How to Set Up n8n with AI Agent Capabilities on a Self-Hosted Server

Introduction

n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that allows users to connect APIs, automate tasks, and build complex workflows without writing code. With AI integrations, n8n becomes a powerful platform for building intelligent agents capable of handling tasks such as summarization, job tracking, content generation, and API orchestration. This guide walks you through the professional setup of n8n on a self-hosted server using Docker, with a secure HTTPS configuration and a sample AI workflow.

Step 1: Setting Up the Server Environment

Start with a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 server. Connect via SSH

ssh root@your-server-ip

Update and install essential packages:

apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install -y docker.io docker-compose nginx openssl

Enable and start Docker:

systemctl enable docker
systemctl start docker

Step 2: Create the n8n Project Directory

mkdir -p /opt/n8n && cd /opt/n8n

Create a .env file with the following configuration:

nano .env

Paste this (edit values as needed):

# Basic n8n env
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=strongpassword
N8N_HOST=your_domain_or_ip
N8N_PORT=5678
WEBHOOK_URL=https://your_domain_or_ip/
N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false

Create docker-compose.yml:

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste:

version: "3"

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
  n8n_data:

Step 3: Start n8n

docker-compose up -d

Visit:

http://your_ip:5678

Step 4: Building an AI Agent Workflow

Here is an example of a workflow that uses OpenAI to summarize incoming emails:

Workflow Steps:

1. Trigger: IMAP Email node (checks inbox every few minutes)
2. Node: OpenAI (sends email body as prompt to generate a summary)
3. Node: Telegram or Slack (sends the AI summary to a user)
4. Node: Google Sheet or Airtable (logs the summary)

You can build this visually using the n8n interface by dragging and connecting nodes. No code is required.

Conclusion

n8n offers a powerful and extendable platform for building AI-powered automations. By following this professional setup, you gain full control over a secure, scalable automation system. Integrating AI services such as OpenAI allows you to create intelligent workflows capable of processing and reacting to data across platforms — ideal for modern business operations.

Deploy this setup to streamline your internal processes, monitor job boards, generate content, or act as an intelligent assistant for your team, all from a self-hosted, secure environment.