PDF Report Monitor with GPT-3.5 Insights and Slack/Email Alerts

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self-hosted version of n8n.

Intelligent Document Monitoring and Alert System

This workflow creates an automated monitoring system that watches for new PDF reports across multiple sources, extracts key insights using AI, and sends formatted alerts to your team via Slack or email. By combining PDF Vector's parsing capabilities with GPT-powered analysis, teams can stay informed about critical documents without manual review, ensuring important information never gets missed.

Target Audience & Problem Solved

This template is designed for:

• Finance teams monitoring quarterly reports and regulatory filings
• Compliance officers tracking policy updates and audit reports
• Research departments alerting on new publications and preprints
• Operations teams monitoring supplier reports and KPI documents
• Executive assistants summarizing board materials and briefings

It solves the problem of information overload by automatically processing incoming documents, extracting only the most relevant insights, and delivering them in digestible formats to the right people at the right time.

Prerequisites

• n8n instance with PDF Vector node installed
• PDF Vector API credentials with parsing capabilities
• OpenAI API key for insight extraction
• Slack workspace admin access (for Slack alerts)
• SMTP credentials (for email alerts)
• FTP/Cloud storage access for document sources
• Minimum 50 API credits for continuous monitoring

Step-by-Step Setup Instructions

1. Configure Document Sources

   • Set up FTP credentials in n8n for folder monitoring
   • Or configure Google Drive/Dropbox integration
   • Define the folder paths to monitor
   • Set file naming patterns to watch (e.g., "report.pdf")

2. Set Up API Integrations

   • Add PDF Vector credentials in n8n
   • Configure OpenAI credentials with appropriate model access
   • Set up Slack app and add webhook URL
   • Configure SMTP settings for email alerts

3. Configure Monitoring Schedule

   • Open the "Check Every 15 Minutes" node
   • Adjust frequency based on your needs:

     // For hourly checks:
     "interval": 60
     // For real-time monitoring (every 5 min):
     "interval": 5
     

4. Customize Alert Channels

   • Slack Setup:

     • Create dedicated channels (#reports, #alerts)
     • Configure webhook for each channel
     • Set up user mentions for urgent alerts

   • Email Setup:

     • Define recipient lists by document type
     • Configure email templates
     • Set up priority levels for subject lines

5. Define Alert Rules

   • Modify the "Extract Key Insights" prompt for your domain
   • Set conditions for high-priority alerts
   • Configure which metrics trigger notifications
   • Define sentiment thresholds

Implementation Details

The workflow implements a comprehensive monitoring pipeline:

1. Source Monitoring: Polls multiple sources for new PDFs
2. Intelligent Parsing: Uses LLM-enhanced parsing for complex documents
3. Insight Extraction: AI analyzes content for key information
4. Priority Classification: Determines alert urgency based on content
5. Multi-Channel Delivery: Sends formatted alerts via configured channels
6. Audit Trail: Logs all processed documents for compliance

Customization Guide

Adding Custom Document Types:
Extend the routing logic for specific document types:

// In "Route by Document Type" node:
const documentTypes = {
  'invoice': /invoice|bill|payment/i,
  'contract': /contract|agreement|terms/i,
  'report': /report|analysis|summary/i,
  'compliance': /audit|compliance|regulatory/i
};

Customizing Insight Extraction:
Modify the AI prompt for domain-specific analysis:

// Financial documents:
"Extract: 1) Revenue figures 2) YoY growth 3) Risk factors 4) Guidance changes"

// Compliance documents:
"Extract: 1) Policy changes 2) Deadlines 3) Required actions 4) Penalties"

// Research papers:
"Extract: 1) Key findings 2) Methodology 3) Implications 4) Future work"

Advanced Alert Formatting:
Create rich Slack messages with interactive elements:

// Add buttons for quick actions:
{
  "type": "actions",
  "elements": [
    {
      "type": "button",
      "text": { "type": "plain_text", "text": "View Full Report" },
      "url": documentUrl
    },
    {
      "type": "button", 
      "text": { "type": "plain_text", "text": "Mark as Read" },
      "action_id": "mark_read"
    }
  ]
}

Implementing Alert Conditions:
Add sophisticated filtering based on content:

// Alert only if certain conditions are met:
if (insights.metrics.revenue_change < -10) {
  priority = 'urgent';
  alertChannel = '#executive-alerts';
}

if (insights.findings.includes('compliance violation')) {
  additionalRecipients.push('[email protected]');
}

Adding Document Comparison:
Track changes between document versions:

// Compare with previous version:
const previousDoc = await getLastVersion(documentType);
const changes = compareDocuments(previousDoc, currentDoc);
if (changes.significant) {
  alertMessage += `\n⚠️ Significant changes detected: ${changes.summary}`;
}

Alert Features:

• Monitor multiple document sources (FTP, cloud storage, email)
• Extract key metrics and findings with AI
• Send rich, formatted notifications
• Track document processing history
• Conditional alerts based on content analysis
• Multi-channel alert routing

Use Cases:

• Financial report monitoring
• Compliance document tracking
• Research publication alerts
• Customer report distribution
• Board material summarization
• Regulatory filing notifications

Advanced Configuration

Performance Optimization:

• Implement caching to avoid reprocessing
• Use batch processing for multiple documents
• Set up parallel processing for different sources

Security Considerations:

• Encrypt sensitive document storage
• Implement access controls for different alert channels
• Audit log all document access