N8n Workflow

N8N Workflow Skill

Overview

This skill enables document workflow automation using n8n - the most popular workflow automation platform with 7800+ community templates. Chain document operations, integrate with 400+ apps, and build complex document pipelines.

How to Use

• Describe what you want to accomplish
• Provide any required input data or files
• I'll execute the appropriate operations

Example prompts:

• "Automate PDF → OCR → Translation → Email workflow"
• "Watch folder for new contracts → Review → Notify Slack"
• "Daily report generation from multiple data sources"
• "Batch document processing with conditional logic"

Domain Knowledge

n8n Fundamentals

n8n uses a node-based workflow approach:

Trigger → Action → Action → Output
   │         │         │
   └─────────┴─────────┴── Data flows between nodes

Key Node Types

| Type | Examples | Use Case |

|------|----------|----------|

| Triggers | Webhook, Schedule, File Watcher | Start workflow |

| Document | Read PDF, Write DOCX, OCR | Process files |

| Transform | Code, Set, Merge | Manipulate data |

| Output | Email, Slack, Google Drive | Deliver results |

Workflow Example: Contract Review Pipeline

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Watch Folder",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.localFileTrigger",
      "parameters": {
        "path": "/contracts/incoming",
        "events": ["add"]
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Extract Text",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.readPdf"
    },
    {
      "name": "AI Review",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.anthropic",
      "parameters": {
        "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
        "prompt": "Review this contract for risks..."
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Save Report",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeFile"
    },
    {
      "name": "Notify Team",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack"
    }
  ]
}

Self-Hosting vs Cloud

| Option | Pros | Cons |

|--------|------|------|

| Self-hosted | Free, full control, data privacy | Maintenance required |

| n8n Cloud | No setup, auto-updates | Costs at scale |

# Docker quick start
docker run -it --rm \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
  n8nio/n8n

Best Practices

• Start with existing templates, customize as needed
• Use error handling nodes for reliability
• Store credentials securely with n8n's credential manager
• Test workflows with sample data before production

Installation

# Install required dependencies
pip install python-docx openpyxl python-pptx reportlab jinja2

Resources

• n8n Repository
• Claude Office Skills Hub