Tutorial Tutorial

Ollama + n8n: Local AI Setup

Set up local AI with Ollama and connect it to n8n for automated workflows. Everything runs on your machine, no cloud required.

Intermediate

30 min

8 slides

16 views

April 3, 2026

canvas-ollama-n8n-featured - MsTimaj AI Education Platform

A step-by-step tutorial for setting up Ollama (local AI models) and n8n (workflow automation), then connecting them to build automated AI workflows on your own machine.

Tutorial

Ollama + n8n: Local AI Setup

Set up local AI with Ollama and connect it to n8n for automated workflows. Everything runs on your machine, no cloud required.

Ollama + n8n Integration

Local AI Setup and Workflow Automation. Everything runs on YOUR machine. Ollama handles local AI models, n8n provides the workflow engine, together they power automation. No cloud dependency, no API costs, no data leaving your machine. Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Part 1: Install Ollama

Windows: Download .exe from ollama.ai, run installer, opens in system tray. Mac: Download .dmg or brew install ollama. Linux: curl -fsSL ollama.ai/install.sh | sh, one command, runs as a service. After install, verify with: ollama --version

Technical: ollama.ai has installers for all three operating systems

Part 1: Pull & Run a Model

Download a model with ollama pull llama2 (runs locally, about 4GB). Start interactive chat with ollama run llama2. Try a prompt. See all models with ollama list. Other models to try: mistral, codellama, phi. No internet required after download.

Technical: ollama pull llama2 && ollama run llama2

Part 2: Install n8n

Install Node.js from nodejs.org if not already installed. Install n8n globally with npm install n8n -g. Start n8n with n8n start. Open browser to http://localhost:5678. Visual workflow builder with 400+ integrations out of the box.

Technical: npm install n8n -g && n8n start

Part 2: Your First Workflow

Open n8n at localhost:5678. Click Add workflow. Add a Manual Trigger node. Add an HTTP Request node after it. Connect them by dragging a line. Click Test Workflow to run it. Each node does one thing. Chain them together for powerful automations.

Part 3: Connect Ollama to n8n

In n8n, configure HTTP Request node. Method: POST. URL: http://localhost:11434/api/generate. Body JSON with model, prompt, and stream:false. Ollama exposes a local API on port 11434. n8n calls it like any other API. No tokens needed.

Technical: POST http://localhost:11434/api/generate with JSON body

What You Can Automate

Email Processing: receive email, Ollama summarizes, send to Slack. Content Generation: scheduled trigger, Ollama drafts, review and post. Data Analysis: CSV upload, Ollama analyzes, generate report. Customer Support: ticket arrives, Ollama drafts response, human reviews.

The Complete Picture

Ollama is your AI brain. n8n is your workflow engine. Together they automate your business. Everything local, zero API costs, unlimited queries. Scale by adding more models or workflow nodes. This is how you stop asking AI questions and start giving it jobs. Forward -> Upward | Onward / Mstimaj

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Ollama + n8n: Local AI Setup

Ollama + n8n: Local AI Setup

Ollama + n8n Integration

Part 1: Install Ollama

Part 1: Pull & Run a Model

Part 2: Install n8n

Part 2: Your First Workflow

Part 3: Connect Ollama to n8n

What You Can Automate

The Complete Picture

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