GitHub Release Tracker and Instant Slack Notifier - n8n Workflow

Dev/Ops teams and system administrators who rely on continuous monitoring.
Open-source project maintainers who want to share release information automatically.
Developers tracking dependencies or favorite projects using a flexible n8n workflow.
Users looking for effective n8n templates for external API polling and logical flow control.

Keeping track of new software releases across multiple GitHub repositories can be tedious and prone to manual error. This essential n8n workflow streamlines the process by scheduling a daily check against configured public repos. By utilizing the power of a standard n8n node for HTTP requests and sophisticated date-time filtering, the n8n workflow ensures that your team receives timely notifications only for genuinely new releases (within the last 24 hours). This helps maintain awareness of updates for critical dependencies or open-source projects, making this n8n template a must-have for automated operations.

The entire process is initiated by the Daily Trigger, which acts as the core n8n trigger, ensuring the check runs reliably once per day. The flow immediately passes control to the RepoConfig n8n node, a Code node containing an array of organization/repository pairs (e.g., n8n-io/n8n). The subsequent Fetch Github Repo Releases n8n node iterates over this list, dynamically constructing a URL to query the GitHub API for the latest release metadata for each repository.

Crucially, the Wether Release is new n8n node applies flow control. It uses an expression to compare the release publication timestamp (published_at) against the current time minus one day. If the release is truly new, the data proceeds down the TRUE path to the Send Message n8n node. This final n8n node formats a comprehensive notification, including the repo name, release title, a snippet of the release notes, and a direct URL, posting it instantly to a designated Slack channel.

1. Import the n8n workflow: Copy the provided JSON data and paste it into your n8n canvas using the 'New' -> 'Import from JSON' option.


2. Configure Credentials: Ensure you have configured a valid Slack credential within your n8n instance.


3. Customize Repositories: Open the RepoConfig n8n node (Code type) and modify the JavaScript array to include the GitHub organization and repository names you wish to monitor.


4. Configure Slack Notification: Open the Send Message n8n node. Select your Slack credential and specify the target #channel name where notifications should be delivered.


5. Activate: Save and activate the n8n workflow. It is set up with a Daily Trigger to run automatically.

Daily Trigger (Schedule Trigger): The starting point and primary n8n trigger. Configured to run the n8n workflow automatically every day, initiating the monitoring process.
RepoConfig (Code): A critical n8n node used for configuration. It outputs a JSON array defining the specific github-org and github-repo names the workflow needs to check. This makes the n8n workflow highly modular.
Fetch Github Repo Releases (HTTP Request): This n8n node dynamically queries the GitHub public API (/releases/latest) using data provided by the previous configuration node. It fetches all metadata for the newest release.
Wether Release is new (If): A core logic n8n node. It filters items based on a date-time condition. The condition checks if the release date (published_at) is after 24 hours ago, preventing repeated notifications for old releases.

• Send Message (Slack): The final action n8n node. If a new release is confirmed, it sends a richly formatted message to Slack, leveraging template expressions to include dynamic data like the release name, body snippet, and URL, sourced from the HTTP Request n8n node.