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 nodesKey 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/n8nBest 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