n8n runs workflows. OrchKernel governs agents.
n8n connects apps in workflows you draw as nodes, and can add AI steps. OrchKernel decides what any agent may do in your systems, holds risky actions for a person, and records everything.
Different tools, different jobs
n8n and OrchKernel answer different questions. You can use both.
What n8n is for
Automating a sequence of steps across apps.
- A workflow automation tool with a node-based editor
- Workflows run on triggers such as schedules and webhooks
- Connects many apps, and includes AI nodes
What OrchKernel is for
Deciding what agents may do, and proving what they did.
- Puts one gate between every agent and everything it touches
- Checks kill switches, arguments, delegation, budgets, rules, then risk against trust
- Holds risky actions for a person, who sees the exact payload
- Keeps vendor keys away from agents and runs approved actions with its own credentials
- Records every action in a tamper-evident log, with rules kept in Git
- Runs on your infrastructure: one binary and one database file
Running them side by side
Keep your workflows. Agents that act on your systems ask the gate first, and a workflow can become a gated tool.
- 01
Keep your n8n workflows
Fixed sequences stay in n8n. Nothing about how you build them changes.
- 02
Let an OrchKernel agent run a workflow
A declarative REST adapter calls the workflow's webhook. The agent's request passes the gate first, and the call lands in the log.
- 03
Gate the AI steps inside n8n
An AI step in a workflow asks the gate before it acts, through the governed actions API or the MCP gateway.
- 04
Rules decide, the kernel applies
The answer is allowed, needs approval or denied, with the reason. Approved actions run with OrchKernel's credentials.
When to use which
You may need one, the other, or both.
n8n on its own is enough when…
- The process is a fixed sequence you can draw step by step
- No step needs an agent to decide what to do next
- Nothing it does needs a person's approval first
Add OrchKernel when…
- The agent will email customers, issue refunds, change records or ship code
- Someone must approve risky actions before they happen
- You need to prove what an agent did and who allowed it
- Agents built in different ways need one set of rules
n8n and OrchKernel questions
Put one real workflow through the gate
We help you run it on OrchKernel, on your own systems.