n8n-workflow

SKILL.md

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