Resources · n8n integration

n8n Local File Trigger nodeConfigure Local File Trigger in n8n.

The Local File Trigger node starts a workflow when something changes on disk. The n8n Local File Trigger node watches one file or a whole folder, reacts to files and folders added, changed or deleted, and gives you 8 parameters to filter the noise. Useful when work still arrives as files.

Try the Local File Trigger node on n8nSee the 8 parameters

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Why automate

What does the n8n Local File Trigger node watch?

The Local File Trigger node is a trigger, meaning it opens the workflow instead of sitting in the middle of it. It listens to the file system of the machine that runs n8n and starts an execution when a file or a folder is added, changed or deleted. There is no polling interval to set and no account to link: you point it at a path, choose the events, and the workflow runs on its own.

Scenario one: an accounting folder. A supplier drops a PDF into a shared directory, the node fires on File Added, and the rest of the workflow renames the document and logs a line in Google Sheets. Nobody has to remember to import anything at the end of the month.

Scenario two: a config file that must not drift silently. Trigger On is set to Changes to a Specific File, Watch for keeps File Changed, and the workflow posts the new content to a channel through Slack. Every edit leaves a trace, including the ones made straight on the server.

Scenario three: an export folder that fills up all day. Here the noise is the problem, so Ignore drops the temporary files, Ignore Existing Files/Folders keeps the backlog from firing on the first activation, and an If node routes the rest by extension.

When to reach for something else: this node only sees what the n8n machine itself can see. A file sitting behind an HTTP API is not a file system event, so a dedicated node, or HTTP Request when no dedicated node covers the call, does that job better. HTTP Request is the fallback for an HTTP endpoint, never for a protocol that is not HTTP.

Known limits worth knowing before you build. The official documentation flags security risks on instances with untrusted users, which is why the node is disabled by default from n8n 2.0 and is described as available on self-hosted n8n only. Version 1 is the maximum version in the catalog, so an older workflow shows the same panel. Watching a network share often needs Use Polling, and regex patterns in Ignore may not work on macOS. If you are still weighing the platform itself, the n8n review goes through the trade offs.

Parameters

How do you set up each parameter?

The Local File Trigger node has 8 parameters. For each one: the node as you configure it in n8n, what the parameter changes, and our field notes.

01

Trigger On

triggerOn

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

This required selector decides the whole shape of the node: one file under surveillance, or a folder and everything that happens inside it. Pick it first, because the fields below it change with the answer.

Key parameters

  • Trigger On: file (Changes to a Specific File) or folder (Changes Involving a Specific Folder).
  • File to Watch: the path to follow, in the style of /data/invoices/1.pdf.
  • Watch for: the required multi select of events, add (File Added), change (File Changed), unlink (File Deleted), addDir (Folder Added), unlinkDir (Folder Deleted).
Use cases
a folder watched on File Added only, so a monthly invoice drop starts one execution per new document and ignores every later edit.
02

Await Write Finish

options.awaitWriteFinish

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

A big file does not appear all at once. Turn this option on and n8n waits until writing is finished before starting the execution, which avoids reading half a document.

Key parameters

  • Await Write Finish: a checkbox, added through Add option in the Options collection like every other option on this node.
Use cases
a scanner that writes a heavy PDF straight into the watched folder. Without the wait, the next node sometimes opens a truncated file and the run fails for a reason that looks random.
04

Ignore

options.ignored

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

A filter for everything you do not want to wake the workflow. n8n tests the whole path, not just the filename, and the field accepts Anymatch syntax such as **/*.txt or ignore-me/subfolder.

Key parameters

  • Ignore: the paths or files to skip. Regex patterns may not work on macOS, and substring matching goes through the Ignore Mode option set to Contain.
Use cases
an export folder where a tool writes a temporary file before renaming it. Skipping that pattern cuts the duplicate executions without touching the rest of the setup.
05

Ignore Existing Files/Folders

options.ignoreInitial

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

When the watch starts, everything already sitting in the folder can count as something to report. This option tells n8n to leave that backlog alone and only react to what happens next.

Key parameters

  • Ignore Existing Files/Folders: a checkbox that stops existing files and folders from triggering an event.
Use cases
activating a workflow on a directory that already holds hundreds of archived documents. Without it, the first activation floods the execution list and the useful events get buried.
06

Max Folder Depth

options.depth

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Folder mode can go as deep as the tree allows. This selector sets the ceiling, so a watch on a shared drive does not quietly follow every branch of it.

Key parameters

  • Max Folder Depth: 0 (Top Folder Only), 1 to 5 (1 Levels Down through 5 Levels Down), or -1 (Unlimited).
Use cases
a client directory with one subfolder per account. Top Folder Only catches the new account folders, while 1 Levels Down also catches the documents filed inside them.
07

Use Polling

options.usePolling

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Watching is normally handled by the file system itself. Over a network that often fails to report anything, and this option switches the node to polling, meaning it checks the path at intervals rather than waiting to be told.

Key parameters

  • Use Polling: a checkbox, typically necessary to successfully watch files over a network.
Use cases
a folder mounted from a NAS. Events look fine in a local test and stop arriving once the same path is a network mount, and this is the setting that fixes it.
08

Ignore Mode

options.ignoreMode

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

This selector decides how the Ignore value is read: as a pattern to match, or as a piece of text to find in the path. It is the companion option people forget when a filter refuses to catch anything.

Key parameters

  • Ignore Mode: match (Match) for regex patterns such as **/*.txt, not supported on macOS, or contain (Contain) to ignore files whose path contains the value.
Use cases
a team on macOS that wants to skip everything filed under a draft directory. Contain with a plain word does the job where a pattern would not.
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FAQ

Local File Trigger and n8n, the usual questions

01Is the n8n Local File Trigger node included with n8n?
Yes. It is a core node, shipped with n8n, so there is nothing to install and nothing extra to pay on the n8n side. One detail matters before you plan around it: the official documentation states that this node is not available on n8n Cloud, and that it is disabled by default from n8n 2.0 because watching a file system can be a real risk on an instance shared with untrusted users. In practice you run it on a self-hosted instance, whether that instance came up through Docker or npm. A workflow built there is the same workflow you would build anywhere else in n8n, the file access is what differs.
02What credentials does the Local File Trigger node need?
None. This node has no credential and no Authentication selector, so there is nothing to configure on the account side and nothing to rotate later. What it does need is access: the path you type in has to be visible to the machine that runs n8n, which means a volume mounted into the container rather than a folder that only exists on your laptop. The other requirement is the workflow state. In the editor, a test execution starts a one off listen so you can check the setup, and in production the workflow has to be active for the node to keep watching.
03What are the limits of the Local File Trigger node?
The main one is scope. The node sees the file system of its own machine, nothing else, and version 1 is the maximum version in the catalog, so there is no newer panel waiting with extra options. Network shares are the second catch: file system events often go missing across a mount, and Use Polling is the documented answer. On macOS, regex patterns in Ignore may not work, which pushes you towards Ignore Mode set to Contain. Add the hosting constraint from the documentation, self-hosted only and disabled by default from n8n 2.0, and you have the full picture.
04When should you use this node instead of HTTP Request?
Choose Local File Trigger when the event is a file appearing, changing or disappearing on a disk the n8n machine can reach. Choose HTTP Request when the data lives behind an HTTP endpoint and no dedicated node covers the call you need. The two are not interchangeable, because HTTP Request is a fallback for HTTP APIs and never a way to reach a protocol that is not HTTP. A simple test: if you would find the file with a file browser on the server, this node is the right entry point. If you would find it with a URL, it is not.
05n8n or Make for watching files?
It comes down to where the files are. Make is a hosted automation platform with no self-hosting option and a price per operation, so a folder living on your own server is not something it can watch directly. n8n runs on your infrastructure when you want it to, which is exactly what this node assumes, and a busy folder does not turn into a metered bill. Make has its own strengths, starting with a visual builder many teams find quick to read. If the documents never leave your network, the self-hosted route is the one that fits.
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