Automatically update n8n version

Description

🔄 n8n Workflow: Check and Update n8n Version

This workflow automatically checks if the local n8n version is outdated and, if so, creates a file to signal an update is needed.

🖥️ Working Environment

Operating System:** Ubuntu 24.04
n8n Installation:** Docker container

📁 Project Directory Structure
n8n/
├── check_update.txt
├── check-update.sh
├── compose.yml
├── update_n8n.cron

🧾 File Descriptions

check_update.txt

Contains a single word:

true: Update is needed
false: No update required

check-update.sh

#!/bin/bash
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin

if grep -q "true" /home/sysadmin/n8n/check_update.txt; then
Place your update logic here
echo "Update needed - please insert update logic"
echo true > /home/sysadmin/n8n/check_update.txt
fi
Purpose:

Checks the contents of check_update.txt
If it contains true, executes update logic (currently a placeholder)
Resets check_update.txt to true
update_n8n.cron

SHELL=/bin/sh
10 5 * * * /bin/sh /home/sysadmin/n8n/check-update.sh
Purpose:

Runs the check-update.sh script daily at 5:10 AM
Uses /bin/sh as the shell environment

🧩 n8n Workflow Breakdown

1. Schedule Trigger 🕓
Purpose:** Triggers the workflow every day at 5:00 AM
Node Type:** Schedule Trigger

2. Get the latest n8n version 🌐
Purpose:** Fetches the latest version of n8n from npm
Endpoint:** https://registry.npmjs.org/n8n/latest
Node Type:** HTTP Request

3. Get Local n8n version 🖥️
Purpose:** Retrieves the currently running n8n version
Endpoint:** http://192.168.100.18:5678/rest/settings
Node Type:** HTTP Request

4. If 🔍
Purpose:** Compares the local and latest versions
Condition:** If not equal → update is needed

5. SSH1 🧾
Purpose:** Writes the result to a file on the host via SSH
Logic:**

echo "{{ $('If').params.conditions ? 'false' : 'true' }}" > check_update.txt
Effect: Updates check_update.txt with "true" if an update is needed, "false" otherwise.

🛠️ Setting up Crontab on Ubuntu
1. Register the cron job with:
crontab update_n8n.cron
2. Verify that your cron job is registered:
crontab -l
✅ Result

5:00 AM** – n8n workflow checks versions and writes result to check_update.txt
5:10 AM** – Cron runs check-update.sh to respond to update flag