1 - Getting Started n8n
This tutorial installs n8n from the terminal, starts a local instance, and builds a first test workflow using a manual trigger, a set-fields node, and a No-Op node.
Every data pipeline has to start somewhere, and for the Madison framework tutorial series, that somewhere is n8n: a free, code-light way to connect services and APIs together on a visual canvas. This first video in the series, hosted by Kiti, gets n8n installed and running a first, deliberately simple workflow before anything more complicated gets built on top of it.
Why n8n for a Madison data pipeline
n8n is introduced as a workflow automation tool that lets you connect different services and APIs without writing complex code. For a Madison project, that's the tool used to build a data pipeline collecting information from sources like social media, websites, or specialized APIs, whatever the project actually needs, whether that's brand analysis, market research, or content generation. It fits directly into what the series calls its 80/20 approach: powerful functionality without heavy technical overhead. That data pipeline becomes the foundation the Madison agent is built on in later stages of the project.
The "ship it" philosophy
Before any installation happens, the tutorial sets expectations with a specific mantra: ship it, functional delivery over perfection. That's not a throwaway line, it frames the whole first assignment. The goal for this stage isn't a polished, production-grade pipeline, it's a working one that collects data relevant to the specific problem the project is solving. Perfection is explicitly deprioritized in favor of getting something functional running end to end.
Installing n8n
The install process is the same single command on both Mac and Windows: npm install -g n8n, run from the terminal. The tutorial walks through running that command, waiting for the install and its dependencies to finish, and confirming there were no errors and that all the packages were added successfully.
Starting the local instance
Once installed, n8n is started with the command n8n start. That produces a confirmation message that n8n is running on localhost, along with the URL to open. Navigating to that link brings up the n8n interface for the first time.
Building a first test workflow
With the interface open, the tutorial creates a new workflow named "test workflow" and walks through the basic terminology before building anything. The canvas is the working area where the workflow gets assembled. The node panel, opened from the plus icon on the right side, lists every available node, which can be searched and dragged onto the canvas.
The first test workflow uses three nodes in sequence. A manual trigger node starts things off, running the rest of the workflow whenever the "execute workflow" button is clicked. An edit, or set, fields node comes next, used here to print a simple test message, something like "n8n is working" or "it's set up." The last node is a No-Op, short for no operation, which does nothing to the data passing through it: its output is identical to its input. After saving the workflow and clicking execute, the test message appears exactly as entered in the set fields node, confirming that data is actually flowing correctly from node to node.
Why start this simple
The point of this first workflow isn't the message itself, it's confirming the mechanics: that a trigger can kick off a run, that a node can transform or set data, and that the data flowing through each node can be verified. That's described as the foundation every more complex n8n workflow builds on. Once you can trust that data is moving correctly through a simple three-node chain, adding real API connections in the next stage becomes a matter of extending a pattern you already understand rather than learning it from scratch.
What comes next
This video closes by pointing directly at the next step: connecting to real APIs to gather data for the specific Madison project each student is working on. The reminder is that assignment three requires collecting data that directly addresses the problem statement defined in assignment two, not just any data that happens to be convenient to pull.
Key takeaways
- n8n lets you connect services and APIs visually, without writing complex code, and installs identically on Mac and Windows with
npm install -g n8n. - The "ship it" philosophy prioritizes a working pipeline over a perfect one for this stage of the project.
n8n startlaunches a local instance accessible through a localhost URL in your browser.- A minimal test workflow, manual trigger, set fields, and a No-Op node, is enough to confirm that data is flowing correctly through the canvas.
- This test workflow is the foundation for the real API connections built in the next video in the series.
Try it yourself
If you're following along with a Madison project, install n8n, get your local instance running, and rebuild this exact three-node test workflow before moving on. Getting comfortable with the canvas and node panel here will make the next video's step into real API connections much easier to follow, and the official documentation at n8n.io/docs or office hours are both there if you hit an issue along the way.
Full transcript(auto-generated, with timestamps)
[0:01]Welcome to the Madison Framework tutorial series. I'm Kruti and today we are diving into n8n, the tool you'll be using to build your data pipeline for assignment three. By the end of this video, you'll have n8n installed and running your first simple workflow. Remember our ship it philosophy. Functional delivery over perfection. So, what is n8n and why are we using it? n8n is a workflow automation tool that lets us connect different services and APIs without writing complex code. For your Madison project, you'll use it to collect data from various sources like social media, websites, or specialized APIs. It's perfect for our 80/20 approach, giving you powerful
[0:44]Functionality with minimal technical overhead. In assignment three, you'll build a data pipeline that collects information specific to your project, whether that's brand analysis, market research, or content generation. This data becomes the foundation for your Madison agent in later assignments. Let's get n8n installed on your machine. I will demonstrate the process on both Mac and Windows. Basically, the command is npm install minus g n8n. It's the same command for both Windows and Mac. So, I will just open my terminal and type the command. It's going to take some time to install uh n8n and all the dependencies. Let's just wait. My installation is successful. I did not
[1:40]Get any errors and it has added all the packages. Next, I'm going to start this n8n that I just installed by typing this command. n8n start This is the message you should see that says "n8n is running on my localhost". I'm going to copy paste the URL and yeah, just navigate to this link and you should now see the n8n interface. Now, let's create a simple workflow to test that everything is working. Click on create workflow and give it a name test workflow as we're just testing right now and yeah, let me just explain the basic terminologies. So, this area where you're going to be creating your
[2:33]Workflow and adding all the steps, this is called a canvas and on the right side when you click on the plus icon, this is a node panel and these are all the nodes available. You can search and choose whichever the nodes that are required for your project and you can drag and drop drop these nodes into the canvas. So, from the nodes panel, I'm going to look for uh yeah, this trigger manually. So, I'm going to just drag and drop this first option. So, this is uh this will trigger my further workflow when I uh just you know click on this execute workflow. And again from here, basically I'm going
[3:09]To be selecting a field called uh edit field edit or set fields. Let me just add uh this is just a you know a test workflow. So, I'm just going to be printing something like uh yeah, n8n is working or it's set up. Yeah, basically just something like that and yeah. Last node is going to be a no operation. This basically it does nothing. It the output is basically the same as input. It does not you know perform any of the operations. So, yeah, I'm just going to be adding this and save my workflow and click on execute. Let's see. Oh, yes. You can see the value that you
[3:58]Know, the message that N8n is working. The same what I inserted or what I added in this set or edit field. Great. Now you can see the data flowing through each node and this is the foundation of how all the N8n workflows operate. You've now got N8n up and running and created your first simple workflow. In next video, we will explore connecting to real APIs to gather data for your specific medicine project. Remember, for assignment three, you'll need to collect data that directly addresses your problem statement from assignment two. Don't worry about making it perfect. Focus on getting a working pipeline that collects relevant data. If you encounter
[4:42]Any issues, check out the documentation at n8n.io/docs. Or you can also join the office hours, of course. And next up, in the next video, I'm going to be explaining working with APIs in N8n. Thank you so much for watching this video.
