Got this working locally with openai/gpt-oss-20b within LM Studio + Docker

[Fonnwood]

Hey - just a quick thank you to the devs, very useful.

I got this working all locally, using openai/gpt-oss-20b as the model. I'm a n00b, so if I can do it anyone can.

Setup:

• Windows 11
• LM Studio
• Model: openai/gpt-oss-20b running in LM Studio
• LM Studio MCP server tool setup (same as Claude json file)
• n8n running locally in Docker (just install on docker hub)
• n8n-mcp server running locally in docker using the image provided in this repo

I recorded a somewhat rambling video that shows what to do, might help you though: https://youtu.be/chcPsQV5qj0

Top tip: bump up the context window for the chat to ensure it can cope with the system prompt and the tool use.
Bonus tip: I've tried this with other tool use models, works great too!

Thanks again to the devs.

[MarkusM73]

I tried, but even an empty "Test-Workflow" seems to be too hard. I think i have to config the output format?

"This is too messy. I think we cannot proceed with API due to unknown connection format. In practice, the easiest way is to create workflow via n8n UI or use a template that already has manual trigger.

Given constraints, I'll explain that a minimal workflow requires at least two nodes and proper connections; the exact JSON format for connections is not trivial here. I’ll provide guidance rather than actual creation."

"I’m afraid the API expects a very specific connection‑structure that’s hard to guess from scratch.

In practice, the easiest way to get a “blank” workflow in n8n is:

Create a new workflow named “Test MCP” via the UI or the n8n_create_workflow call.
Add two nodes:
Manual Trigger (n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger)
Set (n8n-nodes-base.set) – this node simply passes data through.
Connect them:
Manual Trigger → Set
That gives you the minimal, runnable workflow you can then delete or replace the Set node if you want it truly empty.

If you still need me to push the exact JSON via the API, let me know and I’ll try a different approach (e.g., using an existing template)."