Retry On Fail	`ON`
Max Tries	`3`
Wait Between Tries	`60000` ms (1 minute)

Tips & Best Practices

Use Header Auth credentials — never hardcode API keys in HTTP Request nodes
Enable "Always Output Data" on HTTP Request nodes so subsequent nodes receive data even on error
Use the Wait node (not Code node with sleep()) for workflow pauses
Set up an Error Trigger workflow to catch failures across all workflows
Use "Split In Batches" node when processing large arrays of articles
For self-hosted: use environment variables for secrets — {{ $env.BRAINPERCENT_API_KEY }}
For self-hosted: enable queue mode in production for concurrent workflow execution
Enable "Retry On Fail" on HTTP Request nodes with a 60-second interval for rate limit resilience