n8n email triage agent: multi-agent Gmail sorting and replies
Classifies unread mail into Sales, Support, Internal, Finance, Promotions; specialist agents auto-reply to support/internal and draft or alert for the rest.
Setup steps
- Connect two Gmail credentials
- Add OpenAI key to 5 agent nodes
- Set Telegram/Slack alerts
- Customize prompts
- Activate
Steps summarized from the original Template source ↗. Use “Copy” to grab them with the tools and source link, or copy an AI prompt.
Try it with AI
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or your own agent for step-by-step help. Prompt written by AppToBot from this recipe's data, not by the original author. It keeps drafts for your review and asks before anything is sent or paid.
Help me set up this automation using n8n + OpenAI + Gmail: "n8n email triage agent: multi-agent Gmail sorting and replies". Goal: replace Manually sorting Gmail. How it should work: - Trigger: Unread email - Then: Sorts into 5 categories - Then: Specialist agents handle each - Result: Auto-replies, drafts or alerts Setup steps (summarized from the original source): 1. Connect two Gmail credentials 2. Add OpenAI key to 5 agent nodes 3. Set Telegram/Slack alerts 4. Customize prompts 5. Activate Guide me one step at a time. Ask me for anything you need (accounts, sheet or channel names) before you start. Safety rules: - Build and test with sample data first, and show me a sample result before anything goes live. - Keep anything that goes to other people (emails, posts, replies, record updates) as drafts for my review until I say otherwise. - Never send, post, buy, pay, delete or change records without my approval. - Tell me about any cost (paid plans, API usage) before I'd incur it, and help me set a spending limit. - Keep API keys and passwords out of shared docs and chats. - Privacy: Email content is sent to the LLM provider (e.g. OpenAI). Needs Gmail OAuth access to read, label and draft. Based on: https://n8n.io/workflows/9157-ai-powered-email-triage-and-auto-response-system-with-openai-agents-and-gmail/
Tool names link to each official site (opens in a new tab).
Running cost: API pennies Free template; cost is OpenAI API usage. No-code How we sort costs
Stack: n8n · OpenAI · Gmail
Replace an app: AI bots that replace Gmail filters
App vs bot, side by side
| Old app / habit | Bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool | Manually sorting Gmail | n8n + five OpenAI agents + Gmail (+ Telegram/Slack alerts) |
| Monthly cost | Not reported | OpenAI API usage + n8n; free template |
| Setup | None (already in use) | About 10-15 minutes (per template) · Intermediate |
| Your time | Baseline | Not reported |
| Maintenance | Handled by vendor/you as before | Review prompts against your business rules; check auto-replies. |
| Privacy | Data stays with the app vendor | Email content is sent to the LLM provider (e.g. OpenAI). Needs Gmail OAuth access to read, label and draft. |
Full comparison
| Replaces | Manually sorting Gmail |
|---|---|
| Bot / agent stack | n8n + five OpenAI agents + Gmail (+ Telegram/Slack alerts) |
| Monthly cost before | Not reported |
| Monthly cost after | OpenAI API usage + n8n; free template |
| Setup time | About 10-15 minutes (per template) |
| Time saved | Not reported |
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Reliability | 3/5: published template; auto-replies need careful prompt tuning. |
| Maintenance | Review prompts against your business rules; check auto-replies. |
| Privacy & data | Email content is sent to the LLM provider (e.g. OpenAI). Needs Gmail OAuth access to read, label and draft. |
| Best for | Busy inboxes with clear categories |
| Not for | Sensitive/regulated email |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free template
- Sorts into 5 categories
- Alerts for sales/finance
Cons
- Auto-sending risks wrong replies
- Five agents = more API calls
Source and evidence
Published template; auto-sending needs careful prompt tuning.
Read the original Template source ↗
“Not reported” means the source doesn't say. We never fill gaps with guesses. Numbers marked “per author” or “vendor claim” are the source's own and weren't independently tested. Source last checked Oct 15, 2026.
Our rating is an editorial opinion based on the public source above, not lab testing. Spot an error? Request a correction.
Plain-text summary (for search and AI assistants)
n8n email triage agent: multi-agent Gmail sorting and replies. Replaces Manually sorting Gmail with n8n + five OpenAI agents + Gmail (+ Telegram/Slack alerts). Cost before: Not reported. Cost after: OpenAI API usage + n8n; free template. Setup: About 10-15 minutes (per template), Intermediate. Time saved: Not reported. Reliability 3/5: 3/5: published template; auto-replies need careful prompt tuning. Best for: Busy inboxes with clear categories. Not for: Sensitive/regulated email. Source: https://n8n.io/workflows/9157-ai-powered-email-triage-and-auto-response-system-with-openai-agents-and-gmail/
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