Adding a row to a sheet, messaging the team and emailing the customer when a form is filled in: n8n lets you build chains like this visually.
What is n8n for?
n8n is a workflow automation tool that connects different applications. Each step appears as a box; you build the flow by connecting the boxes with lines.
A flow starts with a trigger: a new email, a submitted form, a set time. The steps that follow take the data, transform it and send it on to another application.
Typical uses
- Writing a web form submission to a sheet and notifying the sales team
- Preparing a set report every morning and emailing it
- Routing incoming support requests to the right person by topic
- Keeping records in sync between two systems
How it relates to AI
Language model steps can be added to n8n flows. The flow then does more than move data; it classifies incoming text, summarizes it or decides the next step itself. At that point the line between classic automation and an AI agent gets thin.
Getting started
For your first flow, pick a small job you do by hand that has clear steps and repeats often. Sketching the flow on paper first makes it clear which data comes from where before you open the tool.