This article provides a complete, practical walkthrough of the Mattermost Cron Automate Scheduled n8n agent. It connects HTTP Request, Webhook across approximately 1 node(s). Expect a Intermediate setup in 15-45 minutes. One‑time purchase: €29.

What This Agent Does

This agent orchestrates a reliable automation between HTTP Request, Webhook, handling triggers, data enrichment, and delivery with guardrails for errors and rate limits.

It streamlines multi‑step processes that would otherwise require manual exports, spreadsheet cleanup, and repeated API requests. By centralizing logic in n8n, it reduces context switching, lowers error rates, and ensures consistent results across teams.

Typical outcomes include faster lead handoffs, automated notifications, accurate data synchronization, and better visibility via execution logs and optional Slack/Email alerts.

How It Works

The workflow uses standard n8n building blocks like Webhook or Schedule triggers, HTTP Request for API calls, and control nodes (IF, Merge, Set) to validate inputs, branch on conditions, and format outputs. Retries and timeouts improve resilience, while credentials keep secrets safe.

Third‑Party Integrations

• HTTP Request
• Webhook

Import and Use in n8n

1. Open n8n and create a new workflow or collection.
2. Choose Import from File or Paste JSON.
3. Paste the JSON below, then click Import.
4. Show n8n JSON

   Title: Automate Team Bonding with a Virtual Coffee Chat Bot Using n8n and Mattermost
   
   Meta Description: Learn how to build an automated virtual coffee chat bot in n8n that randomly groups team members from a Mattermost channel and sends Google Calendar invites for weekly catchups. Great for remote team building!
   
   Keywords: n8n workflow, virtual coffee bot, remote team bonding, Mattermost integration, Google Calendar API, team automation, employee engagement, weekly coffee chat, group randomizer, n8n tutorial
   
   Third-party APIs Used:
   
   - Mattermost API (for sending messages and retrieving users)
   - Google Calendar API (for sending meeting invites)
   
   Article:
   
   In an increasingly remote work environment, maintaining team morale and encouraging personal connections can be a challenge. Enter the Virtual Coffee Chat Bot — an automation built with n8n, an open-source workflow automation tool. This workflow uses Mattermost and Google Calendar to randomly pair employees every Monday for virtual coffee catchups, helping teams stay connected across time zones.
   
   In this step-by-step article, we’ll break down how this workflow is set up and how you can replicate it to keep your own team socially engaged.
   
   🛠️ Workflow Overview
   
   The purpose of this n8n workflow is simple: every Monday, it randomly groups team members from a specified Mattermost channel into smaller teams (ideally of three) and then:
   
   - Announces the groupings in the Mattermost channel
   - Sends each group a Google Calendar invite with a virtual meet link for their coffee chat
   
   Here’s how the automation unfolds, node by node:
   
   1. Weekly Trigger – "Weekly trigger on monday"
      This workflow is automatically activated every Monday at 10:00 AM. The cron node ensures that this workflow kicks off weekly without any manual input.
   
   2. Greetings – "Greetings"
      A greeting message is posted in the designated Mattermost channel to let everyone know it's time for that weekly catchup. This node uses the Mattermost API for automated messaging.
   
   3. List Channel Members – "Employees in coffee chat channel"
      Right after the greeting, the bot pulls the list of all users who are members of the Mattermost coffee chat channel. This allows the bot to understand who is available to be grouped that week.
   
   4. Group Generator – "Divide into groups"
      Here's where the real magic happens. Using a custom JavaScript function, this node:
   
      - Randomly shuffles the list of employees using the Fisher-Yates shuffle algorithm.
      - Splits them into groups of three (the ideal size for meaningful conversation).
      - Ensures no group ends up with just one person. If a group of one is detected, it pulls a member from the previous group to balance things out.
   
      The output is a list of groups with usernames for Mattermost announcements and email addresses for sending calendar invites.
   
   5. Announce Groupings – "Announce groups"
      This node posts a message in the Mattermost channel, listing out all the randomly generated groupings. It pulls the output directly from the JavaScript function node, streamlining communication.
   
   6. Send Calendar Invites – "Send calendar invites"
      Finally, the bot sends out Google Calendar invitations to each group. These invites include:
   
      - Start and end times (configured manually or dynamically)
      - A Google Meet link (via the Hangouts Meet integration)
      - The group’s email addresses as attendees
      - Editable invites to enable participants to reschedule or tweak details as needed
   
   🎯 Why Use This Workflow?
   
   - No manual coordination: The bot automates group formation and scheduling, saving time for team leads or culture officers.
   - Encourages cross-functional communication: Random pairings allow employees who rarely work together to meet and connect.
   - Scales easily: Whether you have 10 or 100 participants, the group generator dynamically scales without any additional configuration.
   
   🔌 Third-Party Integration Details
   
   To power this workflow, we use the following integrations:
   
   - Mattermost API: Used for sending notification messages and retrieving channel user lists. This is essential for broadcasting group pairings and ensuring only opted-in users are included.
   - Google Calendar API: Used to create calendar invites for each group. This includes automatic generation of a Google Meet link for easy access.
   
   🌱 How to Customize
   
   You can adapt this workflow to your organization’s needs, such as:
   
   - Changing the group size (just update the ideal_group_size variable in the JavaScript function).
   - Adjusting the day and time of the weekly trigger.
   - Adding a survey to get feedback after each coffee chat.
   - Integrating with Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom as alternatives.
   
   🎉 Final Thoughts
   
   This simple yet effective n8n workflow demonstrates how automation can foster stronger personal connections in remote teams. By taking the effort out of scheduling and coordination, employees are free to focus on what matters most — getting to know their colleagues in a casual, friendly setting.
   
   Whether your team is fully remote or hybrid, the Virtual Coffee Bot is an easy win for boosting employee engagement and promoting a people-first culture.

5. Set credentials for each API node (keys, OAuth) in Credentials.
6. Run a test via Execute Workflow. Inspect Run Data, then adjust parameters.
7. Enable the workflow to run on schedule, webhook, or triggers as configured.

Tips: keep secrets in credentials, add retries and timeouts on HTTP nodes, implement error notifications, and paginate large API fetches.

Validation: use IF/Code nodes to sanitize inputs and guard against empty payloads.

Why Automate This with AI Agents

AI‑assisted automations offload repetitive, error‑prone tasks to a predictable workflow. Instead of manual copy‑paste and ad‑hoc scripts, your team gets a governed pipeline with versioned state, auditability, and observable runs.

n8n’s node graph makes data flow transparent while AI‑powered enrichment (classification, extraction, summarization) boosts throughput and consistency. Teams reclaim time, reduce operational costs, and standardize best practices without sacrificing flexibility.

Compared to one‑off integrations, an AI agent is easier to extend: swap APIs, add filters, or bolt on notifications without rewriting everything. You get reliability, control, and a faster path from idea to production.

Best Practices

• Credentials: restrict scopes and rotate tokens regularly.
• Resilience: configure retries, timeouts, and backoff for API nodes.
• Data Quality: validate inputs; normalize fields early to reduce downstream branching.
• Performance: batch records and paginate for large datasets.
• Observability: add failure alerts (Email/Slack) and persistent logs for auditing.
• Security: avoid sensitive data in logs; use environment variables and n8n credentials.

FAQs

Can I swap integrations later? Yes. Replace or add nodes and re‑map fields without rebuilding the whole flow.

How do I monitor failures? Use Execution logs and add notifications on the Error Trigger path.

Does it scale? Use queues, batching, and sub‑workflows to split responsibilities and control load.

Is my data safe? Keep secrets in Credentials, restrict token scopes, and review access logs.