n8n-nodes-smart-image

This is an n8n community node package. It provides Smart Image Preprocessor — local image preprocessing with Sharp, designed for invoice OCR and document workflows.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Node overview

Smart Image Preprocessor reads a binary image from the input item, applies local Sharp transformations, and writes the result to a separate binary property while preserving the original image.

• Input binary property (default): data
• Output binary property (default): processedData
• Metadata: json.imageProcessing

Supported operations: grayscale, normalize, contrast, brightness, sharpen, resize, and output format selection (PNG, JPEG, WebP).

Test release (local package)

This package is a test release (0.1.0). It is validated as a standard n8n Community Node npm package, but it is not published to the npm registry yet.

Build and create the installable tarball locally:

npm install
npm run build
npm run lint
node scripts/test-image-processing.js
npm pack

This produces n8n-nodes-smart-image-0.1.0.tgz for pre-publish validation. See TEST-RELEASE.md for the latest test manifest and checklist.

Publishing to npm (required for registry UI install)

Before the package can be installed through Settings → Community Nodes → Install by package name, it must be published to the npm registry:

1. Update package.json metadata (author, repository, homepage).
2. Run npm run build.
3. Publish to npm (for verified nodes, use the GitHub Actions provenance workflow from the n8n-nodes-starter template).

Do not publish until you are ready to distribute the package publicly.

Installation in n8n

Registry install (production/test on server): available only after npm publish.

1. Open your self-hosted n8n instance (2.9.4+).
2. Go to Settings → Community Nodes → Install.
3. Enter the npm package name: n8n-nodes-smart-image
4. Optionally pin a version: n8n-nodes-smart-image@0.1.0
5. Accept the community node risk notice and confirm installation.

n8n downloads the package from npm and registers the node automatically.

Current status: test tarball built locally — publish to npm before using the registry install flow above.

Official reference: Install community nodes (GUI)

Compatibility

• Target: self-hosted n8n 2.9.4+
• Runtime dependency: Sharp (installed automatically with the package)
• Node.js: use the same major version as your n8n instance

Resources

• n8n community nodes documentation
• Building community nodes

Version history

0.1.0

Initial release: local Sharp-based image preprocessing for OCR workflows.