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FileMaker n8n integrationAutomate FileMaker with n8n.

One node covers every FileMaker call a workflow needs. The FileMaker n8n integration reaches the FileMaker Data API through a single node whose Action field picks between finding, reading, creating, editing, duplicating and deleting records, or running a script. Set the credential once, reuse it everywhere.

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Why automate

What does the FileMaker n8n integration actually give you?

The node speaks to the FileMaker Data API, the REST interface a FileMaker Server exposes for a hosted database. n8n ships a single FileMaker node with one operation, and the Action field inside it selects the call: find, records, record, create, edit, duplicate, delete or performscript. Every call runs against a layout, so the layout you pick decides which fields come back.

Start with the reporting case. A workflow that runs on a fixed schedule sets Action to find, adds rules in Queries, sorts the result with Sort, and pushes the found set into Google Sheets for people who will never open FileMaker. The same shape feeds a dashboard table in MySQL when the numbers need to live next to other data.

The second case runs the other way. A form on your site hits an n8n Webhook, the node switches to create, and Fields maps each incoming value onto a field of the chosen layout. A message in Slack closes the loop so the person who owns the file knows a record landed.

The third case is maintenance. record reads one row by its internal id, a branch decides what changed, then edit writes it back. Mod ID is the guard here: pass the last modification id you read, and the edit only goes through when nobody touched the record in between. duplicate covers the copy-a-template habit that many FileMaker files rely on, and delete closes the cycle.

Depth in this node comes from the options around the action. Get Portals brings portal data back with the record, and Portals Name or ID narrows that to one portal object or portal table name instead of all of them. Response Layout Name or ID lets the answer come back shaped by a different layout than the one the call ran against. Three script hooks sit on the same call: Before Find Script, Before Sort Script and After Sort Script, each with its own Script Parameter, so server-side logic you already wrote keeps running inside the automation. Each hook, and the performscript action itself, needs a Script Name or ID to pick which script runs; the toggle above only switches the hook on.

When an endpoint of the Data API is not exposed by the node, the HTTP Request node calls it directly and reuses the same credential through predefined authentication. That is the standard escape hatch in n8n, and it keeps one set of credentials for the whole workflow. If you are still weighing platforms before you build, the n8n review goes through the trade-offs in more detail.

Connect

How do you connect FileMaker to n8n?

  1. 01

    Open the Data API on your server

    The node talks to a FileMaker Server, not to a local file. Prepare the database for FileMaker Data API access in FileMaker Pro, host the solution with Data API access enabled, then test that the API answers before you touch n8n. Claris documents each of those steps in its Data API Guide, and the Admin Console is where you watch the hosted solution afterwards.

  2. 02

    Create the account with the right privilege

    Create a user account on the server and give it the fmrest extended privilege, the one that allows access to the FileMaker Data API. An account without it authenticates in FileMaker but gets nowhere through the API. Use a dedicated account for automation rather than a person's login, since the workflow will keep calling with it long after that person changes role.

  3. 03

    Fill the credential in n8n

    In the Credentials menu, pick the FileMaker credential and fill four fields. Host takes the name or IP address of your FileMaker Server. Database takes the database name. Login and Password take the account you just prepared. Saved once, the credential shows up in the node's dropdown in every workflow you build afterwards.

Actions

What the FileMaker node does

The FileMaker node exposes one operation. For each one: the node as you configure it in n8n, the required fields, and our field notes.

01

Retrieve data from the FileMaker data API

execute

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

One call to the FileMaker Data API, with the Action field choosing between find, records, record, create, edit, duplicate, delete and performscript. The matching records come back as n8n items.

Key parameters

  • Layout Name or ID: the layout the call runs against, chosen from the list n8n loads from the database or set with an expression like {{ $json.layout }}.
  • Record ID: the internal record id returned by a get, the value an edit or a delete needs, usually {{ $json.recordid }}.
  • Limit and Offset: how many records come back, 100 in the placeholder, and which record the range starts at.
Use cases
pull yesterday's orders from a layout each morning, or create one record per inbound form answer.
Need help

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FAQ

FileMaker and n8n, answered

01Is the FileMaker n8n integration free?
Yes on the n8n side. The FileMaker node ships with n8n, so there is nothing to install and nothing extra to pay for the connector itself. It behaves the same on n8n Cloud, the hosted offer run by n8n, and on an instance you host yourself with Docker or npm under the Community Edition and its Sustainable Use license. A workflow built in one runs in the other without changes. What you do need is a FileMaker Server with the Data API available, since the node calls that API rather than a file sitting on a desktop. Licensing on the Claris side is a separate question and this page does not cover it.
02What credentials do you need for FileMaker in n8n?
One credential type, called database connection, with four values: Host, Database, Login and Password. Host is the name or IP address of your FileMaker Server. Database has to match the database name as it appears in the Databases list inside FileMaker. Login and Password belong to a user account that carries the fmrest extended privilege, which is what grants access to the FileMaker Data API. Prepare the database for Data API access in FileMaker Pro first, host the solution with that access enabled, and test the API before wiring anything. The credential is created once in the Credentials menu and then reused by every workflow.
03What are the limits of the FileMaker node in n8n?
Result size is the first thing to plan for. Limit sets the maximum number of records returned, with 100 in the field placeholder, and Offset sets the record number where the range starts, so a large found set is walked in slices rather than pulled in one go. Sort rules and query rules are defined in the node itself, which keeps the heavy filtering on the server rather than in your workflow. When an endpoint of the Data API is not exposed by the node, the HTTP Request node calls it directly and reuses the same credential through predefined authentication, so you stay on one set of credentials.
04Does FileMaker have a trigger node in n8n?
No. FileMaker has no trigger node, so a workflow around it starts with something else. The Schedule Trigger is the usual answer: it fires at a fixed interval, the node runs a find, and the workflow handles whatever came back. The n8n Webhook, which is an n8n URL that an outside service calls, works when FileMaker is not the thing that moves first, for example a form or an app that posts data you then write into the file. The trigger of another tool works too, so a new row somewhere else can create the matching FileMaker record within seconds of the event.
05n8n or Make for FileMaker?
It depends on where your data has to live. Make is a hosted automation platform with no self-hosting option and billing per operation, so cost tracks volume and everything runs on their servers. n8n runs on your own machine or on n8n Cloud, which matters when a FileMaker Server already sits inside your network and you would rather the automation sit next to it. Both give you a visual canvas, so the choice rarely comes down to the editor. Look instead at hosting, control over the data and the cost model, then pick the one that matches how your team works.
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