Wire Hermes to ten legal workflows in n8n

Orientation

How the bridge works

Keep one idea in mind and the rest follows: Hermes is the assistant, n8n is the operations team. Hermes understands what the lawyer wants, asks any missing questions, and picks the right tool. n8n runs the actual steps — reading email, OCRing PDFs, calling AI, writing to a database — and hands back a tidy JSON result that Hermes reads aloud in plain language.

The two talk over the Model Context Protocol (MCP). In n8n you build one "server" workflow whose MCP Server Trigger node publishes a URL. Each legal workflow is attached to that node as a callable tool. Hermes connects to the URL as an MCP client, sees the ten tools, and calls whichever one matches the request. Nothing about the automation lives inside Hermes — so you can rewrite a workflow in n8n without touching the agent.

Step 01

Prerequisites

Five minutes of checks before you start. Confirm each one:

Step 02

Run n8n in Docker

One volume to keep your work, one command to start the container. Everything n8n stores — workflows, credentials, and its encryption key — lives in the named volume, so it survives restarts and upgrades.

1. Create a persistent volume

   Do this once. Your workflows and credentials are stored here, not inside the container.

   terminalcopy

   docker volume create n8n_data

2. Start n8n

   Maps the editor to localhost:5678, mounts the volume, and sets your timezone so scheduled nodes behave. Swap Asia/Kolkata for your own zone.

   terminal · macOS / Linuxcopy

   docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 \
     -e GENERIC_TIMEZONE="Asia/Kolkata" \
     -e TZ="Asia/Kolkata" \
     -e N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true \
     -e N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true \
     -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
     docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n

   On Windows PowerShell, replace the trailing \ line-continuations with a backtick `, or paste it all on one line.

3. Open the editor

   Visit the address below, create your owner account, and you're in. Keep this browser tab open — you'll build every workflow here.

   browsercopy

   http://localhost:5678

4. (Optional) Prefer Docker Compose

   If you'd rather manage n8n declaratively, save this as compose.yaml and run docker compose up -d. Easier to restart and version-control.

   compose.yamlcopy

   services:
     n8n:
       image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
       restart: unless-stopped
       ports:
         - "5678:5678"
       environment:
         - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Kolkata
         - TZ=Asia/Kolkata
         - N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true
         - N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true
       volumes:
         - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
   volumes:
     n8n_data:

Step 03

Connect Hermes over MCP

You'll build one small "server" workflow that acts as the front door for all ten tools. n8n's MCP Server Trigger node exposes a URL; Hermes connects to that URL and discovers every attached tool automatically.

1. Create the MCP server workflow

   New workflow → name it Hermes MCP Gateway. Add a node and search for MCP Server Trigger. This is the only trigger this workflow needs.

2. Turn on authentication

   In the node, set Authentication → Bearer and generate a credential with a long random token. Every request from Hermes must carry this token, so no stray process on your machine can call your tools.

   generate a tokencopy

   openssl rand -hex 32

3. Copy the endpoint URL

   The node shows a Test URL and a Production URL (a path like /mcp/<random-id>). Use the Test URL while building; switch to the Production URL once the workflow is activated. It looks like this:

   mcp endpointcopy

   http://localhost:5678/mcp/<your-generated-path>

4. Point Hermes at it

   In Hermes' settings, add an MCP server. Give it the URL and the bearer token. Save, then reconnect — Hermes should report the tools it discovered (none yet; you'll add them next).

   hermes · mcp server configcopy

   {
     "name": "n8n-legal",
     "transport": "sse",
     "url": "http://localhost:5678/mcp/<your-path>",
     "headers": {
       "Authorization": "Bearer <your-token>"
     }
   }

   If Hermes runs in its own container

   Use http://host.docker.internal:5678 instead of localhost so the agent can reach n8n across the container boundary.

Step 04

The workflow pattern

Every one of the ten workflows follows the same shape, so once you build one the rest are variations. Each tool is a separate sub-workflow; the gateway just exposes them.

Two rules that keep this maintainable

One workflow, one job. Resist the urge to build a single "legal automation" monster. Small, named workflows are easier to test, reuse, and reason about.

Always return structured JSON — and never a raw error. Hermes turns your JSON into a sentence. If something breaks, hand back a friendly failure object, not a 500.

{
  "status": "failed",
  "reason": "Court API unavailable"
}

// spoken to the lawyer
"The court system is
 temporarily unavailable.
 Please try again shortly."

Step 05

The ten workflows

Build them in order — the first few are simple and teach the pattern; the later ones layer in OCR, retrieval, and long-form generation. For each: the phrase a lawyer might say, the pipeline of nodes, the JSON in and out, and expandable build notes.

{
  "client_name": "ABC Limited",
  "matter_type": "Commercial",
  "email": "gc@abc.co"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "matter_id": "MAT-1002",
  "assigned_to": "R. Shah",
  "folder_url": "..."
}

{
  "document_url": "...",
  "counterparty": "Vendor Co"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "doc_type": "NDA",
  "lane": "self_serve",
  "risk": "Low",
  "sla_hours": 24
}

{
  "document_url": "...",
  "matter_id": "MAT-1002"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "draft_url": "...",
  "precedents_used": 3,
  "summary": "Reply drafted"
}

{
  "matter_id": "MAT-1002",
  "hearing_purpose": "interim relief"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "brief_url": "...",
  "authorities": 4,
  "open_items": 2
}

{
  "question": "limitation for
   dishonoured cheque suit",
  "jurisdiction": "India"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "report_url": "...",
  "sources": 7,
  "confidence": "Medium"
}

{
  "since": "today",
  "label": "Clients"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "processed": 14,
  "matched": 11,
  "needs_review": 3
}

{
  "document_url": "...",
  "matter_id": "MAT-1002"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "amount": "12,400",
  "valid": true,
  "flags": []
}

{
  "prospective_client": "XYZ Corp",
  "adverse_parties": ["ABC Limited"]
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "conflict": "potential",
  "basis": "ABC is a current client",
  "routed_to": "compliance"
}

{
  "doc_type": "shareholders_agreement",
  "matter_id": "MAT-1002",
  "instructions": "2 founders,
   vesting over 4 years"
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "draft_url": "...",
  "sections": 11,
  "words": 4200
}

{
  "document_url": "...",
  "gstin": "24AABC..."
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "notice_type": "ASMT-10",
  "demand": "3,20,000",
  "reply_due": "2026-08-01"
}

Step 06

Test & troubleshoot

Test each layer in order

1. Test the sub-workflow alone

   In the sub-workflow, click Execute and pass sample input. Confirm it returns clean JSON before wiring it to anything.

2. Test the tool over MCP

   Activate the gateway workflow, then ask Hermes to run the tool with a simple request. Watch the Executions tab in n8n to see it fire.

3. Test the whole sentence

   Say it the way a lawyer would. Check that Hermes picks the right tool and reads the result back naturally.

Common issues

Step 07

Toward production

Once the lab works, the gap to something client-safe is mostly operational, not architectural — the Hermes ↔ MCP ↔ n8n shape stays the same. Before real matters touch it:

• Switch off SQLite for Postgres and set a persistent, backed-up database — the single-container store is fine for a lab, not for client data.
• Terminate TLS in front of n8n (Caddy or nginx) so the MCP endpoint runs over HTTPS, and keep the bearer token in a secret store.
• Keep every credential inside n8n. Hermes should never hold API keys — it holds only the MCP URL and token.
• Log every execution — user, matter, workflow, model, cost, duration, outcome — for audit and troubleshooting.
• Version-control your prompts and workflow exports so drafting and classification behaviour is reproducible.
• Keep humans in the loop where it counts: triage routes, conflict checks flag, drafts stay drafts. The workflows prepare; a lawyer decides.