💥 Early Access: How to Install and Use the Official Pickaxe Node for n8n

[artsiom]

Hello, everyone!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new n8n integration for Pickaxe! This custom node allows you to seamlessly connect the power of Pickaxe directly into your n8n workflows, automating everything from user management to interacting with your custom Pickaxes.

While we are in the process of getting our integration officially listed in the n8n community nodes library, you can get started right away with this early access guide.

This post will walk you through the two main steps:

1. Installing the Node in your n8n instance (Cloud or self-hosted).
2. Configuring Your Credentials using our secure OAuth2 connection.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An active n8n instance.
• A Pickaxe account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up here.

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Step 1: Installing the Node

The node is packaged on npm under the name n8n-nodes-pickaxe . The installation method depends on how you host n8n.

For n8n Cloud Users

This is the most straightforward method.

1. From your n8n dashboard, go to Settings > Community Nodes.
2. Click the Install button.
3. In the search box, type n8n-nodes-pickaxe.
4. Click the Install button next to the node. The node will be installed automatically without any restarts.

For Self-Hosted Users (Docker)

If you are running n8n via Docker or Docker Compose, you need to add an environment variable to tell n8n to install the package.

1. Stop your n8n Docker container.

2. Add the following environment variable to your docker run command or docker-compose.yml file:

   - NODE_FUNCTION_ALLOW_EXTERNAL=n8n-nodes-pickaxe
   

3. Example for docker-compose.yml:

   services:
     n8n:
       image: n8nio/n8n
       # ... other settings
       environment:
         - NODE_FUNCTION_ALLOW_EXTERNAL=[n8n-nodes-pickaxe]
       # ... other settings
   

4. Restart your n8n container. n8n will automatically download and install the package on startup.

For Self-Hosted Users (npm)

If you manage your n8n instance directly with npm:

1. Stop your n8n instance.

2. Navigate to your n8n user data folder (typically ~/.n8n/).

3. Run the following command:

   npm install n8n-nodes-pickaxe
   

4. Restart your n8n instance.

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Step 2: Configuring Your Pickaxe Credentials

Our node uses OAuth2 for a secure and easy connection, so you never have to manually handle API keys. However, for this secure connection to work, you need to provide us with a unique URL generated by your n8n instance.

This is a critical one-time setup step.

1. In your n8n instance, go to the Credentials tab.

2. Click Create Credential.

3. Search for “Pickaxe” and select the Pickaxe OAuth2 API credential.

   

4. In the credential configuration window, you will see a unique OAuth Redirect URL. It will look something like this: https://your-n8n-instance.com/rest/oauth2-credential/callback.

   Important Action Required:
   You must copy this OAuth Redirect URL and send it to our team. This is a security requirement to ensure that only your n8n instance can be authorized to access your Pickaxe account.

   Please email your URL to artsiom@pickaxeproject.com with the subject “n8n OAuth URL Registration”.

   Our team will add your URL to our application’s allowlist and notify you once it’s done.

5. Once you receive confirmation from our team, return to this credential screen in n8n and click the Connect my account button.

6. You will be taken to a Pickaxe authorization screen. Log in and approve the connection.

7. Save the credential, and you’re all set!

What’s Next?

You’re ready to build! Add the Pickaxe node to any workflow to start automating. You can use actions like “Create User,” “Get Document,” or “Call Pickaxe” to integrate AI into your business logic.

We are working diligently to get our node approved and listed on the official n8n community nodes list, which will make the installation process even simpler.

We’d love to hear your feedback! If you have any questions or run into any issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Happy automating!

[drkitesurf]

Will the n8n now be better integrated through webhooks or MCP server (free options for LTD accounts) or this is another exclusive benefit for the pro users through APi’s only? I am looking for a cheaper way to use the n8n than the (too expensive) pro account..

[danny_support]

Hi @drkitesurf ,

The feature outlined in this post is only available for Pro users. However, users on all plan levels can still integrate Pickaxe with n8n using either a webhook or an MCP connection.

[enochleffingwell]

@artsiom& @danny_support

I’m trying to use the n8n community node. I connected it a while ago but I haven’t found it to be more useful than the custom HTTP Request. Is there going to be any effort to put form based Pickaxes in the n8n community node?

I don’t like that I cannot use the forms that I set up when calling my pickaxes. That would make these community nodes 10x more useful.

[enochleffingwell]

@stephenasuncion & @danny_support

Another problem I’m facing with the n8n node is reaching a mysterious 1000 token limits for my Pickaxe. I have my Pickaxe set to Form + Chat.

In the Pickaxe UI I only see a place to configure the token limit for each question on my form. None of those are set to 1000 tokens. I imagine since the community node is not even using my Form questions then it’s forcing my first prompt to be within the chat input that shows up after the form is submitted. I do not see a place in the configure tab where I can increase the limit for the chat input tokens. I see context allocation but based on the labels there I don’t see how any of those 4 options are controlling the chat user input tokens. I’m pretty sure I understand each of those 4 options. Currently my n8n community node is unusable for calling my pickaxe and most of my pickaxes I start with a form for a specific purpose.

If I’m overlooking anything please let me know. If this needs to be updated in the UI then I hope to bring this to your attention. If you’re willing to put a form support functionality to the n8n node then WOW would I use my n8n nodes 10x more and it would instantly become my new favorite way to use all the amazing pickaxes I build. In fact I would stop using the n8n agents entirely and solely use the Pickaxes I build on n8n. That would be AMAZING.

[danny_support]

Hi @enochleffingwell ,
Thank you for reaching out!

We really appreciate the detailed feedback.

The n8n community node is still in early access, and we do plan to keep improving it. Right now, the team is focused on a few other high-priority areas, but I’m going to bring your feedback up.

On the 1000 token limit issue, thank you for the screenshots. I’m going to share this with engineering. I’ll follow up as soon as I have more information.

[danny_support]

Hi @enochleffingwell
I wanted to follow up with clarification from our engineering team.

At the moment, the n8n community node supports Chat-only Pickaxes. Form and Form + Chat Pickaxes are not currently supported. This is why you are seeing the “Message is too long. Max length is 1000 tokens” error.

I have shared your feedback and use case with the team, as improved support for Form-based Pickaxes in the n8n node is a valuable suggestion. I would also encourage you to post this as a Feature Request, as that helps us track interest and prioritize enhancements more effectively.