n8n is a free, self hostable automation tool with a built in HighLevel node covering 17 operations, and it can itself act as an MCP server. It builds n8n workflows, not GoHighLevel workflows, and there is no HighLevel trigger node, so inbound events need a webhook you wire up yourself.
| Maintainer | n8n |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free self hosted, paid cloud |
| Licence | See note |
| Auth | HighLevel credential inside n8n. Version follows the credential type; the docs state HighLevel deprecated API v1.0 and no longer maintains it. Setup requires creating your own app in GoHighLevel and setting distribution type to sub-account, so it is one credential per location rather than agency wide. |
| Read, act, or build | Read and act. Not build. It sits on the same public API as everything else, so the workflow ceiling applies. |
| Where it stops | It builds n8n workflows, not GoHighLevel workflows. |
Self host n8n for free, or use paid cloud. Create your own app in GoHighLevel and set the distribution type to sub-account, so it is one credential per location rather than agency wide. The node is called HighLevel, which is why people cannot find it.
To expose it to an AI client, use the MCP Server Trigger node to publish your own workflows and tools to any MCP client. There is a reported limitation around sending two headers to the official HighLevel server, raised against GoHighLevel and closed as a feature request. Test it before you build on it.
This is a quick overview, not a full step by step. Full setup for the Real Wave server is on realwave.com/mcp-server.
It builds n8n workflows, not GoHighLevel workflows.
This is the ceiling every option on this list that reads and acts runs into, and it belongs to the API rather than to this one project. Where free stops sets out why, with five dated sources you can open yourself.
Every option on this page, checked the same way, with the date each one was last looked at. It moves: licences change, repositories go quiet, and HighLevel ships things that move the wall. Leave an address and the changes come to you, instead of you re-checking every one of them yourself.
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