PowerShell

Run PowerShell commands from n8n

Overview

This n8n node allows you to execute arbitrary PowerShell commands directly from your workflow. You can choose between the default Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core (cross-platform). The node is useful for automating system administration tasks, running scripts, or integrating with local tools and services that expose a command-line interface.

Common scenarios:

Automating server maintenance or configuration steps.
Running custom scripts as part of a deployment pipeline.
Gathering system information or logs for further processing in n8n.

Example:
You could use this node to run Get-Process and collect process information, or to automate file management tasks on a Windows server.

Properties

Name	Meaning
Choose PowerShell Type	Select which PowerShell executable to use: - PowerShell: Uses the default full PowerShell installation (likely PowerShell 5). - PowerShell Core: Uses PowerShell Core (version 6 or 7, cross-platform).
Command	The PowerShell command or script to execute. Multi-line input is supported. Example: `Write-Output "Hello World"`
Execute Once	If enabled, the command runs only once (using the first input item). If disabled, the command runs separately for each input item.

Output

The node outputs a JSON object for each execution:

{
  "exitCode": 0,
  "stderr": "",
  "stdout": ""
}

exitCode: The exit code returned by the PowerShell process.
stderr: Any error output produced by the command.
stdout: The standard output produced by the command.

If an error occurs and "Continue On Fail" is enabled, the output will be:

{
  "error": "Error message"
}

Dependencies

Requires access to either powershell.exe (Windows PowerShell) or pwsh (PowerShell Core) on the host machine where n8n is running.
No external API keys are required.
The n8n instance must have permission to execute shell commands.

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

Command not found: If the selected PowerShell executable (powershell.exe or pwsh) is not installed or not in the system PATH, the node will fail with an error like spawn powershell.exe ENOENT.
- Resolution: Ensure the chosen PowerShell version is installed and accessible from the command line.
Permission denied: The n8n process may lack permission to execute shell commands.
- Resolution: Run n8n with appropriate permissions or adjust system policies.
Script errors: If the provided command contains syntax errors or fails during execution, the error message will appear in the stderr field or as an error property if "Continue On Fail" is enabled.