n8n Workflow: RSS Feed to Google Sheets and Slack Alerts

This n8n workflow automates the process of tracking new entries from an RSS feed, logging them into a Google Sheet, and sending alerts to Slack. It's designed to help you stay updated on specific content without manual checking.

What it does

This workflow performs the following steps:

1. Triggers on a Schedule: The workflow runs periodically based on a defined schedule (e.g., every hour, daily).
2. Reads RSS Feed: It fetches the latest entries from a specified RSS feed URL.
3. Aggregates Data: Combines the fetched RSS feed items into a single dataset.
4. Sorts Data: Organizes the RSS feed items, likely by date or a similar identifier, to ensure consistent processing.
5. Compares with Existing Data: It checks the newly fetched RSS feed items against data already present in a Google Sheet. This is crucial for identifying new entries.
6. Filters New Items: Only items that are identified as new (i.e., not already in the Google Sheet) are passed to the next steps.
7. Logs to Google Sheets: For each new item, it appends a new row to a designated Google Sheet, recording relevant details.
8. Sends Slack Alert: For each new item, it sends a notification to a specified Slack channel, including details about the new entry.

Prerequisites/Requirements

To use this workflow, you will need:

• n8n Instance: A running instance of n8n.
• RSS Feed URL: The URL of the RSS feed you wish to monitor.
• Google Account: A Google account with access to Google Sheets. You will need to create a new spreadsheet or identify an existing one for logging.
• Slack Account: A Slack workspace and a channel where you want to receive alerts.
• n8n Credentials:
  • Google Sheets Credential: An OAuth2 or Service Account credential for Google Sheets to allow n8n to write to your spreadsheet.
  • Slack Credential: An OAuth2 credential for Slack to allow n8n to post messages to your workspace.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow:
   • Download the provided JSON file.
   • In your n8n instance, go to "Workflows" and click "New".
   • Click the "Import from JSON" button and paste the workflow JSON or upload the file.
2. Configure Credentials:
   • Click on the "Google Sheets" node and configure your Google Sheets credential.
   • Click on the "Slack" node and configure your Slack credential.
3. Configure RSS Feed:
   • Click on the "RSS Read" node.
   • Enter the URL of the RSS feed you want to track in the "URL" field.
4. Configure Google Sheets:
   • Click on the "Google Sheets" node.
   • Specify the "Spreadsheet ID" and "Sheet Name" where you want to log new entries.
   • Ensure the column headers in your Google Sheet match the data fields you intend to write from the RSS feed (e.g., title, link, pubDate).
5. Configure Slack Alerts:
   • Click on the "Slack" node.
   • Specify the "Channel" where you want to receive notifications.
   • Customize the "Text" field to include relevant information from the RSS feed item (e.g., {{ $json.title }} and {{ $json.link }}).
6. Activate the Workflow:
   • Once all configurations are complete, save the workflow.
   • Toggle the workflow to "Active" to start it.

The workflow will now run on its defined schedule, check for new RSS feed entries, log them to Google Sheets, and send Slack alerts.