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n8n is one of the most powerful workflow automation platforms available today, with extensive AI capabilities and agent-building features. The DocsAutomator community node enables document creation, automation management, and feature access directly within n8n workflows.

Key Benefits

Self-Hosted Option

Run n8n on your own infrastructure for complete data control

Generous Free Tier

n8n cloud offers a complimentary plan for getting started

Full Automation Management

Programmatically create, update, duplicate, and delete automations

Flexible Data Transformation

Use n8n’s powerful expression system to transform data

Installation

Setting Up Credentials

1

Get Your API Key

  1. Log in to your DocsAutomator account
  2. Navigate to Settings > API Key
  3. Copy your API key
2

Add Credentials in n8n

  1. Go to Credentials > Add Credential
  2. Search for “DocsAutomator API”
  3. Paste your API key into the API Key field
  4. Click Save
You can also add credentials directly when configuring a DocsAutomator node by clicking on the credential dropdown and selecting “Create New”.

Creating Documents

1

Add the DocsAutomator Node

Click the + button and search for “DocsAutomator”
2

Select Your Credentials

Choose your configured DocsAutomator API credentials from the dropdown
3

Configure the Operation

  • Resource: Select Document
  • Operation: Select Create
4

Select an Automation

Choose the automation you want to use from the Automation dropdown
Only automations with API or n8n as the data source will appear in this list.
5

Map Placeholder Values

For each placeholder in your template, provide a value. You can enter static text or use n8n expressions to map data from previous nodes.
6

Configure Line Items (Optional)

If your template includes line items, expand the Line Items section.
7

Set Processing Options

  • Preview Mode: Enable to generate a preview document (doesn’t count against credits)
  • Async Processing: Enable to return immediately with a job ID
8

Test the Workflow

Click Test Step to generate a document and verify your configuration.

Working with Line Items

Line items must be provided as a JSON array of objects. Each object represents one row, with keys matching your placeholder names.
[
  {
    "item_name": "Widget A",
    "quantity": 2,
    "unit_price": 10.00,
    "total": 20.00
  },
  {
    "item_name": "Widget B",
    "quantity": 1,
    "unit_price": 25.50,
    "total": 25.50
  }
]

Multiple Line Item Sets

If your template has multiple line item sections:
  1. Click Add Line Item
  2. Select the line item type (e.g., “Line Items 1”, “Line Items 2”)
  3. Provide the JSON array for that section

Transforming Data

Use n8n’s built-in nodes to transform data:
  • Code node: Write JavaScript to transform complex data structures
  • Split Out node: Convert arrays into individual items
  • Aggregate node: Combine multiple items into an array
const items = $input.all();

const lineItems = items.map(item => ({
  item_name: item.json.product.name,
  quantity: item.json.qty,
  unit_price: item.json.price,
  total: item.json.qty * item.json.price
}));

return { json: { lineItems: JSON.stringify(lineItems) } };

Managing Automations

The n8n node provides full CRUD operations for automations:
OperationDescription
Get ManyList all automations in your workspace
GetRetrieve a single automation by ID
CreateCreate a new automation
UpdateModify an existing automation’s settings
DuplicateCreate a copy of an automation
DeleteRemove an automation

Expression Tips

Common n8n expressions for DocsAutomator:
// Format dates
{{ $now.toFormat('MMMM d, yyyy') }}

// Access nested data
{{ $json.customer.address.city }}

// Conditional values
{{ $json.discount > 0 ? $json.discount + '%' : 'None' }}

// Format currency
{{ '$' + $json.amount.toFixed(2) }}

// Join array values
{{ $json.tags.join(', ') }}

Best Practices

Enable Preview Mode to verify placeholder mapping and document formatting without using credits.
  • Enable Continue On Fail to prevent workflow failure
  • Use an Error Trigger workflow to handle failures gracefully
  • Check error output for detailed messages
For documents that take longer to generate:
  1. Enable Async Processing to receive a job ID immediately
  2. Use a Wait node to pause for processing
  3. Check the job status using the DocsAutomator API

FAQ

Only automations with API or n8n as the data source will appear. To use an automation with n8n, go to DocsAutomator, open your automation settings, and change the Data Source to “API” or “n8n”.
Use Continue On Fail on the DocsAutomator node, create an Error Trigger workflow, or use an IF node to check for error conditions.

E-Signatures and PDF Templates

DocsAutomator supports e-signatures with all data sources, including n8n. After generating a document, you can automatically route it for signing. DocsAutomator also supports PDF templates in addition to Google Doc templates.

Resources

n8n Documentation

Official n8n documentation

Community Nodes Guide

Learn about n8n community nodes

DocsAutomator API

API reference documentation

Template Guide

Learn the template syntax
Last modified on February 10, 2026