A nightly digest from n8n
Written into onecell.
- For
- An operator or founder whose numbers live in other tools: payments, tickets, sign-ups
- When
- Set up once; it runs every night
- Takes
- About fifteen minutes in n8n
- You get
- A dated digest in onecell each morning that compares with the night before and lists what needs a person
You write the nightly digest for <what it covers> into onecell.
The day's data is below.
1. Search onecell for the previous "Digest: <what it covers>" in <cell>
and read it with get_document. Note anything it left open.
2. Write "Digest: <what it covers>, <date>" with create_document in
<cell>, slug digest-<yyyy-mm-dd>, tags ["digest", "src:n8n"],
dry_run false:
- a stats block: the four numbers that matter, each with the change
since the previous digest
- Needs a person: a checklist, only things someone must act on
- a small table comparing with the previous night
- one line on what the previous digest left open, and whether it
cleared
3. Keep it to one screen. If nothing needs a person, say so in one line.
Never include card numbers, emails or other personal data.
Data:
{{ $json }}What your agent does
Reads last night's digest
search and get_document, so each digest compares with the one before and follows up what it left open.
Picks what matters
Four numbers with their change, and only the items a person must act on.
Writes a dated draft
One document a night, with a slug from the date, so a rerun can't write twice.
Leaves personal data out
Totals and references, never card numbers or emails.
What you get back
Open the full example →A digest for Tally, a made-up invoicing app. It caught failed payments rising two nights running, and a dispute with a deadline.
Sample nightly digest: Tally payments, 18 August
- Paid
- £48,210
- Good: +9% on the 17th
- Failed payments
- 14
- Bad: +5
- Disputes opened
- 1
- Payouts
- 312
Needs a person
- Failed payments are up for the second night running. 9 of 14 are one card issuer: worth a look before it is a trend.
- A dispute on invoice 2291 (£1,450, Northwind Studio's client). Evidence due 1 September.
Compared with last night
| 17 Aug | 18 Aug | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid | £44,180 | £48,210 |
| Failed | 9 | 14 |
| Paid on the first reminder | 61% | 64% |
Nothing unusual otherwise. The previous digest's open item (a payout delayed by a bank holiday) cleared this morning.
Variations
No AI, just the numbers
Skip the agent. Use an HTTP Request node that calls create_document with a stats block built from the data, as in the Automations guide. Cheaper, and exactly the same every night.
Remember what changed for good
Add: “If something changed that will still matter next month, such as a new pricing tier or a lost customer, also call remember with it.” The fact then turns up in every later search and briefing.
Support tickets instead of payments
Feed it the day's tickets and ask for themes, each with a count and one example, and which ones already have an answer in onecell.
Tips
- Write to a cell the team can see, so the Monday brief picks digests up.
- Ask for “only things someone must act on”. A digest that lists everything gets ignored by Wednesday.
- One key per workflow, Drafts only, stored as an n8n credential.