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n8n canvas: Gmail trigger, OpenAI summary, urgency check, Slack DM and a Google Sheets log
Type
Automation workflow
Price
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Updated
November 6, 2026

Overview

This workflow checks your inbox for new messages. OpenAI reads the sender, subject and opening text, then writes three bullets and one urgency line: high, normal or low.

Messages marked high are sent to you as a Slack direct message. Every email, urgent or not, is also written to a Google Sheet, so you have a searchable log of what came in and what it was about.

Useful for

  • Read the gist of a busy inbox without opening each email
  • Get a Slack ping only for the emails that need action today
  • Keep a sheet of incoming requests for weekly review

What's included

  • An n8n workflow with 5 nodes, ready to import
  • Trigger: New email
  • Connects Gmail, OpenAI, Slack, Sheets
  • Sticky notes on the canvas that explain what to set up
  • No credentials inside: you connect your own accounts

How to use it

  1. 1

    Download the workflow JSON.

  2. 2

    In n8n, create a workflow, open the … menu, choose Import from File and select the JSON.

  3. 3

    Connect Gmail on New email, OpenAI on Summarise email, Slack on Slack DM for urgent and Google Sheets on Log all emails.

  4. 4

    Pick the Slack user to receive urgent messages and the sheet for the log.

  5. 5

    Send yourself a test email, check the summary and the sheet row, then activate.

What you need

Requirements

  • An n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted, version 1.x) and an OpenAI API key you add in n8n
  • A Gmail account, a Slack workspace and a Google Sheet with a header row

Works with

  • n8n 1.x (cloud or self-hosted)

Questions

Is this n8n workflow free?

The workflow is free. OpenAI usage is billed by OpenAI to your own account, usually a few cents for hundreds of emails.

Does it include any credentials?

No. The file has no keys or tokens. You connect your own OpenAI, Gmail, Slack and Google accounts after importing.

Will it read every email in my inbox?

It reads new messages that arrive in the INBOX label after the workflow is active. Change the filter on New email to narrow it.

  • #ai-automation
  • #ai-email-summariser
  • #n8n
  • #automation
  • #workflow-template
  • #free-template

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