How to Locally Host DeepSeek R1 for FREE in Under 10 Minutes in n8n

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Why Use DeepSeek R1 with n8n?

2. What is DeepSeek R1?

3. What is n8n?

4. Key Benefits of Hosting DeepSeek R1 Locally in n8n

5. System Requirements & Preparation Checklist

6. Step-by-Step: Set Up n8n Locally

7. Step-by-Step: Install DeepSeek R1 (GGUF or API Mode)

8. How to Connect DeepSeek R1 with n8n via HTTP Node

9. Building an AI Workflow: Example 1 - Email Summarization Bot

10. Building an AI Workflow: Example 2 - Website Monitoring + Content Generation

11. Automate Your DeepSeek-Powered Agents

12. Optimizing Speed, Caching, and Memory Usage

13. DeepSeek R1 vs ChatGPT in n8n

14. Troubleshooting Common Errors

15. Final Thoughts: Open-Source AI + Automation = Gamechanger

16. Downloadable Resources and Bonus Templates

1. Introduction: Why Use DeepSeek R1 with n8n?

Modern automation tools like n8n are revolutionizing how non-coders create workflows, bots, and data pipelines. But imagine combining that automation with a free, powerful AI model that runs locally — like DeepSeek R1.

This guide shows you how to:

• Run DeepSeek R1 locally (no API fees, no OpenAI keys)

• Connect it to n8n in minutes

• Build real automation pipelines (e.g., email reply bots, file processors)

• All 100% free, private, and customizable

2. What is DeepSeek R1?

DeepSeek R1 is an open-source large language model (LLM) developed by DeepSeek AI, a Chinese research company.

🔍 Highlights:

• 67B parameters (MoE architecture)

• Open-source, downloadable

• Multilingual support (English + Chinese)

• Powerful for content generation, summarization, coding, etc.

• Available in GGUF, HF, and API formats

Key reason to use R1: it's lightweight enough to run locally using llama.cpp or LM Studio, and still produces high-quality results.

3. What is n8n?

n8n is a workflow automation tool that allows you to:

• Automate tasks using drag-and-drop nodes

• Connect APIs, apps, webhooks, and files

• Use logic (if/else), delays, iterations

• Run AI prompts, web scraping, emailing, and more

And best of all: it's open source and works offline.

4. Key Benefits of Hosting DeepSeek R1 Locally in n8n

5. System Requirements & Preparation Checklist

🖥️ Minimum System:

• RAM: 16GB

• CPU: i7 or equivalent (GPU optional for speed)

• Disk: 10GB free

• OS: Windows, macOS, or Linux

✅ Software to Install:

• Node.js

• n8n

• LM Studio OR llama.cpp + DeepSeek R1 GGUF

• Optional: Postman for API testing

6. Step-by-Step: Set Up n8n Locally

🔧 Install n8n via npm:

bash
npm install -g n8n

Then start n8n:

bash
n8n

Visit http://localhost:5678 — your local automation playground is ready.

7. Step-by-Step: Install DeepSeek R1 (GGUF or API Mode)

Option A: Use LM Studio (EASIEST)

1. Download LM Studio

2. Load DeepSeek R1 GGUF from Hugging Face

3. Start local endpoint (usually http://localhost:1234/v1)

4. Done — ready for n8n!

Option B: Use llama.cpp + DeepSeek R1 (Manual)

bash
git clone https://github.com/ggerganov/llama.cppcd llama.cpp
make
./main -m deepseek-r1.gguf --port 1234

Requires compatible GGUF model (int4, int8, or q5_1)

8. How to Connect DeepSeek R1 with n8n via HTTP Node

Inside your n8n workflow:

1. Drag in an HTTP Request node

2. Set:

• Content-Type: application/json

• Method: POST

• URL: http://localhost:1234/v1/chat/completions

• Headers:

• Body:

json
{
  "model": "deepseek-r1",
  "messages": [
    { "role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant." },
    { "role": "user", "content": "Summarize this message: {{$json["text"]}}" }
  ]}

3. Connect this to any input node (e.g., Webhook, Email)

4. Run workflow

9. Building an AI Workflow: Example 1 - Email Summarization Bot

Goal: When an email arrives → DeepSeek R1 summarizes → Forward to Telegram or Slack

n8n Nodes:

1. IMAP Email Trigger (or Gmail)

2. Set → Extract subject, text, sender

3. HTTP Node → Send text to DeepSeek

4. Telegram Send OR Email Reply

📦 Output:

“Summary: Client wants product updates and timeline for Q3. Replied.”

10. Building an AI Workflow: Example 2 - Website Monitoring + Content Generation

Goal: Scrape a blog → Ask DeepSeek to summarize → Auto-post to Notion

n8n Nodes:

1. HTTP Node – scrape website (or RSS)

2. HTML Extract – isolate <div class="content">

3. DeepSeek HTTP Node – summarize or rephrase

4. Notion/Create Page

You now have a zero-cost AI content republisher.

11. Automate Your DeepSeek-Powered Agents

Other creative automation ideas:

12. Optimizing Speed, Caching, and Memory Usage

• Use quantized GGUF (Q4 or Q5) for faster loading

• Limit context window (max 2048–4096 tokens recommended)

• Implement caching in n8n using Set + If nodes

• Compress prompt history to avoid overload

13. DeepSeek R1 vs ChatGPT in n8n

14. Troubleshooting Common Errors

15. Final Thoughts: Open-Source AI + Automation = Gamechanger

By combining DeepSeek R1 and n8n:

✅ You control your data
✅ You pay nothing
✅ You automate ANYTHING
✅ You use one of the world’s best LLMs

In less than 10 minutes, you’ve built an AI-powered automation hub on your own machine — no cloud, no fees, no limits.

16. Downloadable Resources and Bonus Templates