SHIP LIVING WORKFLOW DIAGRAMS.

Pick your path

Four ways in, and you want exactly one of them. Everything below is the same API underneath, so the only question is where you would rather type.

Render an image

POST /v1/render takes your workflow JSON in the body (never in a URL) and returns the finished image — png, jpeg, webp, svg or pdf. Omit any option and it falls back to the editor’s defaults.

# workflow.json — any workflow exported from n8n
jq '{workflow: .}' workflow.json > request.json

curl -X POST https://api.pixtex.dev/v1/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PIXTEX_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data @request.json -o workflow.png

# same options the editor has — mix and match:
jq '{workflow: ., options: {background: "midnight", frame: "og", format: "webp"}}' \
  workflow.json > request.json

The workflow travels in the request body, never in a URL and never into a log. Every option below is optional; send { "workflow": … }on its own and you get the editor's defaults.

Host a living diagram

POST /v1/images renders once and gives you a permanent image URL plus a ready-made markdown line. Paste it into a README, Notion page or forum post — then PUT the same id whenever the workflow changes and every embed updates in place.

Your workflow JSON is used for the render and discarded — only the PNG is stored.

jq '{workflow: ., name: "Order sync"}' workflow.json |
curl -X POST https://api.pixtex.dev/v1/images \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PIXTEX_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data @-

{
  "image":    { "id": "aB3xK9_qLw4", "name": "Order sync", … },
  "imageUrl": "https://api.pixtex.dev/i/aB3xK9_qLw4.png",
  "markdown": "![Order sync](https://api.pixtex.dev/i/aB3xK9_qLw4.png)"
}

# workflow changed? re-render in place — the URL never changes
jq '{workflow: .}' workflow.json |
curl -X PUT https://api.pixtex.dev/v1/images/aB3xK9_qLw4 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PIXTEX_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data @-

Embeds refresh as caches revalidate (≤ 1 hour). Free-tier hosted images carry a small Pixtex watermark.

The npx pixtex CLI

The pixtex CLI wraps everything above — render, push, update in place, recover lost URLs — with zero dependencies to install. Set PIXTEX_API_KEY in your environment and go.

# zero-install — runs straight from npm (Node 20+)
npx pixtex render my-flow.json                 # local PNG
npx pixtex push my-flow.json                   # host at a permanent URL
npx pixtex push my-flow.json --id aB3xK9_qLw4  # update the same URL in place
npx pixtex images                              # every hosted image + its URL
npx pixtex me                                  # quota + usage

# the editor's full option set, as flags:
npx pixtex render my-flow.json --background midnight --frame og --format webp

npx pixtex --help lists every command and flag. Source on GitHub.

GitHub Action

The Pixtex Action re-renders your hosted diagram on every push, so the image in your README never drifts from the actual flow. Add your key as a repo secret named PIXTEX_API_KEY, then:

# .github/workflows/pixtex.yml
name: Update workflow diagram
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths: ['workflows/**.json']   # wherever your workflow JSON lives

jobs:
  render:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: VicegerentPrince/pixtex@v1
        with:
          workflow: workflows/order-sync.json
          api-key: ${{ secrets.PIXTEX_API_KEY }}
          image-id: ${{ vars.PIXTEX_IMAGE_ID }}   # omit on the first run

First run: leave image-idout so a new hosted image is created, then save the step's image-id output as a repo variable named PIXTEX_IMAGE_ID — every run after that updates the same URL in place. Inputs, outputs and details in the Action docs.

The n8n community node

The Pixtex node puts all of this on your canvas. Render workflows to png / svg / pdf binary and pipe them into Slack, email or Drive nodes — or publish and update hosted images without ever touching a terminal. On self-hosted n8n, install it from Settings → Community Nodes; on n8n Cloud it is already there, verified.

No credential needed to render. Drag the node in, give it a workflow, get an image — the picture simply carries the same small watermark a free browser export does. A key raises the ceiling rather than opening the door: keyless renders share a daily allowance, a free key gets you 300 a month of your own, and Pro removes the watermark. Hosted images and account usage still need one, because those are owned by a key and have nothing to act on without it.

# n8n → Settings → Community Nodes → Install
n8n-nodes-pixtex

# then the self-updating diagram becomes a workflow:
#   Schedule Trigger → n8n (Get Workflow) → Pixtex (Hosted Image · Update)
# the imageUrl embedded in your README re-renders itself — no CI needed

The node's Workflow JSON field takes the n8n node's Get Workflow output as-is, so a workflow can document itself — even the one it runs in. Source on GitHub.

Endpoints

Every /v1 call authenticates with Authorization: Bearer pxt_…, against https://api.pixtex.dev. Render responses include X-Renders-Remaining so your CI can budget.

The API takes the editor's full option set — same names, same values. Dial in the look in the editor, then send the same options from code. (format and scale apply to /v1/render only — hosted images are always PNG at 2×.)

{
  "edges": {
    "Webhook-main-0-Set-0": { "label": "only if paid", "accent": "#FF4500" }
  },
  "options": { "dimUnhighlighted": true }
}

Limits

The 500-node ceiling is not a guess. The largest workflow in our census of 10,957 public n8n templates is 213 nodes and the median is 12, so every published template on n8n.io fits inside it with room to spare.

Beta defaults — they will grow, not shrink. Keys are free and self-serve; your workflow JSON never appears in a URL or a log, render requests are processed in memory, and hosted images store only the final PNG. Revoking a key immediately deletes its hosted images.

Questions

Worked examples live in the guides: a self-updating diagram in a README, batch-rendering a template library, and the basics of exporting a workflow as an image.