Python Native Beta

Questions
1

Question: Python Native Runtime and import Limitations after Upgrade

Hi everyone,

I’ve successfully upgraded to n8n version > 1.113.2, which includes the Python Native Runtime and the new Data Table feature. However, I’ve noticed that I still cannot use import statements inside the Python node.

So, I’m wondering:

  • Did I miss some configuration step?
  • Or is n8n currently restricting import usage for security reasons, as mentioned in the documentation?

Additionally, once this limitation is lifted, will it be possible to:

  • Run pip install <library> inside the Execute Command node,
  • And then use that library (e.g., selenium or playwright) directly inside a Python node for web automation or simulation tasks?

Thanks a lot for the amazing work - I’m really excited about the new Python native support and can’t wait to explore more advanced use cases!

n8n
n8n2560×1528 251 KB

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version: 1.114.3
  • Database (default: SQLite):
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
  • Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): Docker
  • Operating system: Window
3 Likes
2

I encountered the same question.
I try to modify /etc/n8n-task-runners.json like this:
“N8N_RUNNERS_STDLIB_ALLOW”: “os,sys”,
“N8N_RUNNERS_EXTERNAL_ALLOW”: “pandas,openpyxl”

but it doesn’t work.

3

Same here, still waiting for the update to fix things or instruction.

4

Same here.
I hope they fix - or give instructions - about this issue soon.

5

I would also appreciate instructions on how to allow specific Python packages in the n8n hosted environment (I’m not sure I have access to modify env vars when n8n hosts).

2 Likes
6

This worked for me for self hosted -

I’ve got these 4 files in my directory:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:1.111.0
    container_name: n8n-main
    environment:
      - N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true
      - N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external
      - N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0
      - N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=your-secret-here
      - N8N_NATIVE_PYTHON_RUNNER=true
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

  task-runners:
    image: n8n-runner:custom
    container_name: n8n-runners
    environment:
      - N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_BROKER_URI=http://n8n-main:5679
      - N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=your-secret-here

    # critical for overriding allowed deps
    volumes:
      - ./n8n-task-runners.json:/etc/n8n-task-runners.json

    depends_on:
      - n8n

volumes:
  n8n_data:

n8n-task-runners.json
copy from:
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/blob/master/docker/images/runners/n8n-task-runners.json
and edit the list of allowed libs in the bottom

“N8N_RUNNERS_STDLIB_ALLOW”: “”,

“N8N_RUNNERS_EXTERNAL_ALLOW”: “”

extras.txt:

# like a requirements.txt 
# pypdf==4.2.0

Task Runner dockerfile:

FROM n8nio/runners:1.111.0

COPY extras.txt /app/task-runner-python/extras.txt

RUN set -e; \
    PY_BIN="/opt/runners/task-runner-python/.venv/bin/python"; \
    if [ ! -x "$
PY_BIN
" ]; then PY_BIN="$(command -v python3)"; fi; \
    "$PY_BIN" -m ensurepip --upgrade; \
    "$PY_BIN" -m pip install --no-cache-dir -r /app/task-runner-python/extras.txt

When in directory containing all files:

1. docker build -t n8n-runner:custom
2. docker compose up

That should basically be it. Now you can use those extra libs in a native python code node.

2 Likes
7

At this point, I’ve spend over four nights getting external python libraries to work. However, it still doesn’t. For some reason the mentioned solution in this post won’t work for me. I hope the n8n team can make this process a lot easier (e.g. through env vars) in one of the coming builds.