Applicability and prerequisitesOS: Linux (Ubuntu/Debian/CentOS, etc.) or macOS
Suggested resources: 2 GB+ RAM, 10 GB+ free disk space
Shell access and the ability to reach the public npm registry
n8n 1.x requires Node.js 18.x or 20.x (LTS recommended)
• Log in to cometapi. Click "ADD API key" in the API keys to get your token key: sk-xxxxx;
Configuration#
1.Install Node.js (recommended: nvm)#
If you see “n8n: command not found” later, restart the terminal or ensure the nvm-managed npm global bin path is on your PATH.
2. Install and start n8n (local)#
Optional: keep it running in the background (still local):
3. First access and sign in#
On first run, follow the wizard to create the Owner account (email + password) and sign in.
Go to Settings (bottom-left) > Community nodes
Click “Install a community node”
In “npm Package Name”, enter: @cometapi-dev/n8n-nodes-cometapi
Check the risk acknowledgment box
If you don’t see the community nodes section:Make sure you are logged in as the Owner
Check Settings > Security to ensure community node installation is allowed
Click “+ New” at the top to create a new workflow.
Click the “+” on the right side of the canvas and search for “CometAPI” to add the node.
You can also search “CometAPI” from the left node list and drag it onto the canvas.
1.
Add a trigger node: search for “Manual Trigger” or “When clicking ‘Execute workflow’”.
2.
Add the “CometAPI” node and connect the trigger to it.
3.
Configure credentials (first time only):In the CometAPI node, under “Credential to connect with”, choose “Create new”.
Paste the token you created in the CometAPI console into “CometAPI Key”.
Save. The Base URL defaults to https://api.cometapi.com and typically needs no change.
4.
Configure model and messages:Model: enter a supported model, e.g., gpt-4o or gpt-4o-mini.
Role: User, Content: e.g., “Hello”
Optional Role: System, Content: e.g., “You are a useful assistant”
Optional parameters (as needed):Maximum Number of Tokens (e.g., 4096)
Sampling Temperature (e.g., 0.7)
Top P, Presence/Frequency Penalty
Stream (enable/disable streaming)
5.
Select the CometAPI node and click “Execute step”, or click “Execute workflow” at the bottom.
The OUTPUT panel on the right should show a JSON response (including choices, usage, etc.).
6. Troubleshooting#
node-gyp/native build errorsInstall build tools (build-essential/make/g++/python3) as shown in step 1.
npm global permission errors (EACCES)Use nvm for a user-level Node.js install (no sudo needed).
Set a different port via N8N_PORT before starting.
Community nodes section or install button not availableLog in as Owner; check Settings > Security for community node settings.
Corporate network/proxy causes npm install failuresConfigure a proxy if needed: npm config set proxy http://user:pass@host:port
CometAPI request returns 401/403Verify your API Key and model access permissions.
Empty responses or token limitsIncrease Maximum Number of Tokens; adjust Temperature/Top P as needed.
n8n stops after closing the terminalUse pm2 to run n8n in the background (still local).
You have now installed n8n locally on Linux via npm, installed and configured the CometAPI community node, and can run workflows that call models such as gpt-4o to receive responses. Modified at 2025-08-26 04:52:16
