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Generate Summaries from Uploaded Files using OpenAI Assistants API

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Created by: Sam Robertson || samrobertson

Sam Robertson

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Last update 4 months ago

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Generate Summaries from Uploaded Files using OpenAI Assistants API

📑 Overview

Upload a document (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, TXT, CSV, JSON, or Markdown) and receive an AI-generated summary containing:

  • title – 5-10 words
  • summary – 1-2 sentences
  • bullets – 3-5 key points
  • tags – 3-6 short keywords

The workflow:

  1. Stores the file in OpenAI.
  2. Runs an Assistant with File Search and Code Interpreter enabled.
  3. Polls until the run finishes.
  4. Retrieves the summary JSON.

✅ Prerequisites

OpenAI Assistant

OpenAI API credential setup in n8n

  • Go to Credentials → New → HTTP Header Auth
  • Header name: Authorization
  • Value: Bearer YOUR-OPENAI-API-KEY (replace YOUR-OPENAI-API-KEY with your OpenAI API secret key for your assistant, starts with sk-)
  • Name it: openAIApiHeader

🔧 Setup

  1. Import the workflow JSON.

  2. When n8n prompts for a credential, choose openAIApiHeader for every HTTP Request node.

  3. Open Run Assistant → Body and replace

    "assistant_id": "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ASSISTANT_ID"

    with your real ID (starts with asst_…). Save.

🚀 How it works

# Node Purpose
1 On form submission User uploads a file (File).
2 Upload File POST /v1/files (multipart) → returns file_id.
3 Create Thread Creates a thread and attaches the uploaded file.
4 Run Assistant Starts the run using your assistant_id.
5 Poll Run Status → Wait 2 s → IF Loops until status = completed.
6 Fetch Summary GET /v1/threads/{thread_id}/messages → summary JSON.

🖌️ Customisation ideas

  • Edit the user prompt in Create Thread to change summary length, tone, or language.
  • Add an HTTP Response node after Fetch Summary to return plaintext to the uploader.
  • Replace the polling loop with OpenAI’s forthcoming wait-for-run endpoint when available.

No community nodes required. Works on any n8n Cloud plan (Starter, Pro, Enterprise) or self-hosted Community Edition.