documentation/PRD Drafts/n8n-terraform-ansible-orchestrator.md

N8N Webhook Orchestrator — Terraform LXC + Ansible Provisioning

Status: Draft | Author: Artemis | Date: 2026-06-05

Purpose: N8N on MK7 receives Telegram-triggered webhooks, SSHs to Artemis, and executes existing terraform/ansible containers. No new infrastructure — orchestrates what already exists.

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1. Architecture

[Telegram: Bobby] → Artemis (parse intent) → POST to N8N (MK7)
                                                      ↓ SSH (jarvis@artemis.ai.home)
                                              Artemis (this machine)
                                                      ↓
                                    [A] ~/docker/terraform-pve/run.sh apply
                                                      ↓
                                          LXC created + inventory generated
                                                      ↓
                                    [B] ~/docker/ansible-push/lxc-common.sh
                                                      ↓
                                          LXC provisioned (jarvis + git + ansible)

N8N role: Trigger + SSH executor only. No Docker socket, no state awareness, no config generation.

Artemis role: Hosts existing run.sh + lxc-common.sh. Owns terraform state, ansible inventory, SSH keys.

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2. Workflow A: /build — Create and Provision LXCs

2.1 Telegram Input

You: "/build 5 lxcs"
Artemis parses → count=5, vmid_base=auto (next available)

You: "/build 5 lxcs at vmid 62128"
Artemis parses → vmid_base=62128 (explicit override), count=5

2.2 Webhook Payload (POST to N8N)

{
  "action": "lxc_build",
  "vmid_base": 62128,
  "lxc_count": 5,
  "specs": "default"
}

2.3 N8N Execution Steps

Step	Node	Command
1	Webhook trigger	Receive JSON payload
2	Set SSH env vars	Export TF_VAR_lxc_count=5 TF_VAR_vmid_base=62128
3	Execute SSH	ssh jarvis@artemis.ai.home "cd ~/docker/terraform-pve && ./run.sh apply -auto-approve"
4	Wait	Poll until run.sh exits (blocks until completion)
5	Verify inventory	Check ~/docker/ansible-push/terraform-prefill/inventory-lxc.yml exists
6	Execute SSH	ssh jarvis@artemis.ai.home "cd ~/docker/ansible-push && ./lxc-common.sh"
7	Notify	POST result back to Telegram/Discord

2.4 Constraints

• Specs locked to "default" for POC (2 cores, 2GB RAM, 8GB disk)
• Custom specs deferred to Phase 4 — requires terraform variable expansion
• vmid_base range: Must not overlap existing PVE VMs/LXCs (check before apply)
• lxc_count max: Phase 2 validated at N=7; N=4 had transient 500 race condition

---

3. Workflow B: /fleet-update — Apt Update + Upgrade

3.1 Telegram Input

You: "/fleet-update"
Artemis parses → action=fleet_update

3.2 Webhook Payload (POST to N8N)

{
  "action": "fleet_update"
}

3.3 N8N Execution Steps

Step	Node	Command
1	Webhook trigger	Receive JSON payload
2	Execute SSH	ssh jarvis@artemis.ai.home "cd ~/docker/ansible-push && docker compose up -d && docker exec ansible ansible-playbook playbooks/main.yml -i inventory.yml --tags fleet_update"
3	Wait	Poll until ansible exits
4	Notify	POST result back to Telegram/Discord

3.4 Target Scope

Included	Excluded
managed_nodes group (from inventory.yml)	pve_hosts (MK33/34/39) — PVE self-manages
physical_agents	Neo (ZimaOS, not Debian)
core_services (MK7)	igor (ZimaOS NAS)
	Ephemeral LXCs — rebuilt from scratch

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4. N8N Requirements (MK7)

4.1 Container Mounts

• SSH client: openssh-client package installed in N8N image
• Private key: Mount ~/.ssh/artemis_key → /root/.ssh/id_ed25519 inside N8N container
• Known hosts: Pre-populated ~/.ssh/known_hosts for artemis.ai.home

4.2 N8N Credentials

• SSH Private Key: Store artemis_key in N8N "Credentials" → SSH type
• SSH Host: artemis.ai.home (or LAN IP 192.168.15.182)
• SSH User: jarvis
• SSH Port: 22

4.3 Security Constraints

• N8N connects to Artemis only — never to PVE nodes, Neo, or LXCs directly
• N8N never sees PVE API tokens or sudo passwords
• All terraform/ansible state stays on Artemis filesystem (not in N8N container)

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5. Artemis Prerequisites (Already Exists)

Component	Path	Status
Terraform container	~/docker/terraform-pve/	✅ Validated Phase 2
Ansible container	~/docker/ansible-push/	✅ Validated
Run script	./run.sh	✅ Forwards TF_VAR_*, supports init/plan/apply/destroy
LXC provision script	./lxc-common.sh	✅ Runs lxc_common role
Inventory template	terraform/inventory-lxc.tmpl	✅ Auto-generates ansible_host

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6. Error Handling

Scenario	N8N Action
Terraform apply fails	Abort, notify with stderr
Inventory not generated after apply	Retry once, then fail
Ansible unreachable	Report per-host, continue others
SSH connection refused	Retry 3× with backoff, then alert

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7. Resolved Questions

#	Question	Decision
1	Should /build auto-increment vmid_base?	Yes — default to auto-increment with optional explicit override
2	Should N8N trigger Gitea commit of generated inventory?	No — LXCs are ephemeral, inventory is temporary
3	Should /fleet-update include PVE nodes?	No — PVE self-managed, separate workflow later
4	N8N webhook via Tailscale or LAN?	LAN IP only — 192.168.15.182, no prod server access

8. Decision Points

Decision	Options	Recommended
N8N SSH key	artemis_key vs dedicated n8n_key	artemis_key for POC; rotate to dedicated key later
Notification target	Telegram vs Discord vs both	Both via existing gateway webhook
vmid_base tracking	Manual vs auto-increment	Auto-increment via PVE API query before apply
Fleet-update schedule	On-demand vs cron	On-demand only via /fleet-update