# n8n AI agents: nodes in a workflow, or an open-source AI Operating System that plans its own steps

> Does n8n run AI agents? Yes: n8n adds AI agent nodes to a workflow you build on its canvas. Kortix is open source, and it is the AI Operating System for the other case, an agent that plans its own steps, runs tools, and lands a change request. A schedule or a webhook starts the session.

URL: https://n8n-alternative.com/n8n-for-ai-agents

## What a scheduled agent looks like in config

A cron trigger starts a session with nobody present.

### Trigger

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
# kortix.yaml
triggers:
  - slug: daily-digest
    type: cron
    cron: '0 0 9 * * 1-5'
    timezone: Europe/Berlin
    prompt: Summarize yesterday's commits and open change requests.
```

### The agent

`agents/support.md`

```
---
description: Answers support tickets from the help desk.
mode: primary
permission:
  bash: ask
---
You answer support tickets. Read the ticket, draft a reply, and submit it for review.
```

### The result

`terminal`

```sh
$ kortix cr ls
# review what the agent proposes, then merge to keep it
```

## An agent is not a node

An AI node in n8n is one step you place on the canvas: you choose the model, wire its input, and decide what runs next, so the path is the one you drew. A Kortix agent is a file, `agents/<name>.md`, plus an `agents.<name>` block in `kortix.yaml`; it decides which tools to call, and in what order, to reach the outcome you described.

## What an agent does with a turn

An agent plans, runs tools through its connectors, reads what comes back, and keeps going until the work is done. Kortix agents reach 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. The result is not a status line in an execution log: the agent commits to its session branch and lands the work as a change request. Session work reaches `main` through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents, so a person reviews the diff. You can read the code on [Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna).

## What starts the session

A cron trigger or a signed webhook starts a session with nobody present. Kortix runs one isolated sandbox per session; each session has its own isolated machine and branch. A real `kortix.yaml` trigger is a schedule and a prompt; the agent runs every weekday morning.

```yaml
# kortix.yaml
triggers:
  - slug: daily-digest
    type: cron
    cron: '0 0 9 * * 1-5'
    timezone: Europe/Berlin
    prompt: Summarize yesterday's commits and open change requests.
```

If you are weighing [n8n against Kortix](/n8n-vs-kortix), the split is simple: a node runs where you put it, an agent works out the route. [The other n8n alternatives](/best-n8n-alternatives) cover the same ground.

_FAQ_

## n8n and AI agent questions

Short answers to what builders ask first.

### How do I run an AI agent on a schedule?

Add a cron trigger to `kortix.yaml` with the schedule and a prompt. When it fires, it starts a session with nobody present, and the agent runs on its own cloud computer.

### Does n8n do AI agents?

Yes. n8n lets you place AI agent nodes inside a workflow you build, and it calls the result a multi-step agent. The path is still the one you draw on the canvas.

### Is Kortix open source?

Yes. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one git repo you own, and self-host is free.

## Put an agent on a schedule

One git repo holds the trigger, the agent, and every connector. Kortix is open source.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See all the n8n alternatives](https://n8n-alternative.com/best-n8n-alternatives)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem