Integration playbook

Very Good FFmpeg + n8n

Connect Very Good FFmpeg to n8n for self-hosted video processing automation. Run FFmpeg commands from n8n workflows with full code control and no cloud vendor lock-in.

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Setup steps

Use cases

Runtime

6 hrs

workflow.jsonPOST /api/ffmpeg

POST https://verygoodffmpeg.com/api/ffmpeg
Authorization: Bearer {{ $env.VGF_API_KEY }}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "input_files": { "input": "{{ $json.media_url }}" },
  "output_files": ["output.mp4"],
  "ffmpeg_commands": ["-i {{input}} -c:v libx265 -crf 28 {{output.mp4}}"]
}

Trigger

n8n event

→

Request

POST /api/ffmpeg

→

Result

Processed video files

About n8n

Connect the trigger. Run the command.

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform that you can self-host or use in the cloud. It combines visual workflow building with the ability to write custom JavaScript/TypeScript code nodes — giving developers more control than no-code-only alternatives. Learn more about n8n.

Setup

How to connect Very Good FFmpeg to n8n

Get your API key

Add an HTTP Request node

In your n8n workflow, add an 'HTTP Request' node. Set method to POST, URL to https://verygoodffmpeg.com/api/ffmpeg. Add headers for Authorization and Content-Type.

Build your FFmpeg command

Use n8n expressions (like {{ $json.file_url }}) to dynamically populate the input_files, output_files, and ffmpeg_commands fields from previous nodes in your workflow.

Check job status

For async jobs, add an 'HTTP Request' node polling GET /api/jobs/{{ $json.id }}. Use n8n's 'Wait' node or loop until the status is 'completed' — then download the output URLs.

Use webhooks for production

For production workflows, set a webhook_url in your FFmpeg request. When the job completes, Very Good FFmpeg POSTs the result to your n8n Webhook node — no polling needed.

Build

What you can build with n8n

AI-generated content pipeline

Combine OpenAI (text generation), ElevenLabs (voiceover), and Very Good FFmpeg (video composition) in one n8n workflow. Generate faceless videos programmatically from start to finish.

Self-hosted media processing

Run n8n on your own server with Very Good FFmpeg as the processing backend. No cloud dependency — your workflow logic and media processing are under your control.

Content repurposing engine

Build an n8n workflow that takes a long-form video, uses AI to find interesting segments, then uses Very Good FFmpeg to extract those clips as individual social-media-ready videos.

Start automating n8n video workflows

Get an API key in 30 seconds. Your first 2 GB are free. No credit card required.

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POST https://verygoodffmpeg.com/api/ffmpeg Authorization: Bearer {{ $env.VGF_API_KEY }} Content-Type: application/json { "input_files": { "input": "{{ $json.media_url }}" }, "output_files": ["output.mp4"], "ffmpeg_commands": ["-i {{input}} -c:v libx265 -crf 28 {{output.mp4}}"] }