This article provides a complete, practical walkthrough of the Manual Http Create Webhook 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:  
   Automating Hacker News Scraping with n8n: A No-Code Workflow to Extract and Send Daily Updates
   
   Meta Description:  
   Discover how to create an automated workflow in n8n that scrapes the latest articles from Hacker News, exports them to a spreadsheet, and emails the results — all without writing a single line of code.
   
   Keywords:  
   n8n workflow, web scraping automation, no-code news scraping, hacker news extractor, send scraped data email, HTML extraction, spreadsheet export, n8n HTTP request, automate email with n8n
   
   Third-Party APIs Used:
   
   - Hacker News (via https://news.ycombinator.com/ — publicly accessible website)
   - SMTP Service (email provider used for sending notifications via SMTP, user-defined credential)
   
   Article:
   
   In an era flooded with information, staying up-to-date with the latest technology news can be a challenge—unless you automate it. Enter n8n, an open-source, no-code workflow automation tool that bridges data, APIs, and tasks. In this article, we will walk you through a practical n8n workflow that automatically scrapes the latest headlines from Hacker News (Y Combinator News), compiles them into a well-structured spreadsheet, and emails them directly to your inbox every time you hit “Execute.”
   
   This elegantly simple workflow requires no coding and demonstrates how powerful automation can be when combining n8n’s built-in nodes.
   
   Let’s break it down step-by-step.
   
   Step 1: Start the Workflow Manually  
   Node: Manual Trigger  
   The workflow is initiated manually through the “On clicking 'execute'” node. This is ideal for testing or for users who prefer to trigger automation on demand rather than using scheduled triggers like CRON.
   
   Step 2: Fetch the Hacker News Homepage  
   Node: HTTP Request  
   Next, the workflow uses the HTTP Request node to fetch the HTML content of Hacker News (https://news.ycombinator.com/), one of the top sources for tech news and startup discussions. The response is handled in binary format so it can be properly parsed later.
   
   Step 3: Extract Titles and URLs  
   Node: HTML Extract  
   Once the web page content is received, it’s passed to the HTML Extract node. This node applies two CSS selectors:
   
   - `.storylink`: to extract the actual title of each article (news_title)
   - `.storylink[href]`: to extract the respective hyperlinks (news_url)
   
   Both are returned as arrays, which will be split in the next steps.
   
   Step 4 & 5: Split Data into Individual Items  
   Nodes: List News Title & List News URL  
   To prepare for further processing, the workflow splits the arrays of titles and URLs into individual items using two Item List nodes. This is done so that each title corresponds to one URL and can be merged together correctly.
   
   Step 6: Merge Titles and URLs  
   Node: Merge - Merge by Index  
   The Merge node joins the titles and URLs by their array index. For example, the first title corresponds to the first URL, and so on. This results in a clean set of objects where each one contains a news_title and a news_url.
   
   Step 7: Export to Spreadsheet  
   Node: Spreadsheet File  
   The merged data is then output to a spreadsheet file. The file is dynamically named using the current date (e.g., Ycombinator_news_2024-04-12.xlsx) and includes a single sheet titled “Latest news.” This step creates a downloadable .xlsx or .csv file (depending on how you configure the workflow) for easy reference or archival.
   
   Step 8: Email the Results  
   Node: Send Email Notification  
   Finally, the completed spreadsheet is attached and emailed to the recipient of your choice. You can configure the 'from' and 'to' emails, as well as the SMTP credentials. The email subject is “Ycombinator news” and the body includes a friendly note: “Here are the latest news attached!”
   
   This node completes the workflow by delivering actionable insights straight to your inbox.
   
   Why Use n8n for This Task?
   
   - 🔧 No Coding Required: You don’t need to write a single line of code to extract, format, and send this data.
   - 🕒 Save Time: This workflow could be scheduled or integrated into larger automations to eliminate manual reporting.
   - 📈 Scalable: Modify it to pull news from other websites, export to Google Sheets, or post to Slack—n8n makes it incredibly flexible.
   
   Real-World Applications:
   
   - Product/Tech Teams: Monitor news for mentions of startups or competitors.
   - Research: Aggregate links from forums and news sources automatically.
   - Digest Services: Build your own news digest without third-party services.
   
   Conclusion  
   This n8n workflow offers a powerful look at how automation can transform repetitive tasks like news monitoring into a single button-click operation. Whether you’re a developer, product manager, or tech enthusiast, using workflows like this helps you stay informed without staying online 24/7.
   
   Bonus Tip: With a slight modification, you could replace the manual trigger with a CRON node to have this script run daily or hourly in the background.
   
   Ready to give it a try? Just copy the workflow JSON into n8n, plug in your email credentials, and start automating like a pro.
   
   Stay updated—automatically.

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.