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n8n is a workflow automation platform that includes advanced AI capabilities built on LangChain. You can connect your n8n instance to LangSmith to record and monitor AI workflow runs.
LangSmith tracing is available for self-hosted n8n instances only.

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Prerequisites

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Set up tracing

  1. Set the following environment variables in the environment where you host your n8n instance, in the same way as the rest of your n8n configuration. Required environment variables:
    • LANGCHAIN_TRACING_V2 — Set to true to enable tracing.
    • LANGCHAIN_API_KEY — Your LangSmith API key.
    Optional environment variables:
    • LANGCHAIN_ENDPOINT — LangSmith API endpoint. Defaults to https://api.smith.langchain.com. Set this if using a self-hosted LangSmith instance or the EU region.
    • LANGCHAIN_PROJECT — Project name for traces. Defaults to "default".
    • LANGCHAIN_CALLBACKS_BACKGROUND — Set to true for asynchronous trace upload (default), or false for synchronous uploads. (default: true)
  2. Restart your n8n instance for the environment variables to take effect.

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View traces in LangSmith

After running an AI workflow:
  1. Open LangSmith.
  2. Select your project. If you just created your account, the "default" project appears after the first trace is sent.
  3. Locate the trace corresponding to your workflow execution.

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Additional resources

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