Set up n8n and connect it to Propeller
The examples in the library run in n8n, a tool in which you build automations by connecting blocks. This page covers what you do once: an n8n account, a Propeller API key and the place in n8n where you store that key. After that every example uses the same key.
Before you begin
- You need Backoffice access and the API Keys role with Owner access to make the key.
- The Margin validator is the only example that needs no key. For that one you only need the n8n account.
Choose an n8n plan
Sign up at n8n.io. n8n sells its plans by the number of runs a month. A run is one start of a workflow.
| Plan on 2 October 2026 | Runs a month |
|---|---|
| Free | 50 |
| Trial of a paid plan | 1,000 |
| Starter | 2,500 |
| Pro | 10,000 |
Your organisation can also run the free Community Edition of n8n on its own server.
How many runs you need depends on the example. A weekly check uses about 4 runs a month. An agent that sales reps start by hand uses one run per click or message. The Order acceptance check runs every 15 minutes, which is about 2,900 runs a month. Every library page says how often its example runs.
Create a Propeller API key
- Go to Admin > API Keys and click New GraphQL API Key.
- Type a name, add the roles the workflow needs and switch Active on. See API Keys.
- Click Save and copy the key.
Give the key only what the workflows need. Each library page names the roles its example needs. You can add a role to the key later.
Treat an API key as a password. Do not share it, do not leave it in a workflow file you send to someone and never paste it into an AI assistant.
Store the key in n8n
In n8n you store a key once, as a credential. Every workflow then uses that credential.
- In n8n, go to Credentials and create a new credential. Choose the type Header Auth.
- Give the credential the title
Propeller API key. The examples look for a credential with exactly this title. - Fill in the two fields below the title and save.
| Field | What to fill in |
|---|---|
| Name | apiKey |
| Value | The key you copied from Propeller |
The title at the top is the name of the credential. The field Name lower down is something else: it tells Propeller where to find your key and has to say exactly apiKey. If you type anything else there, the workflow fails with a message that the API key is missing.
If you gave the credential another title, the examples do not find it by themselves. Open every block that talks to Propeller once and pick your credential from the list.
Next step
Pick an example from the workflow library and follow Install a workflow from the library.