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Integrations

n8n Integration

Overview

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform. Publish Owl connects to n8n via a Webhook node, sending article data to your workflow so you can process, transform, and route content to any destination. Works with both n8n Cloud and self-hosted instances.

Requirements

  • An n8n instance (Cloud or self-hosted)
  • A workflow with a Webhook trigger node
  • The webhook must be publicly accessible (for self-hosted: ensure your n8n URL is reachable from the internet)

Setup

In n8n:

  1. Create a new workflow
  2. Add a Webhook node as the trigger
  3. Set the HTTP method to POST
  4. Copy the Production URL (not the test URL)
  5. Build the rest of your workflow to handle the article data
  6. Activate the workflow
Important: Use the Production URL, not the Test URL. The test URL only works when you click "Listen for Test Event" in the n8n editor. The production URL works when the workflow is active.

In Publish Owl:

  1. Go to Sites
  2. Click + Add Site
  3. Enter a name and select n8n as the CMS type
  4. Paste the n8n Webhook URL
  5. Optionally add an Authorization Header (e.g., Bearer your-secret) if your webhook requires authentication
  6. Click Save Site

Payload Format

Publish Owl sends a JSON payload to your n8n webhook with the following structure: 

{
  "action": "create",
  "source": "publish-owl",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "title": "Article Title",
    "content": "<h2>...</h2><p>...</p>",
    "slug": "article-title",
    "status": "publish",
    "publishDate": "2026-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
    "categories": ["Technology"],
    "tags": ["AI", "automation"],
    "excerpt": "A brief summary...",
    "featuredImage": "https://...",
    "metadata": { ... }
  }
}

In your n8n workflow, access these fields via expressions like {{ $json.data.title }} or {{ $json.data.content }}.

Authentication

The optional Authorization Header lets you secure your webhook endpoint. If your n8n webhook node is configured to require authentication (e.g., Header Auth), enter the same header value in Publish Owl. This prevents unauthorized requests from triggering your workflow.

Supported Features

  • All article fields — Title, content, slug, excerpt, tags, categories, featured image, metadata
  • Status — Draft or publish (pass through to your workflow logic)
  • Scheduling — Publish date is included in the payload for your workflow to handle
  • Updates — Content refreshes send an "update" action with the post ID
  • Authentication — Optional auth header for secured webhooks

Troubleshooting

404 Not Found

Make sure your n8n workflow is active and you're using the Production URL, not the Test URL. The test URL only works during testing in the editor.

URL validation fails

Publish Owl checks that the URL contains "webhook" in the path. Make sure you copied the full URL from the n8n Webhook node.

401 or 403 errors

If your webhook requires authentication, add the correct auth header in Publish Owl's site settings. The value should match what your n8n webhook expects.

Self-hosted n8n not reachable

Your n8n instance must be accessible from the internet. If it's running on localhost or behind a firewall, use a tunnel service or deploy to a public server.

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