# n8n: Summarize Customer Emails with OpenAI > Add your first AI step in n8n: send each email to OpenAI's Message a model with one prompt, get a summary and next step, and tidy it with Edit Fields. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-openai-summarize-emails · Updated 2026-10-17 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) ## Practice it step by step [Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-openai-summarize) [Take the free module: why it matters, practice and a quick check →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/n8n-beginner/10) You do every step yourself in a practice copy of n8n. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 9 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-openai-summarize) Free · Live now · [n8n Automation Toolkit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/n8n-automation-toolkit) · [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) · OpenAI · ~9 min · 31 steps · Beginner Updated October 17, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check) Your first AI step in [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) doesn't need an agent. In this free lesson a made-up bookkeeping firm pins three customer emails, sends each one to OpenAI's Message a model with a single [prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) and the email body dragged in, and gets back a one-sentence summary and the next step. Then an [Edit Fields node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/edit-fields-node) pulls the answer out of the nested output and adds the sender from the trigger. The summaries in the practice are real answers from GPT-4.1-MINI. ## At a glance | Question | Answer | | --- | --- | | What you build | Your first AI step in n8n: send each customer email to OpenAI with one prompt and get a one-line summary plus the next step. No agent needed, about a cent of API use. | | Tools | n8n | | Time | About 9 minutes, 31 steps in 3 parts | | Level | Beginner, no coding needed | | Cost | Free | | Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-openai-summarize) | ### The 3 parts, in short 1. Load three emails: Add the first step, Trigger manually, Open the trigger, Set mock data, and 3 more steps. 2. Ask OpenAI: Add a step, Search for OpenAI, OpenAI, Message a model, and 11 more steps. 3. Tidy the answer: Add a step, Search for Edit, Edit Fields, Open the earlier node, and 5 more steps. **Start here first:** [n8n: What Is n8n? Build Your First Workflow](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-tutorial-for-beginners-first-workflow) (module 1 of n8n Automation Toolkit) **In the course:** [Part 9 · n8n Automation Toolkit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/part-9-n8n-automation-toolkit) (Module 76 of the [full course](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course)) **Part of:** [n8n for Beginners: Your First Automations](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/n8n-beginner) (step 9 of 9) ## The real answers From a test run in [n8n Cloud](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/n8n-cloud) on October 17, 2026, with the prompt "Summarize this customer email in one sentence, then say what we need to do next." | from | summary (shortened) | | --- | --- | | jordan@lakeside-dental.example | Possible duplicate payment for INV-1042; verify payment records and update the customer. | | maria@northpoint.example | Wants to move the Thursday call to Friday before 11am; confirm a new time. | | sam@brightline.example | Referral for monthly bookkeeping and payroll; confirm we can share our contact details. | ## Add the OpenAI node Search OpenAI (it carries a Free credits tag for new n8n Cloud accounts) and choose Message a model under TEXT ACTIONS. Pick a credential: free credits if you have them, or Create new credential and paste your own API key from platform.openai.com. ## Model and prompt Search the Model list for mini and choose a small model such as GPT-4.1-MINI. Under Message 1 (Role User), paste the instruction into Prompt and drag the email body from INPUT to the end. The node runs once per item: three emails, three answers. ## Tidy the answer The answer sits in output > content > text. Add Edit Fields, expand the earlier trigger in INPUT to drag from, then drag text onto the drop area and rename it summary. Each item now has two plain fields, ready for Slack, a sheet or an email. ## Links - [n8n](https://n8n.partnerlinks.io/2a7wq6ej1z0t) (affiliate link): the workflow tool this lesson teaches (free trial, no credit card). - [OpenAI API keys](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys): where you create your own key. - [n8n docs: OpenAI node](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/app-nodes/n8n-nodes-langchain.openai/): every OpenAI action in n8n. Disclosure: links marked "affiliate link" are partner links. If you sign up through one, Stepthrough may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The lesson is free either way and does not depend on it. ## Try it yourself, free Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of n8n, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts. [Start “n8n: Summarize Customer Emails with OpenAI”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-openai-summarize) ## Step by step: n8n: Summarize Customer Emails with OpenAI All 31 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work. ### 1. Load three emails 1. **Add the first step.** Clearview Bookkeeping's shared inbox gets dozens of client emails a day, and someone reads each one twice to work out what to do. You'll have AI write a one-line summary and the next step. Click **Add first step...**. Clearview Bookkeeping's shared inbox gets dozens of client emails a day. Someone reads each one, twice, to work out what to do. You'll have AI write a short summary, and the next step. 2. **Trigger manually.** Click **Trigger manually**. You will use test emails, not a real inbox. You'll use test emails, not a real inbox. 3. **Open the trigger.** Open the trigger. 4. **Set mock data.** Click **set mock data**. 5. **Paste three emails.** Replace the example with three customer emails, each with **from**, **subject** and **body**. Replace the example with three customer emails. Each has a from, a subject and a body. ```text [{"from":"jordan@lakeside-dental.example","subject":"Invoice question","body":"Hi, we got invoice INV-1042 for $480 but we think we already paid it on October 2 by bank transfer. Can you check and let us know? We don't want to pay twice. Thanks, Jordan"},{"from":"maria@northpoint.example","subject":"Need to move our call","body":"Hello, something came up and I can't make our Thursday 2pm call about the quarterly review. Could we do Friday morning instead, any time before 11? Sorry for the short notice. Maria"},{"from":"sam@brightline.example","subject":"New client referral","body":"Hey! My friend runs a small architecture firm, about 12 people, and is unhappy with her current bookkeeper. She wants monthly bookkeeping and payroll. Okay if I give her your email? Sam"}] ``` 6. **Save.** Click **Save**. The OUTPUT shows **3 items**. Three items. 7. **Close the node.** Close the node. ### 2. Ask OpenAI 8. **Add a step.** Click the **+** after the trigger. 9. **Search for OpenAI.** Type **OpenAI**. 10. **OpenAI.** Click **OpenAI**: *Message an assistant or GPT, analyze images, generate audio, etc.* The **Free credits** tag means new n8n Cloud accounts get some free use. See the free credits tag. New n8n Cloud accounts get some free use, so you may not need a key to try it. 11. **Message a model.** Under **TEXT ACTIONS**, click **Message a model**. Under text actions, click Message a model. That means, send the AI a prompt, and get an answer back. 12. **Open Credential.** n8n needs to know whose OpenAI account to use. Click the **Credential** box. n8n needs to know whose OpenAI account to use. 13. **Create new credential.** Click **Create new credential**. (On a new n8n Cloud account you may also see free credits here; you can pick those and skip the key.) On a new n8n Cloud account, you might see free credits in this list too. If so, you can pick those, and skip the key. 14. **Paste your API key.** Paste **your own** OpenAI API key into **API Key** (from platform.openai.com, API keys). n8n stores it encrypted. Never paste a key into a prompt or a field anywhere else. n8n stores it encrypted. Never paste a key anywhere else, like a prompt. 15. **Save the credential.** Click **Save**, then close the window. 16. **Pick a model.** **Resource** is **Text** and **Operation** is **Message a Model**. Open **Model**. Resource is text. Operation is message a model. 17. **Search models.** Type **mini**: small models are fast and cheap, and plenty for summaries. Small models are fast and cheap, and plenty good for summaries. 18. **GPT-4.1-MINI.** Choose **GPT-4.1-MINI**. 19. **Write the prompt.** Under **Message 1**, **Role** is **User**. Paste the instruction into **Prompt**. Under message one, the role is user. 20. **Drag in the email.** Drag **body** from the INPUT to the end of the prompt (here, click it). The preview fills in Jordan's email. Here, click it. The preview fills in the first email. 21. **Run it.** Click **Execute step**. n8n sends three prompts, one per item. n8n sends three prompts. One for each email. 22. **Read the answers.** **3 items**. Each answer is tucked inside **output > content > text**. The first: *a possible duplicate payment for INV-1042 ... verify our payment records*. Close the node. Three items. Each answer is tucked inside output, content, text. The first one says, a possible duplicate payment. Check the payment records. Close the node. ### 3. Tidy the answer 23. **Add a step.** Make the result easy to use. Click the **+** after **Message a model**. Now make the result easy to use. 24. **Search for Edit.** Type **Edit**. 25. **Edit Fields.** Click **Edit Fields (Set)**. 26. **Open the earlier node.** The INPUT shows the OpenAI answer, but not who sent the email. Expand **When clicking 'Execute workflow'** below it: earlier nodes are there too. The input shows the AI's answer. But who sent the email? Expand the trigger, below it. Earlier nodes are there too. 27. **Drop the sender.** Drag **from** onto **Drag input fields here** (here, click it). 28. **Drop the answer.** Now drag **text** (inside **content[0]**) onto the drop area. 29. **Rename it.** The new field is called **output[0].content[0].text**. Select the name and type **summary**. That field name is long. 30. **Run it.** Click **Execute step**. 31. **One clean row per email.** Three items, each with **from** and **summary**, ready for a Slack message, a sheet or a daily email. Close the node. Three clean items. Who wrote, and what to do. Ready for a Slack message, a sheet, or a daily email. Close the node. ## Frequently asked questions **How do I use OpenAI in n8n?** Add the OpenAI node, choose Message a model, connect a credential with your API key (or n8n free credits), pick a model and write a prompt with an expression for the data. **How much does the OpenAI node cost in n8n?** n8n does not charge extra; OpenAI bills your account per call. A short summary with a mini model costs a fraction of a cent. **Do I need an AI agent to use AI in n8n?** No. One OpenAI node with a prompt covers summarising, classifying and drafting. Agents are for jobs where the AI must decide which tools to use. [Start this module free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-openai-summarize) - Previous in n8n Automation Toolkit: [n8n: Send Form Answers Straight to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-form-to-google-sheets) - Next in n8n Automation Toolkit: [Find and Use n8n Templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/find-and-use-n8n-templates) ## More in n8n Automation Toolkit - [n8n: What Is n8n? Build Your First Workflow](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-tutorial-for-beginners-first-workflow): What n8n is and how it thinks, then your first workflow: a client inquiry form that catches every request and writes a one-line summary. No code, no accounts to connect. - [n8n: Items, JSON and Expressions, Explained by Doing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-items-json-expressions-tutorial): See how n8n holds data: pin five fake invoices, read them as items, Table and JSON, then write one reminder per invoice and a late fee with drag-and-drop expressions. - [n8n: Run a Workflow on a Schedule (Every Monday at 8am)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-schedule-trigger-tutorial): Use the n8n Schedule Trigger to run a workflow by itself: every Monday at 8am, a timesheet reminder. Set the interval, test it now, and check the time zone. - [Litescrape in n8n: Swap SerpApi for a Cheaper Search API](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/litescrape-n8n-serpapi-alternative): Switch a weekly n8n competitor-price workflow from SerpApi to Litescrape's Google Shopping API: change the HTTP Request URL, move the key into a Bearer Auth credential… - [n8n: Execute Step, Execute Workflow and Publish](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-execute-step-execute-workflow-publish): Learn the buttons in today's n8n editor: run one node with Execute step, pin test data, run everything with Execute workflow, then Publish and copy the Production URL. - [Webhooks and Forms in n8n: Capture Data from Anywhere](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-webhook-and-form-trigger-tutorial): Stop losing quote requests between inboxes. Build a form n8n hosts for you, catch entries from your own website with a webhook, and save every request to one Google… [All 18 modules in n8n Automation Toolkit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/n8n-automation-toolkit) ## More n8n tutorials - [n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets): Build an AI agent for BrightPath Marketing that generates social media post ideas and saves them to Google Sheets — chat trigger, AI Agent, system prompt, model… - [Lovable + n8n: Build a Web App with an AI Backend](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/lovable-n8n-web-app-ai-backend): Build a contact form in Lovable and connect it to an n8n workflow — webhook trigger, AI Agent, Google Sheets, Gmail, and a Respond node that ties it all together. - [AI Receipt Extractor: Receipts to Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-receipt-extractor-n8n-google-sheets): Drop a photo of a receipt into an n8n chat. An AI agent reads it, pulls out the date, vendor and amount, picks a category, and adds a row to Google Sheets. - [n8n AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-email-responder-gmail-drafts-n8n): Build an n8n agent that watches your Gmail, reads each new customer email, and writes a reply as a draft in the same thread, ready for you to check and send. - [Daily Job Alerts: Email Each Tech Their Jobs from Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-daily-job-alerts-google-sheets-gmail): Every morning at 7, n8n reads a plumbing company's jobs sheet, skips anything not assigned yet, and emails each job to the tech it's assigned to — customer, address… - [Gmail AI Triage: Auto-Label Every Email and Draft Replies](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/gmail-ai-triage-labels-drafts-n8n): Build an n8n workflow that reads each new email, sorts it as a lead, a client or an invoice with a Text Classifier, adds the matching Gmail label, and drafts a reply to… ## Free cheat sheet Print it or save the PDF: the key steps and checks from this lesson on one page, free. - [n8n Beginner Cheat Sheet: Triggers, Items, Expressions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/n8n-beginner): A free one-page n8n beginner cheat sheet: what n8n is, triggers vs actions, items and JSON, expressions, test vs production, schedules, forms and costs. [All free printable cheat sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets) ## Terms in this lesson Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) · [Edit Fields (Set) node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/edit-fields-node) · [API](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api) · [AI credits](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-credits) · [n8n Cloud](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/n8n-cloud) · [API key](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api-key) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Browse related tutorials [n8n Automation Toolkit (18)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/n8n-automation-toolkit) · [n8n tutorials (47)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n)