n8n-nodes-ipmi-watchdog

Community node for n8n that replicates ipmi-watchdog behavior:

• SSH availability probe
• retry logic for each check
• consecutive failure counter between workflow runs
• automatic reboot through Supermicro BMC Redfish
• post-reboot cooldown

What this node does

Nodes:

• IPMI Watchdog (action node, for Cron -> Check)
• IPMI Watchdog Trigger (self-polling trigger node)

Operation Check & Reboot If Needed:

1. Checks server SSH availability.
2. Retries probe SSH Check Retries times with SSH Retry Delay.
3. Stores consecutive failure counter in n8n workflow static data.
4. When threshold is reached, sends Redfish reset:
   POST /redfish/v1/Systems/1/Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset
5. After successful reboot command, starts cooldown (Reboot Cooldown).

Operation Clear Host State:

• Clears stored counter/cooldown state for selected host key.

Installation

Option 1: install from local folder (for self-hosted n8n)

1. Build package:

cd n8n-ipmi-watchdog
npm install
npm run build

2. In your n8n custom extensions folder, install this package:

cd ~/.n8n/custom
npm install /absolute/path/to/n8n-ipmi-watchdog

3. Restart n8n.

Option 2: link during development

cd /absolute/path/to/n8n-ipmi-watchdog
npm install
npm run build
npm link

cd ~/.n8n/custom
npm link n8n-nodes-ipmi-watchdog

Restart n8n after linking.

GitHub Actions publish

Workflow file: .github/workflows/publish.yml

• Trigger: push to master
• Actions: install dependencies, build package, publish to npm and GitHub Packages
• npm registry package name: n8n-nodes-ipmi-watchdog
• GitHub Packages name: @<owner>/n8n-nodes-ipmi-watchdog (owner is repository owner)
• Required secret: NPM_TOKEN
• GitHub Packages auth uses built-in GITHUB_TOKEN (workflow has packages: write)
• Safety: each publish is skipped if the same version already exists in the target registry

Credentials

This package provides two credential types:

• IPMI SSH Auth
  • Username
  • Password (optional)
  • Private Key (PEM, optional)
  • Passphrase (optional)
• IPMI BMC Auth
  • Username
  • Password

At least one SSH auth method must be provided: password or private key.

Recommended workflow

Option A: Trigger-based (no Cron)

1. IPMI Watchdog Trigger
2. IF / Switch node on {{$json.watchdog.event}}

Option B: Cron + action node

1. Cron node (for example every 1 minute).
2. IPMI Watchdog node (Check & Reboot If Needed).
3. IF / Switch node on {{$json.watchdog.event}} to route:
   • ssh_ok
   • ssh_failure
   • reboot_triggered
   • reboot_failed
   • reboot_cooldown

Output format

Each input item returns input JSON + watchdog object:

{
  "watchdog": {
    "event": "ssh_failure",
    "host": "10.10.140.253",
    "stateKey": "10.10.140.253",
    "timestamp": "2026-03-10T11:50:00.000Z",
    "consecutiveFailures": 2
  }
}

Differences vs Python daemon

• In Python version, a single process polls forever.
• In n8n version, you can poll either with IPMI Watchdog Trigger or with external Cron.
• State survives between workflow runs via node static data.

License

MIT