n8n-io/n8n · error · Error

Disk source needs the n8n repo (run from inside it) or --wor

Error message

Disk source needs the n8n repo (run from inside it) or --workflow-dir; or use --source langtracer.

What it means

When using the default disk source, the CLI resolves the test-case directory from the n8n repo root via `git rev-parse --show-toplevel`. If the script is not running inside a git repo (repoRoot is undefined) AND --workflow-dir is not provided, there is no way to locate test cases on disk. The error at line 492 suggests three concrete alternatives.

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/instance-ai/evaluations/cli/build-mcp-manifest.ts:492

			tier: args.tier,
			logger: createLogger(false),
		});
		for (const { fileSlug, testCase } of cases)
			casesBySlug.set(fileSlug, testCase.conversation ?? []);
		if (args.slugs.length > 0) {
			const requested = new Set(args.slugs);
			for (const slug of [...casesBySlug.keys()]) {
				if (!requested.has(slug)) casesBySlug.delete(slug);
			}
		}
	} else {
		const workflowDir =
			args.workflowDir ??
			(repoRoot
				? join(repoRoot, 'packages/@n8n/instance-ai/evaluations/data/workflows')
				: undefined);
		if (!workflowDir) {
			throw new Error(
				'Disk source needs the n8n repo (run from inside it) or --workflow-dir; or use --source langtracer.',
			);
		}
		let slugs = args.slugs.length > 0 ? args.slugs : discoverSlugs(workflowDir);
		if (args.tier) slugs = filterSlugsByTier(workflowDir, slugs, args.tier);
		for (const slug of slugs) {
			const file = join(workflowDir, `${slug}.json`);
			if (!existsSync(file)) {
				console.log(`  [${slug}] skip: scenario file missing`);
				continue;
			}
			casesBySlug.set(slug, testCaseSchema.parse(readJson(file, `test case ${slug}`)).conversation);
		}
	}
	// Drop cases with no user turn to build from (e.g. `replay`-seeded only).
	for (const [slug, conv] of [...casesBySlug]) {
		if (!conv.some((t) => t.role === 'user' && t.text.trim().length > 0)) {
			console.log(`  [${slug}] skip: no user turn to build from`);

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

1. Run from inside the n8n repo checkout (cd /path/to/n8n first)
2. Pass --workflow-dir with an explicit path to the test-case JSON directory
3. Use --source langtracer to pull test cases from a remote suite instead of disk

Example fix

# before (run from /tmp)
pnpm eval:build-mcp-manifest

# after
cd /path/to/n8n && pnpm eval:build-mcp-manifest

import { execSync } from 'child_process';
import { existsSync } from 'fs';

let repoRoot: string | undefined;
try {
  repoRoot = execSync('git rev-parse --show-toplevel', { encoding: 'utf-8' }).trim();
} catch { repoRoot = undefined; }

const workflowDir = args.workflowDir ?? (repoRoot ? join(repoRoot, '.../data/workflows') : undefined);
if (!workflowDir) {
  throw new Error('Disk source needs the n8n repo or --workflow-dir; or use --source langtracer.');
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running the CLI from a directory that is not inside the n8n git repo, without --workflow-dir, and without --source langtracer. For example, running from /tmp or a non-repo directory.

Common situations: Running from /tmp or a scratch directory. The script was invoked outside the n8n checkout. A CI environment that does a shallow/partial clone without .git. Running from a worktree that lost its git context.

Related errors

• Workflow directory not found: ${workflowDir}
• --build-cwd directory does not exist: ${args.buildCwd}
• claude not on PATH
• --max-attempts must be >= 1
• --source langtracer requires --suite <slug>

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b0d31b9b2c61719f. Report an issue: GitHub.