Workflows (n8n bridge)

A workflow in m18t is a registered trigger contract for an external n8n flow — an advanced, legacy escape hatch. Reach for native cron jobs and internal

What you'll learn

  • What a workflow is in m18t: a registered trigger contract for an external n8n flow.
  • Why this is an advanced, legacy escape hatch — and why native cron jobs and internal tasks are the path you should reach for first.
  • How to register and trigger a workflow if you genuinely need the bridge.

What a workflow is — and why to reach for it last

A workflow in m18t is a thin bridge to n8n, an external automation tool. m18t doesn't run the flow; it owns the trigger contract. You register a workflow record — a name, a slug, an n8n webhook URL, and an optional input schema — and m18t can then fire that webhook on demand or on a schedule. n8n receives the call and runs whatever flow you built over there.

Be clear-eyed about where this sits. The n8n bridge is vestigial — it predates m18t's native automation and survives as a legacy escape hatch, not a featured surface. For the work most people want to schedule (polling news sources, maintenance, internal jobs), the right tool is a native cron job with an internal TASK trigger. That keeps the work inside m18t, brand-scoped and logged, with no external dependency to maintain.

Use the workflow bridge only when you specifically need something m18t doesn't do natively and you already run n8n — for example, fanning out to a third-party service that has no native m18t integration. Some social platforms that aren't natively supported (TikTok, X, LinkedIn, Threads) historically routed through n8n if configured at all; native publishing for those is roadmap, and the n8n path is the legacy stand-in, not a recommended setup.

How to register a workflow

  1. Open Workflows under Automation (/studio/automations/workflows).
  2. Click Register Workflow.
  3. Pick the brand, or All brands to make it available workspace-wide. This is a deliberate step.
  4. Enter a name and a unique slug (e.g. news-scout-pipeline).
  5. Paste the n8n Webhook URL — the URL of the webhook node in your n8n flow.
  6. Optionally add a description and an input schema (JSON) to document/validate the payload.
  7. Create.

How to trigger a workflow

  • Manually. The play icon on a workflow row fires its webhook immediately, sending the current brand in the payload, and reports n8n's response.
  • On a schedule. Create a cron job with trigger type WORKFLOW and select this workflow as its target. m18t will then ping the webhook on the cron schedule.

Either way, m18t's responsibility ends at the webhook call. What happens inside n8n — the steps, the retries, the result — lives in n8n, not in m18t's run history the way an internal task does.

Variations

  • Enable / disable. A workflow can be toggled active or disabled without deleting it; disabled workflows won't fire.
  • Input schema. The optional JSON schema is for documenting and validating the payload shape you send to n8n. It's not required to register a workflow.

The honest recommendation

If you're choosing between a native task and a workflow for the same job, choose the native task. The workflow bridge adds an external moving part (your n8n instance) that m18t can't see inside of, can't fully log, and doesn't own. It exists for genuine edge cases; treat it as one. As m18t's native automation grows, the cases that need n8n shrink.

FAQ

Should I use a workflow or a native cron task? Default to a native cron job with an internal TASK trigger. It runs inside m18t, brand-scoped and logged. Use a workflow only when you need something m18t can't do natively and you already run n8n.

Does m18t run the automation steps? No. m18t only fires the webhook (on demand or on schedule). All the actual steps run in your n8n instance. m18t's visibility ends at the webhook call.

Can I publish to TikTok / X / LinkedIn / Threads through a workflow? Those platforms aren't natively supported; historically they routed through n8n if set up at all. Native publishing for them is roadmap. The n8n path is a legacy stand-in, not a supported, recommended setup.

How do I run a workflow on a schedule? Create a cron job with trigger type WORKFLOW and pick the workflow as its target. The Cron Jobs Overview covers scheduling.

Why is this called a legacy/vestigial feature? It predates m18t's native scheduler and internal tasks. Those now cover most automation needs inside m18t, so the external n8n bridge is kept only for edge cases rather than being a primary surface.

What's next

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