# Understanding the Minimal, Standard, and Full Detail Levels for get_node in n8n-mcp

> Explore n8n-mcp's get_node detail levels: minimal, standard, and full. Understand how each setting impacts token usage and node metadata retrieval for efficient workflow analysis.

- Repository: [Romuald Członkowski/n8n-mcp](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp)
- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-24

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**The `get_node` tool in n8n-mcp offers three detail levels—minimal (~200 tokens), standard (~1-2K tokens, default), and full (~3-8K tokens)—that control how much node metadata is returned when `mode` is set to `info`.**

The `get_node` MCP tool in the [czlonkowski/n8n-mcp](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp) repository retrieves detailed information about specific n8n nodes. When operating in `info` mode, the tool uses a **`detail`** parameter to optimize token usage and response size across three distinct granularity levels.

## Detail Level Breakdown

The three detail levels are defined in [`src/mcp/tools.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/tools.ts) (lines 77-90) and implemented in [`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts) (lines 28-74). Each level corresponds to a specific TypeScript return type and targets different use cases.

### Minimal Detail Level

The **minimal** level returns approximately **200 tokens** and includes only basic metadata: `nodeType`, `displayName`, `description`, `category`, `package`, plus trigger and webhook flags. This level excludes property lists and version history entirely, making it ideal for quick sanity checks and UI-friendly node lists where low latency is critical.

### Standard Detail Level

**Standard** is the default detail level, consuming roughly **1-2K tokens**. It returns essential node schema data including required, common, and optional properties, available operations, and a brief version summary. According to the source code in [`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts), this represents the "AI-friendly" view that most agents need to generate or validate workflow configurations.

### Full Detail Level

The **full** detail level provides a complete node definition at approximately **3-8K tokens**. This includes all properties (even rarely-used ones), exhaustive operation lists, comprehensive type-structure metadata, and full version summaries. Use this level for deep debugging, documentation generation, or when the standard view omits required fields.

## Source Code Implementation

The detail level logic is implemented across three key files:

- **[`src/mcp/tools.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/tools.ts)** (lines 77-90): Declares the `get_node` tool schema and defines the three `detail` enum values
- **[`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts)** (lines 27-30 and 28-74): Contains the `handleInfoMode` switch that maps each detail level to its respective response shape (`NodeMinimalInfo`, `NodeStandardInfo`, `NodeFullInfo`)
- **[`src/mcp/tool-docs/configuration/get-node.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/tool-docs/configuration/get-node.ts)** (lines 20-24): Provides human-readable documentation explaining token costs and best practices

Important: The `detail` parameter **only applies when `mode='info'`**. For version-related modes (`versions`, `compare`, `breaking`, `migrations`), the detail level is ignored entirely.

## Code Examples

Here are practical implementations for each detail level:

```typescript
// Minimal - Core metadata only (~200 tokens)
await mcpClient.call('get_node', {
  nodeType: 'nodes-base.slack',
  detail: 'minimal',
  mode: 'info',
});
// Returns NodeMinimalInfo

```

```typescript
// Standard - Default AI-friendly schema (~1-2K tokens)
await mcpClient.call('get_node', {
  nodeType: 'nodes-base.httpRequest',
  // detail defaults to "standard"
  mode: 'info',
  includeExamples: true,
});
// Returns NodeStandardInfo

```

```typescript
// Full - Exhaustive node definition (~3-8K tokens)
await mcpClient.call('get_node', {
  nodeType: 'nodes-base.googleSheets',
  detail: 'full',
  mode: 'info',
});
// Returns NodeFullInfo

```

## Summary

- **Minimal** (~200 tokens): Basic metadata only (`nodeType`, `displayName`, `description`, `category`, `package`) for quick lookups and UI lists.
- **Standard** (~1-2K tokens, default): Essential schema with properties, operations, and version summaries—optimal for AI workflow generation.
- **Full** (~3-8K tokens): Complete node definition including all properties and exhaustive metadata for debugging and documentation.
- The `detail` parameter only functions when `mode='info'`; other modes ignore this setting.
- Implementation spans [`src/mcp/tools.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/tools.ts), [`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts), and [`src/mcp/tool-docs/configuration/get-node.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/tool-docs/configuration/get-node.ts).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What happens if I omit the detail parameter in get_node?

When you omit the `detail` parameter, the tool defaults to **standard** detail level. As implemented in [`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts), this returns approximately 1-2K tokens containing essential node schema data suitable for most AI-assisted workflow building tasks.

### Why does the full detail level return 3-8K tokens while minimal returns only 200?

The **full** detail level serializes the complete node definition including rarely-used properties, exhaustive type structures, and comprehensive operation metadata from the n8n node source. The **minimal** level strategically filters this to only core identification fields (`nodeType`, `displayName`, etc.) to minimize latency and context window usage.

### Can I use detail levels with modes other than info?

No. According to the source code in [`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts), the `detail` parameter is only respected when `mode='info'`. For version-related modes like `versions`, `compare`, `breaking`, or `migrations`, the detail level is ignored because these modes return specialized comparison data rather than general node information.

### Which detail level should I use for AI agent workflow generation?

Use the **standard** detail level (or omit the parameter to accept the default). This level, defined in [`src/mcp/tools.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/tools.ts) and implemented in [`src/mcp/server.ts`](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp/blob/main/src/mcp/server.ts), provides the optimal balance of schema information (~1-2K tokens) including required, common, and optional properties that AI agents need to generate valid n8n workflows without excessive context window consumption.