Github N8N Backups: How to backup workflows with folder structure instead of tags?

Kiremit · July 2, 2025, 9:01am

I’m using a backup workflow to export my n8n flows as JSON files, but I’m running into an issue. The backup saves the workflows organized by their tags rather than preserving the folder structure I’ve carefully created in the n8n interface.

For example:

In n8n: Marketing/Social Media/Twitter Bot

image1231×166 10.3 KB
In backup: workflows_n8n/social-media-tag/Twitter Bot.json

image210×108 3.08 KB

Is there a way to export/backup workflows while maintaining the actual folder hierarchy from the n8n UI? I’d prefer my backups to mirror the folder organization rather than the tag structure.

Information on your n8n setup

n8n version: 1.99
Database (default: SQLite): SQLite
n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main): own
Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): Docker, GCP
Operating system: Windows 11

barn4k · July 7, 2025, 8:04pm

hello @Kiremit
I think you can’t get the folder structure from the API. Seems currently it exists only in the DB.

You also shouldn’t rely on tags, as each WF may have more than one tag plus they are unordered within a workflow