feat(core): Add an option to allow community nodes as tools (#13075)

packages/@n8n/config/src/configs/nodes.config.ts

@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ class CommunityPackagesConfig {
 	/** Whether to reinstall any missing community packages */
 	@Env('N8N_REINSTALL_MISSING_PACKAGES')
 	reinstallMissing: boolean = false;
+
+	/** Whether to allow community packages as tools for AI agents */
+	@Env('N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE')
+	allowToolUsage: boolean = false;
 }
 
 @Config

packages/@n8n/config/test/config.test.ts

@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ describe('GlobalConfig', () => {
 				enabled: true,
 				registry: 'https://registry.npmjs.org',
 				reinstallMissing: false,
+				allowToolUsage: false,
 			},
 			errorTriggerType: 'n8n-nodes-base.errorTrigger',
 			include: [],

packages/cli/src/__tests__/node-types.test.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { GlobalConfig } from '@n8n/config';
 import { mock } from 'jest-mock-extended';
 import { RoutingNode, UnrecognizedNodeTypeError } from 'n8n-core';
 import type {
@@ -11,11 +12,14 @@ import { LoadNodesAndCredentials } from '@/load-nodes-and-credentials';
 import { NodeTypes } from '@/node-types';
 
 describe('NodeTypes', () => {
+	const globalConfig = mock<GlobalConfig>({
+		nodes: { communityPackages: { allowToolUsage: false } },
+	});
 	const loadNodesAndCredentials = mock<LoadNodesAndCredentials>({
 		convertNodeToAiTool: LoadNodesAndCredentials.prototype.convertNodeToAiTool,
 	});
 
-	const nodeTypes: NodeTypes = new NodeTypes(loadNodesAndCredentials);
+	const nodeTypes: NodeTypes = new NodeTypes(globalConfig, loadNodesAndCredentials);
 
 	const nonVersionedNode: LoadedClass<INodeType> = {
 		sourcePath: '',
@@ -24,10 +28,11 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 				name: 'n8n-nodes-base.nonVersioned',
 				usableAsTool: undefined,
 			}),
+			supplyData: undefined,
 		},
 	};
-	const v1Node = mock<INodeType>();
+	const v1Node = mock<INodeType>({ supplyData: undefined });
-	const v2Node = mock<INodeType>();
+	const v2Node = mock<INodeType>({ supplyData: undefined });
 	const versionedNode: LoadedClass<IVersionedNodeType> = {
 		sourcePath: '',
 		type: {
@@ -45,6 +50,17 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 			},
 		},
 	};
+	const toolNode: LoadedClass<INodeType> = {
+		sourcePath: '',
+		type: {
+			description: mock<INodeTypeDescription>({
+				name: 'n8n-nodes-base.toolNode',
+				displayName: 'TestNode',
+				properties: [],
+			}),
+			supplyData: jest.fn(),
+		},
+	};
 	const toolSupportingNode: LoadedClass<INodeType> = {
 		sourcePath: '',
 		type: {
@@ -54,6 +70,7 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 				usableAsTool: true,
 				properties: [],
 			}),
+			supplyData: undefined,
 		},
 	};
 	const declarativeNode: LoadedClass<INodeType> = {
@@ -70,20 +87,38 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 			trigger: undefined,
 			webhook: undefined,
 			methods: undefined,
+			supplyData: undefined,
+		},
+	};
+	const communityNode: LoadedClass<INodeType> = {
+		sourcePath: '',
+		type: {
+			description: mock<INodeTypeDescription>({
+				name: 'n8n-nodes-community.testNode',
+				displayName: 'TestNode',
+				usableAsTool: true,
+				properties: [],
+			}),
+			supplyData: undefined,
 		},
 	};
 
 	loadNodesAndCredentials.getNode.mockImplementation((fullNodeType) => {
 		const [packageName, nodeType] = fullNodeType.split('.');
-		if (nodeType === 'nonVersioned') return nonVersionedNode;
+		if (packageName === 'n8n-nodes-base') {
-		if (nodeType === 'versioned') return versionedNode;
+			if (nodeType === 'nonVersioned') return nonVersionedNode;
-		if (nodeType === 'testNode') return toolSupportingNode;
+			if (nodeType === 'versioned') return versionedNode;
-		if (nodeType === 'declarativeNode') return declarativeNode;
+			if (nodeType === 'testNode') return toolSupportingNode;
+			if (nodeType === 'declarativeNode') return declarativeNode;
+			if (nodeType === 'toolNode') return toolNode;
+		} else if (fullNodeType === 'n8n-nodes-community.testNode') return communityNode;
 		throw new UnrecognizedNodeTypeError(packageName, nodeType);
 	});
 
 	beforeEach(() => {
 		jest.clearAllMocks();
+		globalConfig.nodes.communityPackages.allowToolUsage = false;
+		loadNodesAndCredentials.loaded.nodes = {};
 	});
 
 	describe('getByName', () => {
@@ -122,6 +157,12 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 			);
 		});
 
+		it('should throw when a node-type is requested as tool, but the original node is already a tool', () => {
+			expect(() => nodeTypes.getByNameAndVersion('n8n-nodes-base.toolNodeTool')).toThrow(
+				'Node already has a `supplyData` method',
+			);
+		});
+
 		it('should return the tool node-type when requested as tool', () => {
 			const result = nodeTypes.getByNameAndVersion('n8n-nodes-base.testNodeTool');
 			expect(result).not.toEqual(toolSupportingNode.type);
@@ -132,6 +173,23 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 			expect(result.description.outputs).toEqual(['ai_tool']);
 		});
 
+		it('should throw when a node-type is requested as tool, but is a community package', () => {
+			expect(() => nodeTypes.getByNameAndVersion('n8n-nodes-community.testNodeTool')).toThrow(
+				'Unrecognized node type: n8n-nodes-community.testNodeTool',
+			);
+		});
+
+		it('should return a tool node-type from a community node,  when requested as tool', () => {
+			globalConfig.nodes.communityPackages.allowToolUsage = true;
+			const result = nodeTypes.getByNameAndVersion('n8n-nodes-community.testNodeTool');
+			expect(result).not.toEqual(toolSupportingNode.type);
+			expect(result.description.name).toEqual('n8n-nodes-community.testNodeTool');
+			expect(result.description.displayName).toEqual('TestNode Tool');
+			expect(result.description.codex?.categories).toContain('AI');
+			expect(result.description.inputs).toEqual([]);
+			expect(result.description.outputs).toEqual(['ai_tool']);
+		});
+
 		it('should return a declarative node-type with an `.execute` method', () => {
 			const result = nodeTypes.getByNameAndVersion('n8n-nodes-base.declarativeNode');
 			expect(result).toBe(declarativeNode.type);
@@ -184,7 +242,6 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 
 	describe('getNodeTypeDescriptions', () => {
 		it('should return descriptions for valid node types', () => {
-			const nodeTypes = new NodeTypes(loadNodesAndCredentials);
 			const result = nodeTypes.getNodeTypeDescriptions([
 				{ name: 'n8n-nodes-base.nonVersioned', version: 1 },
 			]);
@@ -194,7 +251,6 @@ describe('NodeTypes', () => {
 		});
 
 		it('should throw error for invalid node type', () => {
-			const nodeTypes = new NodeTypes(loadNodesAndCredentials);
 			expect(() =>
 				nodeTypes.getNodeTypeDescriptions([{ name: 'n8n-nodes-base.nonExistent', version: 1 }]),
 			).toThrow('Unrecognized node type: n8n-nodes-base.nonExistent');

packages/cli/src/node-types.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { GlobalConfig } from '@n8n/config';
 import { Service } from '@n8n/di';
 import type { NeededNodeType } from '@n8n/task-runner';
 import type { Dirent } from 'fs';
@@ -12,7 +13,10 @@ import { LoadNodesAndCredentials } from './load-nodes-and-credentials';
 
 @Service()
 export class NodeTypes implements INodeTypes {
-	constructor(private loadNodesAndCredentials: LoadNodesAndCredentials) {}
+	constructor(
+		private readonly globalConfig: GlobalConfig,
+		private readonly loadNodesAndCredentials: LoadNodesAndCredentials,
+	) {}
 
 	/**
 	 * Variant of `getByNameAndVersion` that includes the node's source path, used to locate a node's translations.
@@ -33,14 +37,24 @@ export class NodeTypes implements INodeTypes {
 
 	getByNameAndVersion(nodeType: string, version?: number): INodeType {
 		const origType = nodeType;
-		const toolRequested = nodeType.startsWith('n8n-nodes-base') && nodeType.endsWith('Tool');
+
+		const { communityPackages } = this.globalConfig.nodes;
+		const allowToolUsage = communityPackages.allowToolUsage
+			? true
+			: nodeType.startsWith('n8n-nodes-base');
+		const toolRequested = nodeType.endsWith('Tool');
+
 		// Make sure the nodeType to actually get from disk is the un-wrapped type
-		if (toolRequested) {
+		if (allowToolUsage && toolRequested) {
 			nodeType = nodeType.replace(/Tool$/, '');
 		}
 
 		const node = this.loadNodesAndCredentials.getNode(nodeType);
 		const versionedNodeType = NodeHelpers.getVersionedNodeType(node.type, version);
+		if (toolRequested && typeof versionedNodeType.supplyData === 'function') {
+			throw new ApplicationError('Node already has a `supplyData` method', { extra: { nodeType } });
+		}
+
 		if (
 			!versionedNodeType.execute &&
 			!versionedNodeType.poll &&