How does the interactive lesson work?

Each step is shown to you first on the left (Watch). Then you do it yourself in a practice copy on the right (Your turn), and every click is checked. If you get stuck, press Do it for me. It is a practice copy, so no real accounts are touched.

Stepthrough is completely free. Running the agent for real needs your own n8n account, an OpenAI API key with some credit, and Google Docs and Gmail.

It's the simplest version of the same idea: the agent retrieves your document before it answers. For a few pages that's all you need. For long documents, a vector store retrieves only the relevant parts.

Can it hand off to Slack instead of email?

Yes. Swap the Gmail Tool for the Slack tool and post to a channel your team watches.

Can I put it on my website?

Yes. In the chat trigger, turn on Make Chat Publicly Available. Hosted Chat gives you a link, and Embedded Chat lets you add the chat widget to your own site.

n8n Support Agent That Answers Only from Your Docs (Free)

Free · Live nowBusiness Automations n8nOpenAIGoogle DocsGmail~13 min32 stepsAdvanced

Updated October 10, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. How we check this lesson

A website chatbot that guesses is worse than no chatbot at all. In this free lesson you turn a basic n8n chat agent into a support agent that answers only from your own policies in a Google Doc, says so when it doesn't know, never gives legal advice, and hands the conversation to a person by email when it should.

At a glance

Question	Answer
What you build	Turn an n8n chat agent into a support agent that answers only from your policies in a Google Doc, refuses what it should, and hands off to a person by email.
Tools	n8n
Time	About 13 minutes, 32 steps in 5 parts
Level	Advanced, no coding needed
Cost	Free
Ways to learn it	Practice it step by step, watch the video, read the guide with screenshots

The 5 parts, in short

Set the rules: Open the agent, Add an option, System Message, Write the rules, and 1 more step.
Read your docs: Add a tool, Search for Google Docs, Google Docs Tool, Operation, and 3 more steps.
Hand off to a person: Add another tool, Search for Gmail, Gmail Tool, Send it to the office, and 6 more steps.
Test it: Open the chat, Ask a policy question, Ask something it must refuse, Ask for a person, and 1 more step.
Put it on your site: Open the chat trigger, Make it public, Close the node, Publish, and 1 more step.

Start here first: AI Receipt Extractor: Receipts to Google Sheets with n8n (module 1 of Business Automations)

In the course: Part 9 · n8n Automation Toolkit (Module 42 of the full course)

Part of: Business Automations with n8n (step 6 of 7). Next up: Litescrape in n8n: Swap SerpApi for a Cheaper Search API

A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs: step-by-step guide with screenshots

About the screenshots. They come from Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment (a practice copy of n8n), not the live tool, so no real account appears. The buttons and labels match the real screens the lesson was built against. Practice it yourself free at learn.ynteractive.com.

Tools: n8n
Time: about 13 minutes, 32 steps in 5 parts
Level: beginner, no coding needed

Part 1: Set the rules

Step 1: Open the agent

You run the office at Larkspur Property Management, and tenants ask the same questions all day. Pets, parking, rent due dates. Let's turn a basic chat agent into a support agent that answers only from your own policies, and passes anything else to a person. This is the agent from the first-agent module. Double-click the AI Agent.

The n8n workflow canvas in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 1 of 32 (Open the agent): the cursor is on “AI Agent”, highlighted. — **Step 1 of 32.** This is the chat agent from the first-agent module: a chat trigger, an **AI Agent**, a model and memory. Double-click **AI Agent**.

Step 2: Add an option

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 2 of 32 (Add an option): the cursor is on “Add Option”, highlighted. — **Step 2 of 32.** Click **Add Option**.

Step 3: System Message

System Message.

Step 4: Write the rules

The most important line: answer only from the policies document, and if the answer isn't there, say so. Then it lists when to hand off to a person, what to collect first, and what to say in an emergency.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 4 of 32 (Write the rules): the system message is filled in (“You answer tenant questions for Larkspur…”). — **Step 4 of 32.** Paste the system message: answer only from the policies document, never guess, and when to hand off.

You answer tenant questions for Larkspur Property Management in a website chat.

Answer ONLY from the "Larkspur tenant FAQ and policies" document. Read it with your Google Docs tool before every answer.
If the answer isn't in the document, say you don't know. Never guess, and never give legal advice.

Hand off to a person when:
- the document doesn't answer the question,
- the tenant asks for a person, or is upset,
- it's about a payment dispute, a lease change or an emergency.
To hand off: ask for their name, unit and best phone number, then email the office with your Gmail tool. Tell them someone from the office will call them within one business day.
For emergencies (fire, gas smell, flooding), tell them to call 911 or the 24/7 maintenance line first: (555) 018-4400.

Be friendly and short: 2 to 4 sentences.

Step 5: Close the node

Close it.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 5 of 32 (Close the node): the cursor is on “Close the node”, highlighted. — **Step 5 of 32.** Close the agent.

Part 2: Read your docs

Step 6: Add a tool

Now give it the document.

The n8n workflow canvas in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 6 of 32 (Add a tool): the cursor is on “+”, highlighted. — **Step 6 of 32.** Click the + under **Tool**.

Step 7: Search for Google Docs

The n8n node list in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 7 of 32 (Search for Google Docs): the docs is filled in (“docs”). — **Step 7 of 32.** Type **docs**.

Step 8: Google Docs Tool

Google Docs Tool.

Step 9: Operation

Your Google account is already connected. Careful: the operation says Create. We want the agent to read, not write.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 9 of 32 (Operation): the cursor is on “Google Docs account”, highlighted. — **Step 9 of 32.** Your **Google Docs account** is connected. **Operation** says **Create**. Open it.

Step 10: Get

A dropdown menu in n8n in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 10 of 32 (Get): the cursor is on “Get”, highlighted. — **Step 10 of 32.** Choose **Get**.

Step 11: Point it at your policies

Keep it all in one Google Doc, and when a policy changes, change the doc. The agent reads the latest version every time.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 11 of 32 (Point it at your policies): the link is filled in (“https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LkSp9rPmFaq…”). — **Step 11 of 32.** Paste the link to **Larkspur tenant FAQ and policies** into **Doc ID or URL**.

Step 12: Close the node

Close it.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 12 of 32 (Close the node): the cursor is on “Close the node”, highlighted. — **Step 12 of 32.** Close the tool.

Part 3: Hand off to a person

Step 13: Add another tool

Next, the handoff.

The n8n workflow canvas in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 13 of 32 (Add another tool): the cursor is on “+”, highlighted. — **Step 13 of 32.** Click the + under **Tool** again.

Step 14: Search for Gmail

The n8n node list in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 14 of 32 (Search for Gmail): the gmail is filled in (“gmail”). — **Step 14 of 32.** Type **gmail**.

Step 15: Gmail Tool

Gmail Tool.

Step 16: Send it to the office

It's already set to send a message. In To, type the office address. This tool only ever emails your own staff, never the tenant.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 16 of 32 (Send it to the office): the email is filled in (“office@larkspurpm.example”). — **Step 16 of 32.** **Message** and **Send** are already set. In To, type **[email protected]**.

Step 17: Let the agent write the subject

The agent knows what the problem is, so let it write the subject.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 17 of 32 (Let the agent write the subject): the cursor is on “Subject”, highlighted. — **Step 17 of 32.** Next to **Subject**, click the ✦ button.

Step 18: And the message

And the sparkle next to Message. It'll include the tenant's name, unit, phone number and question.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 18 of 32 (And the message): the cursor is on “Message”, highlighted. — **Step 18 of 32.** Next to **Message**, click the ✦ button.

Step 19: Add option

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 19 of 32 (Add option): the cursor is on “Add option”, highlighted. — **Step 19 of 32.** Click **Add option**.

Step 20: Append n8n Attribution

Append n eight n Attribution.

A dropdown menu in n8n in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 20 of 32 (Append n8n Attribution): the cursor is on “Append n8n Attribution”, highlighted. — **Step 20 of 32.** Choose **Append n8n Attribution**.

Step 21: Turn it off

Turn it off. Your staff know where it came from.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 21 of 32 (Turn it off): the cursor is on “off”, highlighted. — **Step 21 of 32.** Click the toggle to turn it **off**.

Step 22: Close the node

Close it.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 22 of 32 (Close the node): the cursor is on “Close the node”, highlighted. — **Step 22 of 32.** Close the tool.

Part 4: Test it

Step 23: Open the chat

Time to test it like a tenant.

The n8n workflow editor in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 23 of 32 (Open the chat): the cursor is on “Open chat”, highlighted. — **Step 23 of 32.** Click **Open chat**.

Step 24: Ask a policy question

First, a question the document answers. Ask about a cat.

The n8n chat test panel in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 24 of 32 (Ask a policy question): the question is filled in (“Can I have a cat in my apartment?”). — **Step 24 of 32.** Ask the first question.

Step 25: Ask something it must refuse

It read the document first, and answered from it: a three hundred dollar deposit, two pets per unit. Now the important test. Ask something it must not answer.

The n8n chat test panel in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 25 of 32 (Ask something it must refuse): the question is filled in (“My landlord in my last place kept my deposit.…”). — **Step 25 of 32.** It read the doc and answered: $300 pet deposit, two pets. Now ask something it should refuse.

Step 26: Ask for a person

It said it can't help and didn't make anything up. Good. Last test: an upset tenant who wants a person.

The n8n chat test panel in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 26 of 32 (Ask for a person): the question is filled in (“I was charged a late fee but I paid on time. I…”). — **Step 26 of 32.** It refused and pointed to the right kind of help. Now ask for a person, with your details.

Step 27: Close the chat

This time it used the Gmail tool. The office has Ana's name, unit, number and the problem, and Ana knows someone will call. Close the chat.

The n8n chat test panel in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 27 of 32 (Close the chat): the cursor is on “Gmail Tool”, highlighted. — **Step 27 of 32.** It used **Gmail Tool**: the office got Ana's name, unit, number and the problem. Close the chat.

Part 5: Put it on your site

Step 28: Open the chat trigger

Now put it on your website. Double-click the chat trigger.

The n8n workflow canvas in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 28 of 32 (Open the chat trigger): the cursor is on “When chat message received”, highlighted. — **Step 28 of 32.** Double-click **When chat message received**.

Step 29: Make it public

Turn on Make Chat Publicly Available. You get a chat page link, or choose Embedded Chat to put the chat bubble on your own site.

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 29 of 32 (Make it public): the cursor is on “Make Chat Publicly Available”, highlighted. — **Step 29 of 32.** Turn on **Make Chat Publicly Available**.

Step 30: Close the node

An n8n node’s settings window in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 30 of 32 (Close the node): the cursor is on “Close the node”, highlighted. — **Step 30 of 32.** Close it.

Step 31: Publish

The n8n workflow editor in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 31 of 32 (Publish): the cursor is on “Publish”, highlighted. — **Step 31 of 32.** Click **Publish**.

Step 32: Publish it

Keep the version name and click Publish. Read the chats and the handoff emails for the first week, and add anything people ask that the document doesn't cover yet.

The n8n Publish dialog in Stepthrough’s practice copy, step 32 of 32 (Publish it): the cursor is on “Version name”, highlighted. — **Step 32 of 32.** Keep the **Version name** and click **Publish**.

Now do it yourself, free

Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive lesson puts you in a practice copy of n8n: you do every step yourself, it checks your work, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Nothing touches your real accounts.

Practice “A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs” step by step

A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs: video walkthrough

The whole lesson in 2:23, narrated step by step.

Simulated practice environment. Recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment, not the live tool. Practice it yourself free at learn.ynteractive.com.

2:23 · 5 chapters · 32 steps · narrated with the lesson’s own voice-over

Chapters

Click a chapter to jump the video there.

Now do it yourself, free

Watching is the warm-up. The interactive lesson puts you in a practice copy of n8n: you do every step yourself, it checks your work, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Nothing touches your real accounts.

Practice “A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs” step by step

Full transcript

Set the rules

0:00 You run the office at Larkspur Property Management, and tenants ask the same questions all day. Pets, parking, rent due dates. Let's turn a basic chat agent into a support agent that answers only from your own policies, and passes anything else to a person. This is the agent from the first-agent module. Double-click the AI Agent.

0:17 Click Add Option.

0:18 System Message.

0:20 Paste this. The most important line: answer only from the policies document, and if the answer isn't there, say so. Then it lists when to hand off to a person, what to collect first, and what to say in an emergency.

0:31 Close it.

Read your docs

0:33 Now give it the document. Click the plus under Tool.

0:36 Type docs.

0:37 Google Docs Tool.

0:39 Your Google account is already connected. Careful: the operation says Create. We want the agent to read, not write. Open Operation.

0:47 Choose Get.

0:48 Paste the link to your FAQ and policies document. Keep it all in one Google Doc, and when a policy changes, change the doc. The agent reads the latest version every time.

0:57 Close it.

Hand off to a person

0:58 Next, the handoff. Click the plus under Tool again.

1:01 Type gmail.

1:02 Gmail Tool.

1:04 It's already set to send a message. In To, type the office address. This tool only ever emails your own staff, never the tenant.

1:11 The agent knows what the problem is, so let it write the subject. Click the sparkle next to Subject.

1:17 And the sparkle next to Message. It'll include the tenant's name, unit, phone number and question.

1:22 Click Add option.

1:24 Append n eight n Attribution.

1:26 Turn it off. Your staff know where it came from.

1:28 Close it.

Test it

1:29 Time to test it like a tenant. Click Open chat.

1:32 First, a question the document answers. Ask about a cat.

1:35 It read the document first, and answered from it: a three hundred dollar deposit, two pets per unit. Now the important test. Ask something it must not answer.

1:42 It said it can't help and didn't make anything up. Good. Last test: an upset tenant who wants a person.

1:49 This time it used the Gmail tool. The office has Ana's name, unit, number and the problem, and Ana knows someone will call. Close the chat.

Put it on your site

1:56 Now put it on your website. Double-click the chat trigger.

1:59 Turn on Make Chat Publicly Available. You get a chat page link, or choose Embedded Chat to put the chat bubble on your own site.

2:05 Close it.

2:06 Click Publish.

2:08 Keep the version name and click Publish. Read the chats and the handoff emails for the first week, and add anything people ask that the document doesn't cover yet.

2:16 Simple as that. We show you and you do it. Sign up below to learn AI automation for free.

The n8n support agent: a chat trigger and an AI Agent with an OpenAI Chat Model, Simple Memory, a Google Docs tool and a Gmail tool

What you will build

You run the office at Larkspur Property Management, a made-up company. You start from the agent built in the first-agent module: When chat message received, an AI Agent, an OpenAI Chat Model and Simple Memory. You give the agent a system message with its rules, add a Google Docs tool that reads the tenant FAQ and policies document, and add a Gmail tool that emails the office for a handoff.

Then you test it with three questions. A tenant asks whether cats are allowed, and the agent reads the document and answers: yes, a $300 pet deposit and two pets per unit. A tenant asks whether they can sue a former landlord, and the agent says it can't help and points to a tenant rights office or a lawyer. A tenant disputing a late fee asks for a person, and the agent emails the office with her name, unit, phone number and the problem, then tells her someone will call within one business day. Finally you make the chat public and publish it.

Why it doesn't make things up

Two things work together. The system message tells the agent to answer only from the policies document and to say it doesn't know otherwise. The Google Docs tool gives it that document every time, so the answer comes from your words, not from the model's general knowledge. Testing a question it must refuse is the part most people skip, and it's the one that tells you whether the rules hold.

Reading the whole document on each question is simple and works well for a few pages of FAQ and policies. For a long handbook, a vector store (often called RAG) finds just the relevant passages instead, which is faster and cheaper.

Gotchas worth knowing

The Google Docs tool's Operation defaults to Create. Switch it to Get, or the agent could make new documents instead of reading yours.
Keep one document as the source of truth. When a policy changes, change the doc and the agent uses the new version on the next question.
The handoff tool emails your own staff only, never the customer.
Gmail adds a line saying the email was sent automatically with n8n unless you add Append n8n Attribution and turn it off.
Test URLs and the editor chat only work while you're in n8n. After you publish, use the chat's public link or embed it.

What you need

An n8n account: n8n Cloud from about €20 a month with a free trial, or the free self-hosted Community Edition.
An OpenAI API key with a little credit.
Google Docs and Gmail connected in n8n, and your FAQ and policies in one Google Doc.

Keep it honest

Tell visitors they're chatting with an AI assistant, and give emergencies a phone number, not a chat. Read the first week of chats and handoff emails, and add to the document whatever people asked that it couldn't answer. The agent shares only what's in your document, so don't put private or internal-only information in 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 “A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs”

All free Stepthrough videos

Screenshots

The AI Agent's System Message: answer only from the tenant FAQ and policies document, never guess, and when to hand off to a person

The Google Docs tool set to Get, with the link to the tenant FAQ and policies document in Doc ID or URL

The test chat: the agent refuses a legal question and hands a late-fee dispute to the office with the Gmail tool

The chat trigger with Make Chat Publicly Available turned on and Mode set to Hosted Chat

Frequently asked questions

How does the interactive lesson work?: Each step is shown to you first on the left (Watch). Then you do it yourself in a practice copy on the right (Your turn), and every click is checked. If you get stuck, press Do it for me. It is a practice copy, so no real accounts are touched.
Is this free?: Stepthrough is completely free. Running the agent for real needs your own n8n account, an OpenAI API key with some credit, and Google Docs and Gmail.
Is this RAG?: It's the simplest version of the same idea: the agent retrieves your document before it answers. For a few pages that's all you need. For long documents, a vector store retrieves only the relevant parts.
Can it hand off to Slack instead of email?: Yes. Swap the Gmail Tool for the Slack tool and post to a channel your team watches.
Can I put it on my website?: Yes. In the chat trigger, turn on Make Chat Publicly Available. Hosted Chat gives you a link, and Embedded Chat lets you add the chat widget to your own site.

Start this module free

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At a glance

The 5 parts, in short

A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs: step-by-step guide with screenshots

Part 1: Set the rules

Step 1: Open the agent

Step 2: Add an option

Step 3: System Message

Step 4: Write the rules

Step 5: Close the node

Part 2: Read your docs

Step 6: Add a tool

Step 7: Search for Google Docs

Step 8: Google Docs Tool

Step 9: Operation

Step 10: Get

Step 11: Point it at your policies

Step 12: Close the node

Part 3: Hand off to a person

Step 13: Add another tool

Step 14: Search for Gmail

Step 15: Gmail Tool

Step 16: Send it to the office

Step 17: Let the agent write the subject

Step 18: And the message

Step 19: Add option

Step 20: Append n8n Attribution

Step 21: Turn it off

Step 22: Close the node

Part 4: Test it

Step 23: Open the chat

Step 24: Ask a policy question

Step 25: Ask something it must refuse

Step 26: Ask for a person

Step 27: Close the chat

Part 5: Put it on your site

Step 28: Open the chat trigger

Step 29: Make it public

Step 30: Close the node

Step 31: Publish

Step 32: Publish it

Now do it yourself, free

A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs: video walkthrough

Chapters

Now do it yourself, free

Full transcript

Set the rules

Read your docs

Hand off to a person

Test it

Put it on your site

What you will build

Why it doesn't make things up

Gotchas worth knowing

What you need

Keep it honest

Try it yourself, free

Screenshots

Frequently asked questions

More in Business Automations

More n8n tutorials

Terms in this lesson

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