Daily GitHub Release Email Notifier - n8n Workflow

• DevOps Engineers: Who need immediate alerts when dependent libraries or software (like n8n) are updated.


• Software Developers: Who want to track releases of open-source projects they contribute to or rely on.


• Technical Managers: Who need reliable, automated reporting on project dependencies.


• Users seeking n8n templates: Anyone looking for a practical example of a time-based n8n trigger combined with conditional logic.

Keeping up with daily releases across multiple GitHub repositories can be tedious. This robust n8n workflow eliminates manual checking by establishing a scheduled monitoring system. It uses a daily recurring n8n trigger to poll the GitHub API for the latest release information. The crucial step is the conditional logic n8n node, which ensures that an email is only sent if a new release has dropped within the last 24 hours, preventing inbox clutter. This n8n template is highly valuable for maintaining project security and ensuring timely upgrades, demonstrating the power and flexibility of building automation with n8n.

The n8n workflow operates in a linear, conditional manner:

1. Daily Activation: The n8n trigger, configured as a Schedule Trigger, initiates the entire flow once per day.


2. Fetch Latest Data: An HTTP Request n8n node calls the GitHub API endpoint for the specified repository (defaulting to the latest n8n release). This fetches metadata including the publication date.


3. Conditional Check: The If n8n node evaluates if the release date (published_at) is within the last 24 hours. If this condition is true (a new release exists), the workflow proceeds down the 'True' branch.


4. Isolate Content: The Split Out Content n8n node extracts the release notes markdown content (body) from the API response.


5. Format for Email: The Convert Markdown to HTML n8n node transforms the raw markdown into clean HTML, which is necessary for a nicely formatted email body.


6. Send Notification: Finally, the Send Email n8n node delivers the HTML-formatted release notes to the configured recipient email address. This completes the fully automated n8n workflow.

To deploy this n8n template, follow these steps:

1. Import the Workflow: Copy the provided JSON data and import it directly into your n8n instance via the 'Workflows' > 'New' > 'Import from JSON' option.


2. Set SMTP Credentials: The Send Email n8n node requires SMTP credentials. Click on the node, select 'Create New Credential' under 'SMTP', and input your mail server details (host, port, user, password).


3. Customize Repository: Click the Fetch Github Repo Releases n8n node. Update the URL parameter to point to the specific GitHub repository you wish to monitor (e.g., https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest). The sticky note in the n8n workflow guides this change.


4. Customize Recipient: In the Send Email n8n node, update the To Email and From Email fields to your desired notification address. (This is also indicated by a sticky note).


5. Activate: Save and activate the n8n workflow to start the daily monitoring via the scheduled n8n trigger.

This n8n workflow utilizes several key n8n node types to achieve its functionality:

• Daily Trigger (Schedule Trigger): The starting n8n trigger. It ensures the n8n workflow runs automatically once every day, defined by the scheduled rule.


• Fetch Github Repo Releases (HTTP Request): This critical n8n node performs the API call to https://api.github.com/repos/n8n-io/n8n/releases/latest. Configuration is purely URL-based.


• If new release in the last day (If): A core logic n8n node. It compares the published_at date to the current time minus one day (DateTime.utc().minus(1, 'days')). The workflow proceeds only if the date is newer.


• Split Out Content (Split Out): Used to isolate and process the large body field (the markdown release notes) before conversion.


• Convert Markdown to HTML (Markdown): This specialized n8n node takes the markdown content derived from the previous step and converts it into displayable HTML, configured using the expression ={{ $json.body }}.


• Send Email (EmailSend): The final action n8n node. It sends the formatted notification. Key configurations include setting the subject to 'New n8n release' and defining the HTML body using ={{ $json.html }}.