GHSA-x5vx-c2c8-m3w9
n8n: AI Agents Project Viewer Privilege Escalation via run_node_tool
Blast Radius
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Description
Impact
In n8n's AI Agents feature, a user with the read-only Project Viewer role could escalate their privileges by chatting with an agent that has node tools enabled. The agent's node-execution tool was authorized only by the agent:execute scope and ran nodes using the project's credentials, without verifying that the requesting user was permitted to execute nodes or to access those credentials.
As a result, a Project Viewer could execute arbitrary tool nodes on the server and use credential secrets they were not authorized to read, gaining execution capabilities their role is intended to deny. On instances where a command- or file-capable tool node (such as Execute Command or SSH) is enabled, this could be extended to arbitrary command execution on the n8n host.
Users of the AI Agents feature who share team projects with lower-privileged members are affected.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 2.29.8 and 2.30.1. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability.
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Disable the AI Agents module by removing
agentsfrom theN8N_ENABLED_MODULESenvironment variable. - Restrict project membership to fully trusted users only, and avoid granting Project Viewer access to untrusted users on projects containing agents with node tools enabled.
- Disable command-execution nodes (e.g. Execute Command, SSH) if they have been re-enabled, to limit the potential impact.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | n8n | ≥ 2.30.0&&< 2.30.1 | 2.30.1 |
| 📦npm | n8n | all versions | 2.29.8 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for n8n. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update n8n to 2.30.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x5vx-c2c8-m3w9 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-x5vx-c2c8-m3w9 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-x5vx-c2c8-m3w9. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-x5vx-c2c8-m3w9 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-x5vx-c2c8-m3w9 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.