Workflow Patterns

We analyzed 15 real n8n automation workflows and mapped every node to an abstract category (trigger, AI, transform, deliver, …). The result: universal patterns that show how people actually build automations — and how you can build yours.

What Do You Want to Automate?

Pick a use case below. Get the pattern, the tools, and starter code — all based on 15 real workflows.

15
Workflows Analyzed
14
Unique Patterns Found
12
Use Case Categories

Most Common Patterns

A "pattern" is the sequence of abstract steps a workflow follows, like trigger → ai → deliver. The specific tool doesn't matter — what matters is the structure. These are the 10 most frequent patterns across all 15 workflows.

trigger → api → transform → data
2x scheduleTrigger, httpRequest, html, code, googleSheets
trigger → ai → transform → deliver
1x errorTrigger, set, lmChatGoogleGemini, googleSheetsTrigger, set, chainLlm
trigger → ai → data → transform → api
1x chatTrigger, memoryBufferWindow, set, nocoDbTool, set, httpRequest
ai → trigger → storage → transform → deliver → data
1x lmChatOpenAi, agent, agent, agent, agent, gmail
trigger → ai → data
1x manualTrigger, lmChatOpenAi, outputParserStructured, agent, googleSheets, googleSheets
trigger → ai → api → transform → storage → deliver → data
1x convertToFile, agent, googleDrive, googleSheets, telegram, telegramTrigger
trigger → transform → api → data
1x manualTrigger, set, httpRequest, html, code, googleSheets
ai → trigger → deliver → transform → logic → api
1x code, removeDuplicates, removeDuplicates, splitOut, aggregate, httpRequest
trigger → storage → api → transform
1x manualTrigger, googleDrive, googleDrive, httpRequest, httpRequest, function
ai → trigger → logic → deliver → transform → api
1x openAi, httpRequest, openAi, splitOut, httpRequest, set

Most-Used Tools

The concrete tools and services that appear most often across all workflows. Each tool belongs to a category like ai, trigger, or deliver — together they form the building blocks of any automation.

ToolCategoryWhat it doesUsage
HTTP Request api Call any REST API endpoint
24
Set Fields transform Assign or rename data fields
16
Code (JavaScript/Python) transform Custom code for any transformation
13
AI Agent ai Autonomous AI agent with tool access
11
Telegram deliver Send messages via Telegram
11
Google Sheets data Read/write spreadsheet data
10
If Condition logic Branch workflow based on conditions
10
OpenAI Chat ai GPT-4o / GPT-4 language model
7
Google Drive storage Upload/download files from Drive
5
Manual Trigger trigger Start workflow with a button click
5
Split In Batches logic Process items in smaller groups
5
Google Gemini ai Gemini language model
4
LLM Chain ai Chain multiple AI prompts together
4
vectorStorePinecone other
4
Structured Output ai Parse AI output into structured data
4
Gmail deliver Send or read emails via Gmail
3
Chat Memory ai Remember conversation history
3
Telegram Trigger trigger React to Telegram messages
3
html other
3
Split Out transform Split arrays into individual items
3