Can you create a beginner course to teach the basic use of N8N software (N8N software creates AI Agents), output in text format?
Beginner's Guide to N8N and AI Agent Creation
Module 1: Introduction to n8n
What is n8n?
Welcome to the world of n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n")! n8n is a powerful, open-source workflow automation tool. It allows you to connect different applications and services to automate tasks without writing any code. Think of it as a visual way to build connections and create automated processes that can save you a significant amount of time and effort. You can create simple automations, like getting a notification when you receive an email from a specific person, or complex, multi-step workflows that involve AI-powered decision-making.
Key Concepts
To get started with n8n, you need to understand a few core concepts:
- Workflows: A workflow is the canvas where you build your automation. It's a visual representation of the steps in your process, with each step connected to the next.
- Nodes: Nodes are the building blocks of your workflows. Each node represents a specific action or event. There are different types of nodes, including:
- Trigger Nodes: These nodes start a workflow. They are activated by a specific event, such as a new email, a new entry in a database, or a scheduled time.
- Action Nodes: These nodes perform a specific action, such as sending an email, creating a new file, or, as we'll see later, interacting with an AI model.
- Connections/Credentials: To connect to other applications and services (like your email, a chat application, or an AI service), you need to provide your credentials. n8n stores these credentials securely, so you only have to set them up once.
Setting Up Your n8n Environment
There are two main ways to use n8n:
- n8n Cloud: This is the easiest way to get started. n8n hosts the software for you, and you can access it through your web browser. This is a great option for beginners.
- Self-Hosted: If you have some technical expertise, you can host n8n on your own server. This gives you more control and flexibility but requires more setup and maintenance.
For this course, we'll assume you are using the n8n Cloud, but the concepts are the same for both.
Module 2: Your First Automation: A Practical Example
Let's dive in and create your first automation! We'll build a simple workflow that sends a notification to a Discord or Slack channel whenever you receive a new email with a specific keyword in the subject.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Choose a Trigger:
- In your n8n canvas, click the "+" button to add your first node.
- Select a trigger node. For this example, search for and select the "Gmail" or "Outlook" trigger, depending on your email provider.
- You'll be prompted to connect your email account by providing your credentials.
- Configure the Trigger Node:
- Once your account is connected, you can configure the trigger.
- Set the trigger to activate on "new email."
- Add a filter to only trigger the workflow for emails that contain a specific keyword in the subject line (e.g., "urgent").
- Add an Action Node:
- Click the "+" button after your trigger node to add an action node.
- Search for and select the "Discord" or "Slack" node.
- Connect your Discord or Slack account by providing your credentials.
- Connect the Nodes:
- The action node will automatically be connected to the trigger node. You'll see a line connecting the two, indicating the flow of data.
- Configure the Action Node:
- In the action node, you can customize the message that will be sent.
- You can use data from the trigger node (the email) in your message. For example, you can include the sender's email address, the subject of the email, and a link to the email itself.
- Test the Workflow:
- Once you've configured both nodes, you can test your workflow. n8n will fetch a recent email that matches your criteria and send a test message to your Discord or Slack channel.
- If everything works as expected, you can activate your workflow, and it will run automatically in the background.
Module 3: Introduction to AI Agents in n8n
Now that you have a basic understanding of n8n, let's explore its most exciting feature: AI agents.
What are AI Agents?
AI agents are automations that can do more than just follow a set of predefined rules. They can "reason" and "act" based on the information they receive. In n8n, you can build AI agents that can:
- Summarize text
- Answer questions
- Categorize information
- And much more!
The "AI Agent" Node
The "AI Agent" node is the core of your AI agent in n8n. This node connects to a Large Language Model (LLM), which is a powerful AI model that can understand and generate human-like text.
Connecting to a Large Language Model (LLM)
To use the "AI Agent" node, you'll need to connect it to an LLM. There are many LLM providers, such as OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT) and Google (with their Gemini models).
- Getting an API Key: To use an LLM, you'll need to get an API key from the provider. This is a unique key that identifies you and allows you to access their service. You can usually find instructions on how to get an API key on the provider's website (e.g., Google AI Studio for Gemini).
- Creating a Credential in n8n: Once you have your API key, you can create a new credential in n8n to connect to the LLM. This is similar to how you connected your email and chat accounts in the previous module.
Module 4: Building Your First AI Agent
Let's build a simple AI agent that can summarize the content of a URL.
Project: A Simple "URL Summarizer" Agent
This agent will be triggered by a message in a chat, take a URL from that message, scrape the content of the URL, and then use an LLM to summarize it.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Set Up a Trigger:
- Start with a trigger node. A "Chat Trigger" or a "Webhook" trigger is a good choice for this project. This will allow you to start the workflow by sending a message or making a web request.
- Add and Configure the "AI Agent" Node:
- Add an "AI Agent" node to your workflow.
- Connect Your LLM:
- In the "AI Agent" node settings, select your LLM credential (the one you created in the previous module).
- Define the Agent's Goal with a System Prompt:
- The system prompt is where you give the agent its instructions. For this project, a good system prompt would be: "You are a helpful assistant. Your task is to summarize the content of a given URL."
- Add a Tool to the Agent:
- To get the content of the URL, the agent needs a tool. In the "AI Agent" node, add a "Web Scraper" or "HTTP Request" tool. This will allow the agent to fetch the content of the URL provided in the trigger.
- Test Your AI Agent:
- Test your agent by sending a message with a URL to your chat trigger or by making a request to your webhook. The agent should then scrape the content of the URL and provide a summary.
Module 5: Next Steps and Further Learning
Congratulations! You've built your first automation and your first AI agent in n8n. You're now ready to explore more of what n8n has to offer.
Exploring More Tools and Integrations
n8n has a vast library of tools and integrations that you can use to build even more powerful automations. Explore the different nodes available and see what you can create.
Introduction to More Complex Agent Concepts
This course has only scratched the surface of what's possible with AI agents. You can explore more advanced concepts like:
- Memory: Giving your agent the ability to remember past conversations.
- Multi-Agent Systems: Creating multiple agents that can work together to accomplish complex tasks.
Resources for Further Learning
- n8n Documentation: The official n8n documentation is a great place to find detailed information about all of n8n's features.
- n8n Community Forum: The n8n community forum is a great place to ask questions, share your projects, and get help from other n8n users.
We hope this course has been a helpful introduction to n8n and AI agents. Happy automating!