n8n Workflow Automation

Trigger n8n workflows using natural language. Automate lead nurturing, email sequences, CRM updates, social media posting, meeting follow-ups, competitor mon...

Security Scan

The skill's code, requirements, and instructions are consistent with a tool that triggers n8n webhooks; nothing appears designed to do something other than its stated purpose, though there are a few small documentation/implementation mismatches to be aware of.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description (trigger n8n workflows) matches the files and env vars. Required binaries (python3) and required env vars (N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL, N8N_API_KEY) are what you'd expect for a client that POSTs to n8n webhooks and checks health. The included scripts implement status, trigger, and validator functionality described in the README/SKILL.md.

Instruction Scope

Instructions stay within the stated purpose (set env vars, restart gateway, run status/validator/trigger). Two small inconsistencies: SKILL.md claims the skill “remembers what was last triggered” but the provided scripts do not implement persistent storage or state recovery; and the documentation's suggested health-check method is inconsistent with the scripts — the references file describes /webhook/health as GET, while the validator/status scripts send a POST test payload. These are functional/documentation mismatches rather than indicators of hidden behavior.

Install Mechanism

No install spec that downloads external code; the package is delivered as source files and scripts that run with python3. No remote URL downloads, no extracted archives, and no unusual install locations. Risk from install is low — the agent will execute bundled Python scripts.

Credentials

Only two env vars are required (N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL and N8N_API_KEY), which directly correspond to the skill's needs. This is proportionate. Note: an n8n API key grants the ability to trigger workflows that may send emails, post to social accounts, or update CRMs — so the API key is powerful and should only be provided for a trusted n8n instance.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not always-enabled and does not request elevated platform privileges. It does not modify other skills or system-wide settings. The scripts do not persist secrets to disk. Autonomous invocation remains allowed by default (normal for skills) but is not combined with suspicious behavior here.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: it sends payloads to your n8n webhooks and provides status/validation helpers. Before installing, verify the following: 1) Only set N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL and N8N_API_KEY for an n8n instance you control or fully trust — the API key can trigger any webhook/workflow, including sending emails or posting to social accounts. 2) The SKILL.md and references include workflow templates that require additional credentials inside n8n (Gmail, social APIs, LLM APIs) — those are configured inside n8n, not the skill; review those workflow templates so you know what your n8n workflows will do when triggered. 3) There are minor doc/implementation mismatches: the package claims it “remembers what was last triggered” (no persistence in scripts) and the health endpoint is described as GET in the templates but the validator/status scripts POST to /health — you may want to align your workflow’s /health node to accept the test POST or adjust the scripts. 4) Review the bundled scripts locally (they are plain Python) and, if possible, test with a staging n8n instance before providing a production API key.

⚡ n8n Automation Skill

Overview

This skill connects your OpenClaw agent directly to your n8n instance so you can trigger powerful multi-step automations using plain natural language — no coding required at runtime.

What makes this skill different: It does not just call webhooks. It confirms before acting, validates inputs, reports results, handles errors gracefully, and remembers what was last triggered so you can easily repeat or modify runs.

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Setup (One Time)

Before using this skill, export these two environment variables in your terminal or add them to your shell profile:

export N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL="https://your-n8n-instance.com/webhook"
export N8N_API_KEY="your-n8n-api-key-here"

Then restart your OpenClaw gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

You will know setup worked when you type:

"n8n status"

And the agent responds with your instance URL confirmed.

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Trigger Phrases

You can trigger this skill with any of these natural language phrases:

• "trigger n8n [workflow name]"
• "run automation for [contact/task]"
• "send [email type] to [name]"
• "post to social: [content]"
• "update CRM for [name]"
• "follow up with [name] from [meeting]"
• "check competitors"
• "send invoice reminder to [client]"
• "n8n status" — checks your instance is reachable

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Workflow 1 — Lead Nurture Email Sequence

What it does: Triggers a multi-step email sequence in n8n for a new lead. Sends welcome email on Day 1, value email on Day 3, case study on Day 7, and soft pitch on Day 14. All personalized.

Trigger examples:

• "Send lead nurture to John Smith at [e-mail]"
• "Start nurture sequence for [e-mail], she found us via YouTube"
• "Add Maria to lead nurture, source is LinkedIn"

Required fields:

• first_name
• email
• source (where they came from — optional but improves personalization)

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/lead-nurture

Payload sent:

{
  "first_name": "string",
  "email": "string",
  "source": "string",
  "triggered_at": "ISO timestamp",
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "queued", "sequence_id": "..." }

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Workflow 2 — Social Media Auto-Post

What it does: Takes content you describe or provide and posts it to your connected social platforms via n8n. Supports LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram caption, Facebook, and Threads.

Trigger examples:

• "Post to social: Just launched my new n8n + OpenClaw skill on ClawHub!"
• "Post this to LinkedIn and X: [your content]"
• "Schedule social post for tomorrow 9am: [content]"

Required fields:

• content (the post text)
• platforms (list: linkedin, x, instagram, facebook, threads)
• schedule_time (optional — defaults to immediate)

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/social-post

Payload sent:

{
  "content": "string",
  "platforms": ["linkedin", "x"],
  "schedule_time": "ISO timestamp or null",
  "hashtags": ["optional", "array"],
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "posted", "post_ids": {...} }

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Workflow 3 — Meeting Follow-Up

What it does: After a meeting, triggers n8n to send a personalized follow-up email with meeting summary, action items, and next steps. Also optionally creates a follow-up task in your CRM.

Trigger examples:

• "Send follow-up to Mike from today's discovery call"
• "Follow up with the Acme team, meeting was about their automation needs"
• "Post-meeting email to [e-mail], action items: send proposal, book next call"

Required fields:

• contact_name
• contact_email
• meeting_topic
• action_items (list of strings)
• next_step (optional)

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/meeting-followup

Payload sent:

{
  "contact_name": "string",
  "contact_email": "string",
  "meeting_topic": "string",
  "action_items": ["item1", "item2"],
  "next_step": "string or null",
  "meeting_date": "ISO date",
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "sent", "email_id": "..." }

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Workflow 4 — CRM Contact Update

What it does: Updates a contact record in your CRM (works with HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Airtable, Google Sheets CRM, or any CRM connected to your n8n). Logs notes, updates status, and sets follow-up date.

Trigger examples:

• "Update CRM for John Smith — he said he's ready to buy next month"
• "Mark Sarah as hot lead, she opened all emails"
• "Log call with Mike: discussed pricing, follow up in 2 weeks"

Required fields:

• contact_name or contact_email
• notes
• status (lead / warm / hot / closed-won / closed-lost)
• follow_up_date (optional)

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/crm-update

Payload sent:

{
  "contact_name": "string",
  "contact_email": "string or null",
  "notes": "string",
  "status": "string",
  "follow_up_date": "ISO date or null",
  "triggered_by": "openclaw",
  "logged_at": "ISO timestamp"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "updated", "contact_id": "..." }

---

Workflow 5 — Competitor Monitor Report

What it does: Triggers n8n to scrape and compare your top competitors — pricing pages, new blog posts, social activity, job postings (signals of growth or product changes). Returns a formatted report directly in your chat.

Trigger examples:

• "Check competitors"
• "Run competitor report for [your niche]"
• "What changed on my competitors' sites this week?"

Required fields:

• None (uses your pre-configured competitor list in n8n)
• Optional: niche or specific competitor URL to add

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/competitor-monitor

Payload sent:

{
  "include_niche": "string or null",
  "add_competitor_url": "string or null",
  "report_type": "full or summary",
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "complete", "report": "markdown string" }

Display the report content directly in chat formatted as markdown.

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Workflow 6 — Invoice Reminder

What it does: Sends a polite, personalized invoice reminder to a client. Supports first reminder, second nudge, and final notice tones. Logs the outreach attempt in your CRM automatically.

Trigger examples:

• "Send invoice reminder to Acme Corp, invoice #1042, $2,500 due"
• "Second reminder to [e-mail] for invoice 203"
• "Final notice to [e-mail], overdue 30 days"

Required fields:

• client_name
• client_email
• invoice_number
• amount
• due_date
• reminder_type (first / second / final)

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/invoice-reminder

Payload sent:

{
  "client_name": "string",
  "client_email": "string",
  "invoice_number": "string",
  "amount": "number",
  "due_date": "ISO date",
  "reminder_type": "first | second | final",
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "sent", "email_id": "..." }

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Workflow 7 — YouTube / Content Repurpose

What it does: Takes a YouTube video URL or blog post URL and triggers n8n to repurpose it into: Twitter/X thread, LinkedIn post, email newsletter snippet, and short-form hook. Returns all versions in chat for your review before posting.

Trigger examples:

• "Repurpose this video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=..."
• "Turn my latest blog post into social content: [URL]"
• "Create social posts from: [URL]"

Required fields:

• url (YouTube or blog URL)
• formats (thread, linkedin, email, hook — defaults to all)

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/content-repurpose

Payload sent:

{
  "url": "string",
  "formats": ["thread", "linkedin", "email", "hook"],
  "brand_voice": "punchy and direct",
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "complete", "content": { "thread": "...", "linkedin": "...", "email": "...", "hook": "..." } }

Display all content versions in chat for review.

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Workflow 8 — Daily Briefing

What it does: Triggers n8n to pull together your full daily briefing: new leads from last 24 hours, open deals status, social media performance, emails that need replies, and your top 3 priorities for the day.

Trigger examples:

• "Morning briefing"
• "What happened overnight?"
• "Daily digest"
• "Give me my briefing"

Webhook endpoint: $N8N_WEBHOOK_BASE_URL/daily-briefing

Payload sent:

{
  "date": "ISO date",
  "sections": ["leads", "deals", "social", "email", "priorities"],
  "triggered_by": "openclaw"
}

Expected n8n response: { "status": "complete", "briefing": "markdown string" }

Display the briefing content formatted in chat.

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Error Handling

If any webhook call fails, follow this sequence:

1. Report the error clearly: "The [workflow name] webhook returned [error]. Here is what was sent: [payload summary]"
2. Ask: "Should I retry, or would you like to check your n8n instance?"
3. Do NOT silently fail or pretend the workflow ran
4. Log the failed attempt in memory: "Failed workflow: [name] at [timestamp] — Error: [message]"

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Rules (Always Follow These)

• ALWAYS confirm what you are about to trigger before sending
• NEVER expose API keys, webhook URLs, or credentials in chat
• NEVER trigger a workflow without all required fields
• If a required field is missing, ask for it before proceeding
• NEVER send test data to production webhooks unless user confirms
• Always report the n8n response status back to the user
• If triggering email workflows, confirm the recipient email address out loud before sending
• Log every successful trigger to daily memory: "[Workflow] triggered for [target] at [time]"

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Status Check

At any time the user can type "n8n status" and you should:

1. Run: python3 scripts/n8n_status.py
2. Display the output exactly as returned
3. If any workflows show as inactive, suggest running: python3 scripts/n8n_validator.py

Scripts Reference

All scripts live in the scripts/ folder and use only environment variables — no secrets stored in files.

Script	Purpose	Command
n8n_trigger.py	Trigger any workflow	python3 scripts/n8n_trigger.py <command>
n8n_validator.py	Validate all webhooks	python3 scripts/n8n_validator.py
n8n_status.py	Quick status dashboard	python3 scripts/n8n_status.py

Quick test after setup:

python3 scripts/n8n_validator.py --env-only
python3 scripts/n8n_status.py
python3 scripts/n8n_trigger.py health --pretty

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Slash Commands

• /n8n-nurture — Quick trigger lead nurture
• /n8n-post — Quick trigger social post
• /n8n-followup — Quick trigger meeting follow-up
• /n8n-crm — Quick trigger CRM update
• /n8n-competitors — Quick trigger competitor report
• /n8n-invoice — Quick trigger invoice reminder
• /n8n-repurpose — Quick trigger content repurpose
• /n8n-briefing — Quick trigger daily briefing
• /n8n-status — Check instance health