Automation for your Agency

Creating this n8n workflow is straightforward. You’ll use three main nodes: Manual Trigger, OpenAI, and GitHub.

Here is a step-by-step guide to building the workflow.

1. Set Up the Workflow Structure

1. Create a New Workflow: In your n8n dashboard, click “New” to start a blank workflow.

2. Add the Trigger Node: Replace the existing Start node with the Manual Trigger node. This lets you manually input data (your message) when you execute the workflow.

   • Search for “Manual Trigger” and add it.

2. Get User Input and Send to OpenAI

Next, you’ll configure the trigger to accept your message and then pass it to OpenAI.

A. Configure Manual Trigger

1. Click the Manual Trigger node.
2. In the parameters pane, click “Add Parameter” and select “Prompt List”.
3. Set the following values:
   • Field Type: Long Text
   • Field Name: input_message
   • Display Name: Your Message to OpenAI

B. Configure OpenAI Node

1. Add an OpenAI node and connect it to the Manual Trigger node.

2. Credentials: Select or create your OpenAI API credentials.

3. Operation: Set to Chat Completion or Generate Text.

4. Model: Choose a model like gpt-4o or gpt-3.5-turbo.

5. Messages: This is where you pass your input.

   • Set the Role to User.
   • In the Content field, click the ‘Expression’ button (the gear icon) and select the variable from your trigger node:

     {{ $json.input_message }}
   • (Optional but Recommended): Add a System message above the User message to instruct the model to produce output in Markdown format:
     • Role: System
     • Content: Your task is to generate a comprehensive and well-structured response based on the user's message. Format all output using Markdown.

6. Push the Markdown File to GitHub

The final step is taking the text output from the OpenAI node and creating a new file in your GitHub repository.

A. Configure GitHub Node

1. Add a GitHub node and connect it to the OpenAI node.
2. Credentials: Select or create your GitHub API credentials. (You’ll need a Personal Access Token with repo scope permissions.)
3. Resource: Set to File.
4. Operation: Set to Create.

B. Configure File Details

1. Repository: Enter the name of your GitHub repository (e.g., my-content-repo).
2. Branch: Enter the target branch, typically main or master.
3. File Path: Set the path and name for the new file. You can use an expression to generate a unique filename based on the current time and a .md extension:

   output/{{ new Date().toISOString().replace(/:/g, '-') }}.md
   • This creates a file like output/2025-09-25T13-02-21-345Z.md.
4. Content: Click the ‘Expression’ button to map the Markdown text from the OpenAI node. The path will typically be:

   {{ $json.choices[0].message.content }}
5. Commit Message: Enter a message for the commit:

   New content generated by OpenAI for "{{ $json.input_message.substring(0, 30) }}..."

Test and Activate

1. Test Execution: Click the Manual Trigger node and enter a test message (e.g., “Write a short article about self-hosting benefits.”).
2. Click “Execute Workflow”.
3. Check the output of each node. The GitHub node should report success.
4. Verify the new Markdown file appears in your GitHub repository.
5. Once everything works, click the “Active” toggle in the top right to enable the workflow for future manual use.