Build Customermates workflows in n8n

Connect n8n with a Webhook node for CRM changes and HTTP Request nodes for the Customermates REST API; the MCP endpoint is there for JSON-RPC clients. The Customermates community node (@customermates/n8n-nodes-crm) supports the configurable record API from version 2.0.0; update older installs before using its CRM operations.

When does n8n fit?

n8n fits when your team prefers visual flows over code, when record events need transforming before they go to another service, or when you already run n8n for other automations. For conversational CRM work, use MCP alongside or instead.

How do I trigger n8n from CRM changes?

1. Add a Webhook node in n8n

   Copy the URL it generates.

2. Subscribe in Customermates

   Open Webhooks, click Add and paste the URL. Under Events, select Record created, Record updated or Record moved to Trash, then choose the list and optional filters to watch. Add a Secret and click Save. Creating a webhook needs Create on API & Webhooks.

3. Handle the payload

   Verify the signature, then use the event ID and the stable typeId/recordId reference from the record event payload in downstream steps.

With the Customermates community node, its Customermates Trigger creates this webhook subscription for you when the workflow is activated (published).

Webhooks documents payloads, retries and signature verification. Deliveries can arrive out of order or repeat; deduplicate by event ID.

When does a trigger start receiving events?

Since n8n 2.x, activation returns before n8n has finished setting up the trigger. The subscription usually exists within a second, and changes made before then are not delivered later. If something activates a workflow and immediately creates records, first wait until n8n's GET /rest/workflows/{id}/publication-status reports published, or until the subscription appears under Webhooks. Self-hosted n8n can restore waiting activation with N8N_USE_WORKFLOW_PUBLICATION_SERVICE=false.

How do I create, read, update or delete records from n8n?

Use an HTTP Request node with an x-api-key credential and JSON matching the OpenAPI spec. The record routes work for every list in your workspace:

Breaking change: these routes replaced the former entity-specific endpoints, which were removed. Update HTTP Request nodes that still call a contact, organization, deal, service or task endpoint.

Breaking change: Email and Phone are no longer field types. When the contact details update is installed, each former Email or Phone field moves into its list's contact details field (the field type Phone, email & social, value type channels): the old field ID disappears from records, the record model, exports and webhook events, and its addresses and numbers are read and written as identities of the record, with provider mail or phone and the address or number as value. Update n8n workflows, HTTP Request nodes and other REST clients that read, filter or write the old field IDs: send identities inside the create or update mutation of POST /api/v1/records/mutate, with the identities to keep, and read them from identities in record responses and data.record.identities in webhook events. A field that could not be moved stays a Text field with its ID, for example one that a webhook body template names.

The base URL is the address at which you open Customermates. A mutation carries a stable typeId, an idempotency key and the expected configuration revision; updates and deletes also carry the record reference and expected version. Fields are typed assignments, and links name a relationship definition. A deletion may require a current impact preview hash. See filter syntax for query shapes.

How do I call MCP tools from n8n?

Send POST <BASE_URL>/api/v1/mcp with Content-Type: application/json, Accept: application/json, text/event-stream and your x-api-key credential. For example, to discover record types:

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"discover_record_types","arguments":{}}}

The result may arrive as a server-sent event; parse the JSON-RPC data: line. A tool refusal has result.isError: true, and arguments outside a tool's schema are rejected before execution. Use get_record_model to read IDs, query_crm_records to query and mutate_crm_record to change a record or link. See the MCP catalog.

How do I run scheduled jobs?

n8n's schedule trigger plus the record API can find records matching a saved query, export them or apply a validated mutation. A Customermates routine can instead run Mate on a schedule inside the product. Deal stages, task priorities and your own lists are workspace configuration; discover their IDs before filtering or writing.

How does authentication work?

Open API keys and create a key with Add. Store it as an n8n Header Auth credential named x-api-key and reuse that credential across nodes. The key acts with its owner's permissions. A wrong, expired or deleted key gets an authentication failure, and a key of an inactive owner cannot act. See API keys.

What are the common gotchas?

• Relationships: use mutate_crm_record with link or unlink; do not send legacy arrays such as organizationIds.
• Retries: reuse the same idempotency key for the exact same mutation payload. A changed payload needs a new key.
• Webhooks: deliveries are not strictly ordered or exactly once. Deduplicate by event ID and use the payload timestamp for ordering.

Next

• Webhooks: event payloads and delivery.
• OpenAPI: REST contracts.
• MCP: AI and tool calls.