How to Build an AI Automation Workflow with n8n (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
Introduction
Automation becomes powerful only when you can see it in action. Instead of theory, this tutorial will walk you through building a working AI automation workflow with n8n.
By the end, you’ll learn how to:
- Set up n8n locally (or on the cloud).
- Create a Cron-based trigger that runs daily.
- Collect articles from an RSS feed.
- Summarize them into bullets with AI.
- Categorize them by topic.
- Send yourself a daily email digest.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have:
- n8n installed (via Docker, npm, or hosted n8n.io).
- An OpenAI API key (or similar LLM API key).
- An email service connected in n8n (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, SMTP).
Step 1: Create the Trigger
- Open your n8n dashboard.
- Add a Cron Node.
- Set it to run at 08:55 AM IST so the digest lands in your inbox by 9.
📸 Screenshot Suggestion: n8n Cron node setup.
ALT Text: Cron node configuration in n8n for daily AI automation workflow.
Step 2: Collect Content Sources
Add an RSS Feed Read Node.
- Example feed:
https://techcrunch.com/feed/
(Optional) Add multiple feeds → merge with a Merge Node.
Extract fields: title
, link
, contentSnippet
.
Step 3: Clean the Data
Add a Function Node.
Paste this simple script:
return items.map(item => {
return {
json: {
title: item.json.title.trim(),
link: item.json.link,
snippet: item.json.contentSnippet || ''
}
};
});
This ensures clean, uniform data for AI input.
Step 4: Summarize with AI
- Add an OpenAI Node.
- Use this prompt:
“Summarize the article below in 3 concise bullet points (under 60 words). Highlight one fact, one quote, and one key takeaway. Return in markdown.”
- Input:
title + snippet
. - Output:
summary
.
Step 5: Categorize by Topic
- Add another OpenAI Node.
- Prompt:
“Assign this article summary to one category: AI, Business, Education, Finance, or Other. Return only the category name.”
- Output:
category
.
Step 6: Send the Digest
Add an Email Node (Gmail).
Subject: “Your Daily AI Digest – {{date}}”
Body Template:
Hello, here’s your daily digest:
{{$json["category"]}}
- {{$json["summary"]}}
(Link: {{$json["link"]}})
You just built a working AI automation workflow with n8n.
👉 Want the ready-to-use Novamind Labs agent? It’s coming soon.
👉 Prefer learning hands-on? Join my next live workshop where I’ll walk you through builds like this.
Either way, you save hours daily—and that’s the power of automation.