I built a better search engine for n8n workflows (with tutorials & verified templates)

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I built a better search engine for n8n workflows (with tutorials & verified templates)

The Problem: “It looks good, but does it work?”

I am a heavy user of n8n. While the official community is amazing, I often found myself struggling with two things:

  1. Search Experience: Finding a specific use case (e.g., “Notion to DeepSeek with error handling”) can be tricky in a forum structure.
  2. The “Black Box” JSON: Downloading a template, importing it, and realizing it requires complex setup or simply doesn’t work as expected.

I didn’t just want a JSON viewer. I wanted a curated library where templates are practical, verified, and actually come with instructions.

So, I built n8nworkflows.world.

My goal wasn’t to compete with n8n’s UI (which is excellent), but to create a frictionless search engine where:

  • Downloads are 100% free.
  • Workflows include extracted “How-to” tutorials.
  • You can preview the logic instantly before importing.

Here is how I built it using Next.js 14, Supabase, and React Flow.

The Tech Stack

I chose this stack to prioritize Search Speed and Data richness:

  • Frontend: Next.js 14 (App Router) – For fast SSR and SEO, ensuring these templates are actually findable on Google.
  • Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL) – To store not just the JSON, but the enriched metadata (tutorials, step-by-step guides) for 6,000+ workflows.
  • Visualization: React Flow – To provide a “Quick Preview” of the node graph.
  • Data Pipeline: Python + Playwright – Used to aggregate, clean, and verify public templates.

The Challenge: Adding Value to Raw JSON

The technical challenge wasn’t just storing files, but making them understandable.

1. Visualization as a “Quick Glance”

I used React Flow to parse the n8n JSON structure.

The goal here isn’t to replace the n8n editor, but to give users X-Ray vision. You can see: “Oh, this workflow uses a Webhook trigger and connects to OpenAI,” without needing to import it first.

I wrote a parser to map n8n’s coordinate system ([x, y]) to React Flow’s system ({x, y}), and reconstructed the connection logic so edges appear correctly in the browser.

2. Extracting “Tutorials” from Code

Raw JSON is useless without context.

I structured the database to parse the notes and description fields within the n8n JSON. On my site, I present these as structured “How to use” guides right next to the download button.

This means you know exactly what credentials you need (e.g., “Needs a Notion API Key”) before you even download.

The Backend: Supabase for Search

Performance is key for a search engine.

I indexed the json_content and metadata columns in Supabase. This allows for granular searching. You aren’t just matching titles; you can search for specific nodes.

  • Query: “OpenAI + Pinecone”
  • Result: Returns workflows that specifically contain BOTH nodes, filtering out irrelevant noise.

The Result

The final product is a Template Search Engine designed for efficiency:

  1. Better Search: Filter by node type, category, or use case.
  2. Verified Logic: Templates are curated to ensure they are practical.
  3. Tutorials Included: Guides are extracted and displayed clearly.
  4. Free & Fast: No paywalls, one-click copy/download.

Open Source Data

I believe in open access. While the UI code is closed for now, I have open-sourced the curated list of workflow data.

If you are a developer looking for n8n datasets, check out the repo:
👉 GitHub: awesome-n8n-workflows

Try it out

I built this to save time for developers like us. I’d love to know:

  • Is the search finding what you need?
  • Are the extracted tutorials helpful?

🚀 Live Site: https://n8nworkflows.world/

Let me know what you think in the comments! 👇

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