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n8n-node-configuration

Operation-aware node configuration guidance. Use when configuring nodes, understanding property dependencies, determining required fields, choosing between get_node detail levels, or learning common configuration patterns by node type — including the native nodes that replace Code (Summarize, Aggregate, Split Out, Merge, Compare Datasets, Remove Duplicates, Sort, Limit, Date & Time, HTTP Request pagination, Crypto). Always use this skill when setting up node parameters — it explains which fields are required for each operation, how displayOptions control field visibility, and when to use patchNodeField for surgical edits vs full node updates.

Quality

85%

Does it follow best practices?

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SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No findings from the security scan

SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

77%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

The body is exceptionally actionable — exact configs, exact tool calls, field-level gotchas — with a properly validated workflow and a well-signaled one-level reference structure. Its two weaknesses are redundant repetition of the standard-detail guidance across five sections and a reference layer whose four target files are absent from the evaluated bundle, leaving the deepest content unreachable.

Suggestions

Deduplicate the get_node standard-detail guidance: state it once in 'get_node Detail Levels' and trim its repetition in Configuration Philosophy, Core Concepts §3 (Progressive Discovery), Best Practices, and the Summary; drop the '56 seconds average between configuration edits' statistic, which adds no actionable value.

Ship the four referenced files (DEPENDENCIES.md, OPERATION_PATTERNS.md, NATIVE_NODES.md, NODE_FAMILY_GOTCHAS.md) in the bundle — e.g. under references/ — so the well-signaled links and anchors actually resolve.

Replace vague cross-references like 'the job-to-node table in `using-n8n-mcp-skills`' and 'See the n8n Workflow Patterns skill' with concrete resolvable paths or full skill names, so navigation does not depend on guessing where those live.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

Mostly efficient but with real repetition: the "get_node standard detail is the default / covers 95% of needs / 1-2K tokens" guidance is restated in Configuration Philosophy, Core Concepts §3, get_node Detail Levels, Best Practices ("Do" #1), and the Summary; the "56 seconds average between configuration edits" statistic adds no operational value. Fits anchor 3 ('includes some unnecessary explanation or could be tightened') rather than 2, because the bulk of the body is dense, concrete specifics with no padding explaining concepts Claude already knows.

3 / 5

Actionability

Fully executable throughout: copy-paste-ready configs for Slack post vs update, HTTP GET vs POST, IF conditions, and SplitInBatches output wiring; a complete six-parameter `n8n_explore_node_resources` call with the exact `{__rl: true, mode, value}` shape; and field-level fixes like `options.fallbackOutput`, `={{ { "blocks": ... } }}`, and a working `patchNodeField` operation. Specific examples cover the common cases, matching the top anchor.

5 / 5

Workflow Clarity

The Standard Process (steps 1-8) embeds explicit validation checkpoints ("4. Validate configuration", "7. Validate again"), the Decision Tree sequences escalation from standard to search_properties to full, the validate-driven loop ("let each `validate_node` error surface the next required field") provides the error-recovery feedback loop, and the anti-patterns section forbids deploying without `validate_node`. Write/batch operations (database insert/update) are covered with validation and `alwaysOutputData` guidance, so no cap applies.

5 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

References are clearly signaled one level deep with section anchors ("[DEPENDENCIES.md](DEPENDENCIES.md)", "[OPERATION_PATTERNS.md](OPERATION_PATTERNS.md#operation-specific-configuration-examples)", NATIVE_NODES.md, NODE_FAMILY_GOTCHAS.md) and each section carries a useful inline summary before deferring — but none of the four referenced files exist in the bundle (no references/ or any other directory), so every navigation target is missing/unverifiable. That is more than the 'minor organization gaps' of anchor 4, placing it at anchor 3.

3 / 5

Total

16

/

20

Passed

Description

88%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

A strong, well-targeted description: concrete capabilities, explicit 'Use when' triggers with an always-use clause, and named node types that double as trigger terms. The only gaps are the absent 'n8n' keyword itself and mild over-broad triggering relative to sibling skills in the same family.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

The description lists multiple concrete actions — "configuring nodes, understanding property dependencies, determining required fields, choosing between get_node detail levels, or learning common configuration patterns by node type" and "explains which fields are required for each operation, how displayOptions control field visibility, and when to use patchNodeField for surgical edits vs full node updates" — plus an enumerated node list (Summarize, Aggregate, Split Out, Merge, Compare Datasets, Remove Duplicates, Sort, Limit, Date & Time, HTTP Request pagination, Crypto). This matches the anchor 'lists multiple specific concrete actions; comprehensive coverage'; a 4 would require minor coverage gaps, but operations, dependencies, detail levels, and surgical edits are all explicitly named.

5 / 5

Completeness

Both questions are answered explicitly: the what ("it explains which fields are required for each operation, how displayOptions control field visibility, and when to use patchNodeField for surgical edits vs full node updates") and the when ("Use when configuring nodes, understanding property dependencies, determining required fields, choosing between get_node detail levels..." plus "Always use this skill when setting up node parameters"). Concrete trigger phrases with an explicit 'Use when' clause — a clear match to the top anchor.

5 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Good natural-term coverage: "configuring nodes", "required fields", "property dependencies", and many node names users would actually say ("Merge", "Split Out", "Remove Duplicates", "HTTP Request pagination"). Not a 5 because the single most natural trigger term — "n8n" (or "workflow") — never appears in the description text, and some triggers are tool jargon ("get_node detail levels", "patchNodeField") users are less likely to say; not a 3 because keyword coverage is broad and node-type names serve as strong natural triggers.

4 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

It carves a clear niche — operation-aware node parameter configuration — with node-specific triggers, so it is "mostly distinct; minor overlap risk with closely related skills". The blanket "Always use this skill when setting up node parameters" and the broad node list overlap with closely related sibling skills the body itself cross-references (n8n Validation Expert, n8n Workflow Patterns), keeping it below the minimal-conflict top anchor.

4 / 5

Total

18

/

20

Passed

Validation

87%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 14 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

skill_md_line_count

SKILL.md is long (560 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking

Warning

relative_links

Relative link issues: 11 missing

Warning

Total

14

/

16

Passed

Repository

czlonkowski/n8n-skills

Path

skills/n8n-node-configuration/SKILL.md

Reviewed

Table of Contents

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