Poll emails using JMAP
n8n does not currently offer a way to retrieve emails from arbritrary providers via a regular node. Unless you're using Gmail or Outlook, you can only use the email trigger to start a workflow when a new email arrives.
This currently limits the possible use cases you can cover in your n8n workflows, as you cannot (for example) get an idea of how many unread messages there are in an inbox, or search for specific messages when an event occurs.
But fear not, there's a new sheriff in town! The JMAP standard allows you to interact with your mailboxes, calendars and contacts through single HTTP requests whenever needed.
This n8n workflow demonstrates how to retrieve the total number of unread messages from a JMAP server and also retrieve details for the first 3 messages. It can easily be adapted to search for messages other than unread, or to return details for more than the first 3 messages.
Screenshots
FAQ
Which n8n version do I need?
The workflow was built using n8n 1.20 and should work here out of the box. HTTP requests are also supported on older n8n versions, so the workflow can be backported as an alternative.
Which credentials do I need?
The JMAP standard does not limit the available authentication options. Fastmail (the sponsor of the standard) supports Bearer authentication as well as OAuth2.
In n8n you can implement the Fastmail Bearer authentication by creating Header Auth credentials with a name of Authorization and a value of Bearer $apiToken (replacing $apiToken with your actual API token from Fastmail).
For other services you'd need to check the respective API documentation for more details on the support authentication methods.
What even is JMAP?
It's an official Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard, sponsored by Fastmail, that will hopefully replace the legacy standards CalDAV, CardDAV, and IMAP soon. The full specs are available here.
How can I use JMAP?
If you're a Fastmail customer or if you're hosting your own Stalwart mail server you can use JMAP today.
If your email provider doesn't yet support JMAP, you might want to contact them and let them know you're interested in this functionality.
n8n Workflow: Basic HTTP Request Example
This n8n workflow provides a simple demonstration of how to make an HTTP request and then process its output using a Set node. It serves as a foundational example for integrating with external APIs or web services.
What it does
This workflow performs the following steps:
- Manual Trigger: Initiates the workflow when you manually click 'Execute workflow' in the n8n editor.
- HTTP Request: Makes a generic HTTP request to a specified URL. The configuration of this request (method, URL, headers, body) needs to be set up within the node.
- Edit Fields (Set): Takes the output from the HTTP Request node and allows you to transform, filter, or add new fields to the data. This is useful for preparing the data for subsequent nodes or for debugging.
- Sticky Note: Provides a place for comments or notes within the workflow, explaining its purpose or specific configurations.
Prerequisites/Requirements
- An n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted).
- No external API keys are strictly required for the basic structure, but you will need to configure the "HTTP Request" node with a target URL if you want it to interact with a specific service.
Setup/Usage
- Import the workflow: Copy the JSON content and import it into your n8n instance.
- Configure the "HTTP Request" node:
- Click on the "HTTP Request" node.
- Specify the
URLyou wish to send a request to. - Select the appropriate
Method(e.g., GET, POST). - Add any necessary
HeadersorBodycontent depending on the API you are calling.
- Configure the "Edit Fields (Set)" node:
- Click on the "Edit Fields (Set)" node.
- Define how you want to transform or add data based on the output of the "HTTP Request" node. For example, you might extract specific fields from the response or add a timestamp.
- Execute the workflow: Click the "Execute Workflow" button to run the workflow manually and observe the output in the n8n editor.
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