You will be able to
- Build a scheduled n8n workflow that pulls data from an API and sends it by email
- Connect credentials for Google and API services and test each node before running the full workflow
- Route form submissions with a Switch node and write results to a Google Sheet
- Map fields between nodes using drag-and-drop and read basic JSON expressions
- Call a public API with an HTTP Request node when no built-in integration exists
- Create an AI agent with a language model, memory, and tools, and give it a system prompt
Good to know first
- Basic comfort using web apps and creating accounts
- A Google account for Gmail, Calendar, and Sheets
- Ability to copy and paste API keys and URLs
- Willingness to troubleshoot errors by testing step by step
Syllabus
8 lessons and a final project
- 1
What n8n is and what it's used for Free
You will learn what n8n is: a node-based automation platform for building workflows and AI agents. You will also see the difference between fixed automations and dynamic agents, and the main kinds of things n8n is used for.
2 exercises3 questions - 2
Build 1: A scheduled daily weather email in n8n Beyond Pass
You will build a three-node n8n workflow that runs every morning at 6 a.m., fetches the current weather, and emails it to you with live values dropped into the message. You will learn triggers, action nodes, credentials, and how to drag data fields from one node into the next.
7 build steps2 exercises3 questions - 3
Hosting options and core node types in n8n Beyond Pass
You learn the three ways to run n8n (cloud, Docker, and a VPS with one-click install) and why a VPS is a good middle ground. You also learn the five core node categories: triggers, actions, HTTP request, logic, and the AI agent.
4 build steps2 exercises3 questions - 4
Build 2: Form-driven sponsor triage with Switch, Gmail, and Sheets Beyond Pass
You will build an n8n workflow that takes a form submission, routes it with a Switch node based on the budget, sends an automatic email reply on each branch, and logs every inquiry as a row in a Google Sheet. The same pattern works for lead capture, sales, or support requests.
7 build steps4 exercises4 questions - 5
Merges, Set nodes, and reading JSON in n8n Beyond Pass
You will learn three common n8n patterns: merging data streams, cleaning fields with a Set node, and reading the JSON expressions that point to data from earlier nodes. By the end you should be able to read a snippet like {{ $json.Budget }} and know where its value comes from.
1 code4 build steps2 exercises4 questions - 6
Automations vs agents, and calling APIs with HTTP Request Beyond Pass
You will learn the difference between a fixed automation and a flexible AI agent, and the three parts every agent relies on. You will also learn what an API is and how to call one with the HTTP Request node using a GET request.
3 build steps2 exercises3 questions - 7
Build 3: An AI personal assistant agent with tools and sub-workflows Beyond Pass
You will build an AI agent in n8n that uses an OpenAI model, memory, and tools such as Google Calendar, Gmail and Google Sheets, guided by a system prompt. You will also see how to hand bigger jobs to separate workflows by calling them as tools.
1 code3 exercises4 questions - 8
Final tips and next steps Beyond Pass
This lesson wraps up the n8n course with three habits for building well: expect errors and iterate, use ChatGPT as a build partner, and keep exploring. It also points to the next big step, retrieval augmented generation with a vector database, and to further learning.
3 build steps2 exercises3 questions
Final project
Daily Briefing and Inquiry Desk: a mini n8n automation suite
Build one connected n8n setup that sends you a scheduled morning briefing, triages incoming form requests, and lets you chat with an AI assistant that can use your tools. It shows when to use a fixed automation, when to use an agent, and how HTTP Request fills the gaps where no built-in node exists.
Its 6 tasks open with Beyond Pass.
Free preview · Lesson 1 in full
What n8n is and what it's used for
You will learn what n8n is: a node-based automation platform for building workflows and AI agents. You will also see the difference between fixed automations and dynamic agents, and the main kinds of things n8n is used for.
Draw and write next to the video.
The idea
n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n") is a node-based automation platform. Instead of writing lots of code, you build a workflow by placing small blocks called nodes on a canvas and connecting them with lines. Each node does one job, such as receiving a form submission, calling an AI model, searching the web, or filtering data. Data flows along the lines from one node to the next.
The video makes an important split between two ideas. An automation is fixed: it follows a set sequence, A to B to C, every time it runs. An agent is dynamic: it can reason, make decisions, and choose which actions to take based on the context it finds. Both can be built in n8n, and the video says agents are built later on, after you learn the basics.
Why it matters: n8n makes building AI agents feel intuitive, because you can see the whole flow on screen. The video teaches it by building something useful right away, a personal AI assistant that manages your calendar, email and documents. Once you use an assistant every day, n8n starts to feel natural, so you can then move on to business, client or friend automations.
Where could you use it? The video lists several areas: personal productivity (email, calendar, documents), marketing and business (social media posting, CRM, customer onboarding, sales), e-commerce (product data, orders, customer support), data and reporting (pull data from many sources, clean it and generate reports), home and lifestyle (smart home devices, routines triggered by time or location) and AI integrations (language models, image tools, custom APIs for summarising or content creation).
The main idea to hold on to: if you can describe a task as steps that take information in, do something with it and pass the result on, n8n can probably automate it. Start with a simple fixed flow, then add decisions and AI as you grow.
Key points
- n8n is a node-based automation platform: you connect small blocks (nodes) into a workflow on a canvas. 0:53
- An automation is fixed: it follows a set sequence A to B to C every time. 1:12
- An agent is dynamic: it can reason, make decisions and choose actions based on context. 1:12
- n8n is used for personal productivity, marketing, e-commerce, data and reporting, home automation and AI integrations. 1:34
- The video builds three automations from simple to advanced, ending with an AI personal assistant. 0:06
Words to know
- Node
- A small block in n8n that does one job, such as receiving data, calling an AI model or filtering items.
- Workflow
- A set of nodes connected by lines so data flows from one step to the next.
- Automation
- A fixed sequence of steps that runs the same way each time (A to B to C).
- Agent
- A dynamic system that can reason, make decisions and choose which actions to take based on context.
- CRM
- Customer Relationship Management: a system for tracking customers and their interactions with a business.
Practice
In your own words, explain the difference between a fixed automation and an AI agent, and give one example of each from your own daily life.
Hint
Think about whether the steps can change depending on what the input says.
Solution
- An automation always runs the same steps in the same order, like A to B to C.
- An agent looks at the situation and chooses what to do next, so its steps can change.
- Example automation: every Monday at 9:00, copy new rows from a spreadsheet into a report.
- Example agent: an assistant that reads an email, decides whether it is urgent, and either replies or adds a calendar event.
Model answer: An automation runs a fixed sequence (A to B to C) every time. An agent reasons about the context and chooses its own actions, so its path can differ each run. For example, a fixed automation sends a reminder every morning; an agent decides which emails need a reply and drafts each one differently.
Pick one task you do repeatedly each week (for example, saving email attachments or posting a weekly update). Write it as a list of steps: input, action, output. Then mark which steps are always the same (fixed) and which would need a decision (agent-like).
Hint
Keep it simple: three to five steps is enough.
Solution
- Choose a repeated task from your week.
- Write the input (what starts it), the actions in order, and the final output.
- Mark steps that never change as fixed.
- Mark steps where you have to judge something as decision steps.
A list of steps with fixed and decision steps clearly marked, such as: trigger (new email arrives), fixed action (save attachment), decision (is it an invoice?), output (file added to folder).
On your scratchpad
On your scratchpad, draw three boxes connected by arrows labelled Trigger, Step, Output. Then add a diamond shape with a question inside it on the middle arrow, and label the two paths that come out of it. This shows the difference between
Quiz
What is the main difference between an automation and an agent, according to the video?
- An automation is fixed and follows a set sequence; an agent is dynamic and can make decisions based on context.
- An automation uses AI; an agent does not use AI.
- An automation is free; an agent costs money.
- An automation can only run once; an agent runs forever.
Show the answer
A. An automation is fixed and follows a set sequence; an agent is dynamic and can make decisions based on context. · Automations follow a fixed sequence A to B to C. Agents can reason, decide and choose actions based on context.
1:12 watch the momentWhat is a node in n8n?
- A small block that does one job in a workflow, connected to other blocks by lines.
- A type of AI language model.
- A password used to log in to n8n.
- A saved copy of a finished workflow.
Show the answer
A. A small block that does one job in a workflow, connected to other blocks by lines. · Nodes are the building blocks on the canvas; each does one job and they are linked so data flows between them.
0:53 watch the momentWhich of these does the video NOT list as a use of n8n?
- Personal productivity like managing email and calendar
- Syncing e-commerce product data
- Designing physical furniture
- Connecting smart home devices
Show the answer
C. Designing physical furniture · The video lists personal productivity, marketing, e-commerce, data and reporting, home and lifestyle, and AI integrations. Furniture design is not mentioned.
1:34 watch the moment
Lessons 2–8 and the final project
They open with Beyond Pass: every lesson of every course, in full. One payment: $14.99 for 90 days or $29 for a year. No subscription.
Made by Beyond from the video “Master 80% of n8n in 36 Minutes” by Futurepedia. The video plays in YouTube's own player. Watch it on YouTube · All lessons