Automated Project Status Tracking and Editorial Notification using Motion and Airtable - n8n Workflow

Project Managers and Team Leads overseeing editorial calendars.
Agencies managing client deliverables across multiple SEO projects.
Users seeking robust, scheduled automation using custom n8n templates.
Developers who need reliable project status monitoring using the n8n platform.

Managing editorial calendars and ensuring clients or stakeholders are notified when monthly content milestones are met can be tedious and prone to human error. This comprehensive n8n workflow solves this problem by creating a scheduled, automated bridge between your central database (Airtable) and your task management system (Motion).

This specific n8n template runs monthly checks on active SEO projects. When the workflow identifies a project that is 'Active' in Airtable and has a critical task (like 'Integrate blog articles') marked as 'Completed' in Motion, it automatically sends a detailed, personalized notification via Gmail. Crucially, the final step updates the Airtable record, ensuring that duplicate notifications are prevented until the next month, making this a highly efficient and reliable n8n solution.

This n8n workflow executes on a precise monthly schedule (8 AM, 10th to 31st of the month), initiated by the n8n trigger node.

1. Schedule Trigger: The n8n trigger starts the process based on the configured cron expression.


2. Airtable Retrieval: The n8n node fetches all projects from the designated Airtable base ('Projets' table).


3. Active Filtering: An If n8n node filters these projects, keeping only those marked 'Actif' that haven't received a notification this month (checking the 'Last sent' date against the first day of the current month).


4. Looping: The workflow then uses a Split in Batches n8n node to process each eligible project individually.


5. Motion Project Query: An HTTP Request n8n node queries the Motion API to retrieve projects related to the specific 'Motion Workspace ID' stored in Airtable.


6. Data Transformation: A Code n8n node transforms the JSON response from Motion into individual n8n items for easier filtering.


7. Task Filtering: A Filter n8n node isolates Motion projects that have a 'Todo' status and whose name contains 'SEO'.


8. Task Status Check: A subsequent HTTP Request n8n node performs a targeted query against the Motion API to confirm if the critical task 'Intégrer les articles de blog' (Integrate blog articles) has been marked as 'Completed' for that specific project.


9. Completion Verification: An If n8n node checks if the task status returned is 'Completed'.


10. Gmail Notification: If verified as complete, a Gmail n8n node sends a customized, HTML-formatted email notification to the Project Manager and collaborators, referencing the editorial calendar link.


11. Airtable Update: Finally, another Airtable n8n node updates the original project record in Airtable, setting the 'Last sent - Calendrier éditorial' timestamp to the current date, effectively resetting the monthly notification trigger control.

To deploy this n8n workflow template, follow these steps:

1. Import: Copy the provided JSON data and import it into your self-hosted or cloud n8n instance.


2. Airtable Credentials: Configure the Airtable n8n node (both 'Récupération infos airtable' and 'Airtable' update node) with your Airtable Personal Access Token credential.


3. Motion API Credentials: Set up a Generic HTTP Header Auth credential named 'Motion' and link it to the two HTTP Request n8n nodes. This credential must contain your Motion API key.


4. Gmail Credentials: Configure the 'Send a message' Gmail n8n node with your Gmail OAuth2 credentials to enable sending personalized emails.


5. Airtable Setup: Ensure your Airtable base has the necessary fields ('Status - Calendrier éditorial', 'Last sent - Calendrier éditorial', 'Motion Workspace ID', etc.) corresponding to the expressions used in the n8n workflow.


6. Activation: Activate the n8n workflow. The Schedule Trigger will run according to its monthly cron expression.

Schedule Trigger (n8n trigger)
Function: Initiates the entire n8n workflow automatically.
Key Configuration: Runs at 0 8 10-31 (8 AM, 10th through 31st of every month).
Récupération infos airtable (Airtable n8n node)
Function: Reads client project data, including Motion workspace IDs, from the Airtable database.
Key Configuration: Operation set to search on the 'Projets' table.
Actif (If n8n node)
Function: Controls execution frequency. Only proceeds if the project status is 'Actif' AND the last notification was sent before the 1st of the current month.
Loop Over Items (Split In Batches n8n node)
Function: Ensures that all subsequent actions (API calls, filtering, and notifications) are performed sequentially for each qualifying project item fetched from Airtable.
Récupération des projets & HTTP Request (HTTP Request n8n node)
Function: Integrates with Motion. The first request retrieves project lists via the Motion API; the second checks the status of the specific 'Intégrer les articles de blog' task using the Motion API.
Key Configuration: Uses HTTP Header Authentication linked to the Motion API key.
Tri des projets (Code n8n node)
Function: Custom scripting to parse the Motion API response, transforming the nested projects array into individual items compatible with the flow of the n8n workflow.
Todo (Filter n8n node)
Function: Narrows down the Motion projects to those with 'Todo' status whose names include 'SEO', focusing the automation on high-priority editorial tasks.
Send a message (Gmail n8n node)
Function: Sends the automated, personalized HTML email notification confirming content completion and providing necessary links.
Key Configuration: Dynamic recipients based on Airtable fields (Chef de projet, Mails), dynamic subject line, and personalized body content using expressions.
Airtable (Airtable n8n node)
Function: Updates the Airtable record with the current date, marking the notification as sent to prevent re-triggering until the next month. Essential for frequency control in this n8n template.
* Key Configuration: Operation set to update using the record ID from the Loop node.