Bulk PDF to Markdown Conversion with Google Drive & LLM-Powered Parsing

This n8n workflow automates the conversion of PDF files stored in Google Drive into Markdown format, leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) for intelligent parsing. It monitors a specified Google Drive folder for new PDF files, processes them, and then notifies a Slack channel about the conversion status.

What it does

1. Monitors Google Drive: Continuously checks a designated Google Drive folder for newly added or modified PDF files.
2. Filters Files: Ensures that only PDF files are processed.
3. Extracts Content: Reads the content of the PDF files.
4. Parses with LLM: Sends the extracted PDF content to an LLM (e.g., OpenAI, Google Gemini, etc., configured via the "Code" node) to convert it into structured Markdown.
5. Stores Markdown: Saves the generated Markdown content back into Google Drive, likely in a separate folder or alongside the original PDF.
6. Notifies Slack: Posts a message to a specified Slack channel, indicating the successful conversion of the PDF to Markdown, or any errors encountered.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• n8n Instance: A running n8n instance (self-hosted or cloud).
• Google Drive Account: With credentials configured in n8n, granting access to the folder where PDFs are uploaded and where Markdown files will be stored.
• Slack Account: With credentials configured in n8n, allowing the workflow to post messages to a specific channel.
• LLM API Key: An API key for a Large Language Model service (e.g., OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, etc.) to be used within the "Code" node for parsing. The specific LLM and its configuration will need to be set up in the Code node.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow: Download the provided JSON and import it into your n8n instance.
2. Configure Credentials:
   • Google Drive: Set up your Google Drive OAuth2 credentials in n8n.
   • Slack: Set up your Slack API credentials in n8n.
3. Configure Google Drive Node:
   • Specify the "Folder ID" in the Google Drive Trigger node where new PDF files will be uploaded.
   • (Optional) Configure the Google Drive "Upload File" node to specify the destination folder for the converted Markdown files.
4. Configure Code Node:
   • Edit the "Code" node to integrate with your chosen LLM. This will involve:
     • Adding your LLM API key (ideally as an n8n credential or environment variable).
     • Writing JavaScript code to send the PDF content to the LLM and process its Markdown output.
5. Configure Slack Node:
   • Specify the "Channel" where notifications should be sent.
   • Customize the message content to include relevant details about the conversion.
6. Activate the Workflow: Once all configurations are complete, activate the workflow. It will start monitoring your Google Drive folder.

Workflow Diagram (Conceptual)

graph TD
    A[Google Drive Trigger: New PDF in Folder] --> B{If: Is PDF?};
    B -- True --> C[Google Drive: Download PDF Content];
    C --> D[Code: LLM-Powered PDF to Markdown];
    D --> E[Google Drive: Upload Markdown File];
    E --> F[Slack: Conversion Success Notification];
    B -- False --> G[Slack: Non-PDF File Ignored Notification];