- Custom n8n node
- Web Automation
- AI-agent tool
Robot Framework runner
Run Robot Framework RPA scripts on a remote Windows, macOS or Linux robot host from n8n.
How it works in practice
An old Windows program, operated by a robot
How we apply it
In an on-premise engagement for an accounting and advisory firm, a robot types bank statements of 200-300 lines into a late-1990s accounting system with no import and reconciles them against SAP data, all inside the client's office.
This node sends a Robot Framework script to an rfn8n execution server over HTTP and returns structured pass or fail results, statistics, extracted values and, optionally, an exported file. n8n expressions inside the script are resolved before it is sent. A script reports values with a RESULT:key=value convention, and RESULT:file hands back a file as n8n binary data. The node also manages the robot's Python libraries (list, search PyPI, install, uninstall) and can block physical mouse and keyboard input while a desktop robot runs.
It brings desktop RPA into n8n alongside API and browser automation: driving legacy Windows applications that expose no API or database access. The bundled server carries Windows keyword libraries for OCR, Win32 menu and scroll control, screen input, Btrieve queries, waiting for file downloads and automating a legacy ERP client. Per-execution and global timeouts kill the script on the server when they expire.
We use it for the jobs nothing else can reach: entering bank-statement lines into a legacy Windows ERP, exporting a report from a desktop application and passing the file on to SharePoint or email, and nightly extraction from a Btrieve database. It runs in 6 production workflows.
Limits: it needs the separate rfn8n server running on the robot host, which is not part of the node package. The Run Demo operation only works on macOS, and the Windows keyword libraries are for Windows robots.
For your technical team: it installs from npm as
What it means for you
The old software stays, with no forced replacement
People stop retyping data into legacy screens
Data can stay inside the company's own premises
More nodes we built
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- Government & RegistriesBulgarian Registry AgencyA new customer, checked against the official registerNobody copies register data by hand from a browser tabAI-agent tool
- Documents & AIDocument AIA mixed scan, sorted into readable invoicesNobody splits or types invoices by handAI-agent tool
- Data & SpreadsheetsExcelA finance template, filled in without touching its lookNo copy-paste into spreadsheetsAI-agent tool
- ERP & AccountingMicroinvestPayments and invoices posted straight into the booksNobody re-keys entries one by oneAI-agent tool
- SecurityPassboltSigning in to a portal without a password in sightPasswords live in one place, not scattered across automationsAI-agent tool
- Documents & AIPDFOne big scan, cut into one file per documentNo manual splitting in a PDF viewerAI-agent tool
- Web AutomationPlaywright browserStatements collected from portals with no integrationNo more clicking through portals by handAI-agent tool
- Files & StorageSeaweedFS storageDocuments kept safely in storage you ownNo lock-in to a cloud vendorAI-agent tool
- Microsoft 365SharePointDocuments filed in SharePoint, where people lookNo manual filing or renamingAI-agent tool
- Files & StorageSMB network shareFiles exchanged with old systems through a shared folderOlder systems keep working as they areAI-agent tool
Want Robot Framework runner in your n8n?
Tell us what the workflow has to do and what it connects to. We will say whether this node covers it as it stands, what we would add, and when a different approach is the better one.
