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EDWartens UK

Free course · AI and machine learning

AI Agents and Workflow Automation with n8n

No-code automation with a language model in the loop, for the jobs an engineering office does by hand: triage maintenance tickets, send the 07:00 plant report, log a phone form into a register, watch a mailbox. n8n runs free on a laptop; the AI node points at a free model or a local Ollama. Every write goes through a human approval step.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
12
Video
25 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Install and run n8n; build workflows from triggers, app nodes, core nodes and expressions; transform data with Set, Split Out, Aggregate and Merge; handle errors with retries and an error workflow; build AI agents with memory, tools and structured output on free or local models; gate every write behind human approval; build a RAG agent over documents; and deploy self-hosted with backups.

  • Run n8n free on your own laptop and build a form-to-sheet-to-alert workflow
  • Read and shape data with expressions, Set, Split Out, Aggregate and Merge
  • Make a workflow safe to run unattended: retries, error workflow, idempotent writes
  • Build an AI agent on a free or local model with a system prompt, memory, tools and JSON output
  • Gate every write behind a human approval step, and test which tool the agent calls
  • Build a document-reading RAG agent and deploy self-hosted with backups

Software

n8n (free self-hosted via npx or Docker, or the 14-day cloud trial), a free OpenRouter key, optionally Ollama.

Hardware

None. A laptop with 8 GB RAM for the optional local-model modules.

Syllabus

12 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1What n8n is: workflows, APIs and webhooks3 lessons
  2. 2Nodes, items and expressions3 lessons
  3. 3Core workflow concepts and everyday nodes3 lessons
  4. 4Your first workflow: form to sheet to alert3 lessons
  5. 5Transforming data1 lesson
  6. 6Error handling and safe writes3 lessons
  7. 7Your first AI agent3 lessonsLab
  8. 8Tools, guardrails and human-in-the-loop3 lessonsLab
  9. 9Local AI with n8n2 lessons
  10. 10RAG agents over your documents2 lessonsLab
  11. 11Deploying and working as a team4 lessons
  12. 12Final assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Practise the checks behind a good n8n agent in the AI Workbench: exact structured output, tool limits with human approval, and answers that cite their source.

Works alongside AI Agents and Workflow Automation with n8n. The Lab is ai for industry practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
AI for industry: Build AI models.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for AI Agents and Workflow Automation with n8n

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • n8n

    the n8n Beginner Course, the quick-start tutorials, the AI agent lessons and the integration walkthroughs

  • Sven Janssen

    the Nodemation basics on the canvas and transforming JSON

  • AI Lavishka

    the RAG agent builds and the self-hosted versus cloud comparison

  • Nate Herk | AI Automation

    the eight-hour Build and Sell n8n AI Agents course

  • freeCodeCamp.org

    the n8n zero-to-hero course

Questions

About this course

Is n8n free?
Self-hosted, yes: one command on your laptop (npx n8n) or Docker, no time limit. n8n Cloud has a 14-day trial and is paid after that. The course assumes self-hosted.
Do I need to code?
No. Expressions use a little JavaScript inside braces and are taught as you go; a Code node appears in two places with the code given. If you know Node-RED you will feel at home in an hour.
What is the project?
A maintenance-ticket triage agent: phone form intake, AI classification, a register, a high-urgency alert, a work-order write that waits for the lead's approval, an error workflow, and a measured accuracy on fifty sample tickets. A second project sends the 07:00 plant energy report written by a model.
Which AI model does it use?
Any. The course uses OpenRouter's free models through an OpenAI-compatible credential, and shows the swap to a local Ollama model for confidential data. No paid key is needed anywhere.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task, project and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished the modules and passed the final assessment (the project is optional practice), with a verification code anyone can check. It is not an n8n credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks, the projects and the assessments.

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The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module