Certification Requirement Tracker with Rocket.Chat and GitLab

⚠️ COMMUNITY TEMPLATE DISCLAIMER: This is a community-contributed template that uses ScrapeGraphAI (a community node). Please ensure you have the ScrapeGraphAI community node installed in your n8n instance before using this template.

This workflow automatically scrapes certification-issuing bodies once a year, detects any changes in certification or renewal requirements, creates a GitLab issue for the responsible team, and notifies the relevant channel in Rocket.Chat. It helps professionals and compliance teams stay ahead of changing industry requirements and never miss a renewal.

Pre-conditions/Requirements

Prerequisites

• An n8n instance (self-hosted or n8n.cloud)
• ScrapeGraphAI community node installed and activated
• Rocket.Chat workspace with Incoming Webhook or user credentials
• GitLab account with at least one repository and a Personal Access Token (PAT)
• Access URLs for all certification bodies or industry associations you want to monitor

Required Credentials

• ScrapeGraphAI API Key – Enables web scraping services
• Rocket.Chat Credentials – Either:
  • Webhook URL, or
  • Username & Password / Personal Access Token
• GitLab Personal Access Token – To create issues and comments via API

Specific Setup Requirements

How it works

This workflow automatically scrapes certification-issuing bodies once a year, detects any changes in certification or renewal requirements, creates a GitLab issue for the responsible team, and notifies the relevant channel in Rocket.Chat. It helps professionals and compliance teams stay ahead of changing industry requirements and never miss a renewal.

Key Steps:

• Scheduled Trigger: Fires annually (or any chosen interval) to start the check.
• Set Node – URL List: Stores an array of certification-body URLs to scrape.
• Split in Batches: Iterates over each URL for parallel scraping.
• ScrapeGraphAI: Extracts requirement text, effective dates, and renewal info.
• Code Node – Diff Checker: Compares the newly scraped data with last year’s GitLab issue (if any) to detect changes.
• IF Node – Requirements Changed?: Routes the flow based on change detection.
• GitLab – Create/Update Issue: Opens a new issue or comments on an existing one with details of the change.
• Rocket.Chat – Notify Channel: Sends a message summarizing any changes and linking to the GitLab issue.
• Merge Node: Collects all branch results for a final summary report.

Set up steps

Setup Time: 15-25 minutes

1. Install Community Node: In n8n, navigate to Settings → Community Nodes and install “ScrapeGraphAI”.
2. Add Credentials:
   a. In Credentials, create “ScrapeGraphAI API”.
   b. Add your Rocket.Chat Webhook or PAT.
   c. Add your GitLab PAT with api scope.
3. Import Workflow: Copy the JSON template into n8n (Workflows → Import).
4. Configure URL List: Open the Set – URL List node and replace the sample array with real certification URLs.
5. Adjust Cron Expression: Double-click the Schedule Trigger node and set your desired frequency.
6. Customize Rocket.Chat Channel: In the Rocket.Chat – Notify node, set the channel or use an incoming webhook.
7. Run Once for Testing: Execute the workflow manually to ensure issues and notifications are created as expected.
8. Activate Workflow: Toggle Activate so the schedule starts running automatically.

Node Descriptions

Core Workflow Nodes:

• stickyNote – Workflow Notes: Contains a high-level diagram and documentation inside the editor.
• Schedule Trigger – Initiates the yearly check.
• Set (URL List) – Holds certification body URLs and meta info.
• SplitInBatches – Iterates through each URL in manageable chunks.
• ScrapeGraphAI – Scrapes each certification page and returns structured JSON.
• Code (Diff Checker) – Compares the current scrape with historical data.
• If – Requirements Changed? – Switches path based on diff result.
• GitLab – Creates or updates issues, attaches JSON diff, sets labels (certification, renewal).
• Rocket.Chat – Posts a summary message with links to the GitLab issue(s).
• Merge – Consolidates batch results for final logging.
• Set (Success) – Formats a concise success payload.

Data Flow:

1. Schedule Trigger → Set (URL List) → SplitInBatches → ScrapeGraphAI → Code (Diff Checker) → If → GitLab / Rocket.Chat → Merge

Customization Examples

Add Additional Metadata to GitLab Issue

// Inside the GitLab "Create Issue" node ↗️
{
  "title": `Certification Update: ${$json.domain}`,
  "description": `**What's Changed?**\n${$json.diff}\n\n_Last checked: {{$now}}_`,
  "labels": "certification,compliance," + $json.industry
}

Customize Rocket.Chat Message Formatting

// Rocket.Chat node → JSON parameters
{
  "text": `:bell: *Certification Update Detected*\n>*${$json.domain}*\n>See the GitLab issue: ${$json.issueUrl}`
}

Data Output Format

The workflow outputs structured JSON data:

{
  "domain": "example-cert-body.org",
  "scrapeDate": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "oldRequirements": "Original text …",
  "newRequirements": "Updated text …",
  "diff": "- Continuous education hours increased from 20 to 24\n- Fee changed to $200",
  "issueUrl": "https://gitlab.com/org/compliance/-/issues/42",
  "notification": "sent"
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. No data returned from ScrapeGraphAI – Confirm the target site is publicly accessible and not blocking bots. Whitelist the domain or add proper headers via ScrapeGraphAI options.
2. GitLab issue not created – Check that the PAT has api scope and the project ID is correct in the GitLab node.
3. Rocket.Chat message fails – Verify webhook URL or credentials and ensure the channel exists.

Performance Tips

• Limit the batch size in SplitInBatches to avoid API rate limits.
• Schedule the workflow during off-peak hours to minimize load.

Pro Tips:

• Store last-year scrapes in a dedicated GitLab repository to create a complete change log history.
• Use n8n’s built-in Execution History Pruning to keep the database slim.
• Add an Error Trigger workflow to notify you if any step fails.