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Email Reply Auto-Stopper Workflow
How It Works
This n8n automation automatically stops your email sequences when prospects reply, preventing embarrassing follow-ups and maintaining professional outreach.
The Process:
Email Monitoring - IMAP trigger watches your inbox for new emails
Reply Detection - When someone replies, it extracts their email address
Database Lookup - Searches your Google Sheet prospect list for a match
Auto-Stop - Updates the prospect's status to "STOP" and logs reply date
Sequence Prevention - Your email sequences skip contacts with "STOP" status
Real-World Example:
You send Email 1 to [email protected]
John replies: "Thanks, but not interested"
This workflow automatically marks John as "STOP"
Your follow-up sequences skip John completely
You look professional, not spammy
Setup Instructions
Prerequisites
n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted)
Email account with IMAP access (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)
Google Sheets with your prospect data
Step 1: Prepare Your Google Sheet
Your prospect sheet MUST include these columns:
Email - Prospect email addresses
Email Sent Status - Current status (ACTIVE, SENT, STOP, etc.)
Reply Date - When they replied (can be empty initially)
row_number - Unique identifier for each row
Sample Sheet Structure:
| First Name | Email Sent Status | Reply Date | row_number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John | [email protected] | ACTIVE | 2 | |
| Sarah | [email protected] | SENT | 3 | |
| Step 2: Set Up Email Credentials | ||||
| In n8n, go to Credentials → Add Credential | ||||
| Choose IMAP | ||||
| Enter your email settings: | ||||
| Host: imap.gmail.com (for Gmail) | ||||
| Port: 993 | ||||
| Username: [email protected] | ||||
| Password: your-app-password | ||||
| Secure: Yes | ||||
| Gmail Users: Enable 2FA and create an App Password |
Step 3: Set Up Google Sheets Access
Create Google Sheets OAuth2 credential
Follow n8n's Google Sheets setup guide
Grant access to your prospect spreadsheet
Step 4: Import & Configure Workflow
Import the workflow JSON
Email Trigger Node:
Select your IMAP credential
Keep "UNSEEN" filter enabled
Google Sheets Nodes:
Select your Google Sheets credential
Choose your prospect spreadsheet
Select correct sheet tab
Test the workflow with a test email
Step 5: Connect to Your Email Sequences
Your existing email automation should check the "Email Sent Status" column:
Skip sending if status = "STOP"
Continue sequence if status = "ACTIVE" or "SENT"
Important Notes
⚠️ Critical: Your email sequence automation MUST respect the "Email Sent Status" field, or this won't work.
💡 Pro Tip: Test with a personal email first to make sure the matching works correctly.
🔧 Customization: You can modify the "STOP" status to anything that fits your workflow (REPLIED, UNSUBSCRIBED, etc.).
Use Cases
Cold email campaigns
Sales follow-up sequences
Newsletter nurture flows
Event promotion follow-ups
Customer onboarding sequences
Troubleshooting
Emails not being detected:
Check IMAP credentials
Verify "UNSEEN" filter is working
Test with manual email trigger
Sheet not updating:
Confirm Google Sheets permissions
Check column names match exactly
Verify row_number column exists
No matches found:
Email addresses must match exactly (case-insensitive)
Check for extra spaces in email data
Verify prospect is in the correct sheet tab
This automation prevents spam complaints, protects sender reputation, and keeps your outreach professional. Set it once, forget it forever.