Analyze Competitor Visual Content Across Instagram and Tiktok with Gpt-4o Vision

The workflow JSON

Copy or download the full n8n JSON below. Paste it into a new n8n workflow, add your credentials, activate. Full import guide →

{
  "meta": {
    "templateCredsSetupCompleted": true
  },
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "1816092b-c70c-45d8-b235-cb8165807037",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Overview",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
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      ],
      "parameters": {
        "width": 420,
        "height": 948,
        "content": "## Cross-Platform Competitive Visual Intelligence\n\n### What This Template Does\nAnalyze visual content from your brand and competitors across Instagram and TikTok using AI-powered image analysis. Get actionable insights on color palettes, composition styles, and visual trends.\n\n### How It Works\n1. **Form Input** - Enter your account and up to 3 competitor accounts\n2. **Platform Routing** - Automatically routes to selected platforms (Instagram/TikTok)\n3. **Content Scraping** - Fetches recent posts using Apify scrapers\n4. **AI Vision Analysis** - GPT-4o analyzes each image for visual attributes\n5. **Report Generation** - Creates comprehensive competitive comparison report\n6. **Logging** - Saves results to Google Sheets for tracking\n\n### Requirements\n- **Apify Account** with API access\n- **OpenAI API Key** (GPT-4o access required)\n- **Google Sheets** for logging results\n\n### Setup Steps\n1. Configure Apify credentials\n2. Add your OpenAI API key in the \"Workflow Configuration\" node\n3. Connect your Google Sheets account and create a sheet with columns: timestamp, own_account, competitors, platforms, posts_analyzed, summary\n4. Update the Google Sheets node with your document ID\n\n### Customization Tips\n- Adjust `postsCount` to analyze more or fewer posts\n- Modify the AI prompt in \"AI Image Analysis\" for different visual attributes\n- Add more platforms by extending the Platform Router"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "8ce94eca-606e-4b60-bf52-dec4bb6a8869",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Step 1",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
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      ],
      "parameters": {
        "color": 7,
        "width": 280,
        "content": "### Step 1: Form Input\nUsers enter their account handle and competitor accounts. Select which platforms to analyze and how many posts to fetch."
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "d66a6c53-9753-46d8-994d-b0a49fa577b3",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Step 2",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
        0,
        896
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "color": 7,
        "height": 128,
        "content": "### Step 2: Configuration\nExtracts and formats input data. \n\n\u26a0\ufe0f **Add your OpenAI API key here**"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "259fac05-849f-4c4f-86c0-ba7e3a5b63fa",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Step 3",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
        208,
        528
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "color": 7,
        "height": 108,
        "content": "### Step 3: Platform Routing\nRoutes to appropriate scrapers based on selected platforms. Supports parallel execution."
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "1076b2f8-16f3-495f-a59b-6f0255cf16ad",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Step 4",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
        480,
        448
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "color": 7,
        "width": 200,
        "height": 148,
        "content": "### Step 4: Content Scraping\nApify actors fetch posts from each platform. Adjust memory settings if needed for large batches."
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "6e8bc7c1-05d0-4674-8764-e0082ceca4ee",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Step 5",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
        864,
        464
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "color": 7,
        "width": 220,
        "height": 180,
        "content": "### Step 5: AI Analysis\nGPT-4o Vision analyzes each image for:\n- Color palette (hex codes)\n- Composition style\n- Mood/emotion\n- Text design elements"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "23ca3d55-fbcb-431f-baf6-03dd048a0ef3",
      "name": "Sticky Note - Step 6",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
        1152,
        544
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "color": 7,
        "width": 480,
        "height": 92,
        "content": "### Step 6: Report & Logging\nAggregates results and generates AI-powered competitive analysis report. Logs summary to Google Sheets."
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "fa9f137e-b5e8-4a30-8320-f74f383bbd42",
      "name": "Scrape Instagram Posts",
      "type": "@apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify",
      "position": [
        496,
        624
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "memory": 2048,
        "actorId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "mode": "url",
          "value": "https://console.apify.com/actors/shu8hvrXbJbY3Eb9W/input",
          "__regex": "https://console.apify.com/actors/([a-zA-Z0-9]+).*"
        },
        "timeout": {},
        "operation": "Run actor and get dataset",
        "customBody": "={{ {\n  \"directUrls\": [\n    \"https://www.instagram.com/\" + $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json[\"ownAccount\"] + \"/\",\n    \"https://www.instagram.com/\" + JSON.parse($('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.competitors)[0] + \"/\",\n    \"https://www.instagram.com/\" + JSON.parse($('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.competitors)[1] + \"/\"\n  ].filter(url => !url.includes(\"undefined\") && !url.includes(\"null\")),\n  \"resultsType\": \"posts\",\n  \"resultsLimit\": $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.postsCount || 10\n} }}",
        "authentication": "apifyOAuth2Api"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "d2f7637e-8d91-465a-937d-ab94b2ce0ad0",
      "name": "Scrape TikTok Posts",
      "type": "@apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify",
      "position": [
        496,
        800
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "memory": 2048,
        "actorId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "mode": "list",
          "value": "GdWCkxBtKWOsKjdch",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://console.apify.com/actors/GdWCkxBtKWOsKjdch/input",
          "cachedResultName": "TikTok Scraper (clockworks/tiktok-scraper)"
        },
        "timeout": {},
        "operation": "Run actor and get dataset",
        "customBody": "={{ {\n  \"profiles\": [\n    $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.ownAccount,\n    JSON.parse($('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.competitors)[0],\n    JSON.parse($('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.competitors)[1]\n  ].filter(p => p),\n  \"resultsPerPage\": $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.postsCount || 10,\n  \"shouldDownloadVideos\": false\n} }}",
        "authentication": "apifyOAuth2Api"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "9fc5651a-1546-40f6-83b6-45692162aeee",
      "name": "Analyze Images with GPT-4o Vision",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "position": [
        960,
        720
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "mode": "runOnceForEachItem",
        "jsCode": "// Get OpenAI API key from Workflow Configuration node\nconst apiKey = $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.openaiApiKey;\nconst imageUrl = $input.item.json.displayUrl || $input.item.json.coverUrl;\nconst accountName = $input.item.json.ownerUsername || $input.item.json.authorMeta?.name || 'unknown';\n\n// Detect platform based on data structure\nconst platform = $input.item.json.videoMeta ? 'TikTok' : 'Instagram';\n\n// Call OpenAI GPT-4o Vision API\nconst response = await this.helpers.httpRequest({\n  method: 'POST',\n  url: 'https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions',\n  headers: {\n    'Content-Type': 'application/json',\n    'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`\n  },\n  body: {\n    model: 'gpt-4o',\n    messages: [\n      {\n        role: 'user',\n        content: [\n          {\n            type: 'text',\n            text: 'Analyze this image and extract visual attributes in JSON format: color_palette (array of 3-5 dominant hex colors), composition_style (string), mood_emotion (string), text_design_elements (object with font_style, text_placement, text_content). Return only valid JSON.'\n          },\n          {\n            type: 'image_url',\n            image_url: {\n              url: imageUrl\n            }\n          }\n        ]\n      }\n    ],\n    max_tokens: 500\n  },\n  json: true\n});\n\n// Parse the AI response\nlet analysis;\ntry {\n  const content = response.choices[0].message.content;\n  const jsonMatch = content.match(/\\{[\\s\\S]*\\}/);\n  if (jsonMatch) {\n    analysis = JSON.parse(jsonMatch[0]);\n  } else {\n    analysis = JSON.parse(content);\n  }\n} catch (error) {\n  analysis = {\n    color_palette: [],\n    composition_style: 'Unable to analyze',\n    mood_emotion: 'Unable to analyze',\n    text_design_elements: {}\n  };\n}\n\n// Return analyzed image with metadata\nreturn {\n  json: {\n    imageUrl: imageUrl,\n    accountName: accountName,\n    platform: platform,\n    colorPalette: analysis.color_palette || [],\n    compositionStyle: analysis.composition_style || '',\n    moodEmotion: analysis.mood_emotion || '',\n    textDesignElements: analysis.text_design_elements || {},\n    rawAnalysis: response.choices[0].message.content\n  }\n};"
      },
      "typeVersion": 2
    },
    {
      "id": "e795ee95-1dc4-42aa-99d3-2a35ce7cd319",
      "name": "Aggregate All Results",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.aggregate",
      "position": [
        1184,
        720
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "options": {},
        "aggregate": "aggregateAllItemData",
        "destinationFieldName": "analysisResults"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "17c3d793-9833-4f54-9224-857d848034e7",
      "name": "Generate Competitive Analysis Report",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "position": [
        1408,
        720
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "jsCode": "// Generate Comprehensive Comparison Report using OpenAI\n\nconst items = $input.all();\nconst aggregatedData = items[0].json;\n\n// Get OpenAI API key from Workflow Configuration\nconst openaiApiKey = $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.openaiApiKey;\n\nif (!openaiApiKey) {\n  throw new Error('OpenAI API key not found in Workflow Configuration');\n}\n\n// Prepare data summary for OpenAI prompt\nconst dataSummary = JSON.stringify(aggregatedData, null, 2);\n\n// Create comprehensive prompt for OpenAI\nconst prompt = `You are a social media visual content strategy expert. Analyze the following data from multiple social media platforms (Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok) and generate a comprehensive comparison report.\n\nData:\n${dataSummary}\n\nPlease provide a detailed report with the following sections:\n\n1. COMPETITIVE COMPARISON MATRIX\n   - Create a matrix showing visual patterns by account\n   - Compare color schemes, composition styles, content types\n   - Highlight top-performing visual elements per account\n\n2. PLATFORM-SPECIFIC WINNING PATTERNS\n   - Instagram: What visual patterns drive the most engagement?\n   - Pinterest: What visual styles get the most saves/repins?\n   - TikTok: What visual elements capture attention?\n\n3. CROSS-PLATFORM INSIGHTS AND TRENDS\n   - Common visual themes across all platforms\n   - Platform-specific vs universal visual strategies\n   - Emerging visual trends identified\n\n4. RECOMMENDED ACTIONS\n   - Specific actionable recommendations to improve visual content strategy\n   - Quick wins that can be implemented immediately\n   - Long-term strategic visual content improvements\n\nFormat the report in a clear, structured manner with headers and bullet points.`;\n\n// Call OpenAI API\nconst response = await this.helpers.httpRequest({\n  method: 'POST',\n  url: 'https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions',\n  headers: {\n    'Authorization': `Bearer ${openaiApiKey}`,\n    'Content-Type': 'application/json'\n  },\n  body: {\n    model: 'gpt-4',\n    messages: [\n      {\n        role: 'system',\n        content: 'You are a social media visual content strategy expert specializing in competitive analysis and actionable insights.'\n      },\n      {\n        role: 'user',\n        content: prompt\n      }\n    ],\n    temperature: 0.7,\n    max_tokens: 2500\n  },\n  json: true\n});\n\n// Extract the generated report\nconst report = response.choices[0].message.content;\n\n// Parse report into sections\nconst sections = {\n  fullReport: report,\n  competitiveMatrix: extractSection(report, 'COMPETITIVE COMPARISON MATRIX', 'PLATFORM-SPECIFIC WINNING PATTERNS'),\n  platformPatterns: extractSection(report, 'PLATFORM-SPECIFIC WINNING PATTERNS', 'CROSS-PLATFORM INSIGHTS'),\n  crossPlatformInsights: extractSection(report, 'CROSS-PLATFORM INSIGHTS', 'RECOMMENDED ACTIONS'),\n  recommendedActions: extractSection(report, 'RECOMMENDED ACTIONS', null),\n  generatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),\n  dataAnalyzed: {\n    totalAccounts: aggregatedData.totalAccounts || 0,\n    totalImages: aggregatedData.totalImages || 0,\n    platforms: aggregatedData.platforms || []\n  }\n};\n\n// Helper function to extract sections\nfunction extractSection(text, startMarker, endMarker) {\n  const startIndex = text.indexOf(startMarker);\n  if (startIndex === -1) return '';\n  \n  const contentStart = startIndex + startMarker.length;\n  \n  if (endMarker) {\n    const endIndex = text.indexOf(endMarker, contentStart);\n    if (endIndex === -1) return text.substring(contentStart).trim();\n    return text.substring(contentStart, endIndex).trim();\n  }\n  \n  return text.substring(contentStart).trim();\n}\n\n// Return formatted report with all sections\nreturn [{\n  json: sections\n}];"
      },
      "typeVersion": 2
    },
    {
      "id": "907d303b-36c2-48e8-ac06-291d0de9313d",
      "name": "Log Results to Google Sheets",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets",
      "position": [
        1616,
        720
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "columns": {
          "value": {
            "summary": "={{ $json.fullReport.substring(0, 500) }}",
            "platforms": "={{ $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.platforms }}",
            "timestamp": "={{ $now.toISO() }}",
            "competitors": "={{ $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.competitors }}",
            "own_account": "={{ $('Workflow Configuration1').item.json.ownAccount }}",
            "posts_analyzed": "={{ $('Aggregate All Results').item.json.analysisResults.length }}"
          },
          "schema": [
            {
              "id": "timestamp",
              "required": false,
              "displayName": "timestamp",
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true
            },
            {
              "id": "own_account",
              "required": false,
              "displayName": "own_account",
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true
            },
            {
              "id": "competitors",
              "required": false,
              "displayName": "competitors",
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true
            },
            {
              "id": "platforms",
              "required": false,
              "displayName": "platforms",
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true
            },
            {
              "id": "posts_analyzed",
              "required": false,
              "displayName": "posts_analyzed",
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true
            },
            {
              "id": "summary",
              "required": false,
              "displayName": "summary",
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true
            }
          ],
          "mappingMode": "defineBelow",
          "matchingColumns": [
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          ]
        },
        "options": {},
        "operation": "appendOrUpdate",
        "sheetName": {
          "__rl": true,
          "mode": "list",
          "value": "gid=0",
          "cachedResultName": "Sheet1"
        },
        "documentId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "mode": "id",
          "value": "YOUR_GOOGLE_SHEET_ID"
        }
      },
      "credentials": {
        "googleSheetsOAuth2Api": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      },
      "typeVersion": 4.7
    },
    {
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      "position": [
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      ],
      "parameters": {
        "options": {
          "appendAttribution": false
        },
        "formTitle": "Cross-Platform Competitive Visual Intelligence",
        "formFields": {
          "values": [
            {
              "fieldLabel": "Your Account/Hashtag",
              "requiredField": true
            },
            {
              "fieldLabel": "Competitor 1 Account"
            },
            {
              "fieldLabel": "Competitor 2 Account"
            },
            {
              "fieldLabel": "Competitor 3 Account"
            },
            {
              "fieldType": "checkbox",
              "fieldLabel": "Select Platforms",
              "fieldOptions": {
                "values": [
                  {
                    "option": "Instagram"
                  },
                  {
                    "option": "Pinterest"
                  },
                  {
                    "option": "TikTok"
                  }
                ]
              },
              "requiredField": true
            },
            {
              "fieldType": "number",
              "fieldLabel": "Number of Posts to Analyze",
              "placeholder": "10",
              "requiredField": true
            }
          ]
        },
        "formDescription": "Analyze visual content from your brand and competitors across Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok"
      },
      "typeVersion": 2.3
    },
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        "assignments": {
          "assignments": [
            {
              "id": "id-1",
              "name": "ownAccount",
              "type": "string",
              "value": "={{ $json[\"Your Account/Hashtag\"] }}"
            },
            {
              "id": "id-2",
              "name": "competitors",
              "type": "array",
              "value": "={{ JSON.stringify([$json[\"Competitor 1 Account\"], $json[\"Competitor 2 Account\"], $json[\"Competitor 3 Account\"]].filter(c => c)) }}"
            },
            {
              "id": "id-3",
              "name": "platforms",
              "type": "array",
              "value": "={{ $json['Select Platforms'] }}"
            },
            {
              "id": "id-4",
              "name": "postsCount",
              "type": "number",
              "value": "={{ $json['Number of Posts to Analyze'] }}"
            },
            {
              "id": "id-5",
              "name": "openaiApiKey",
              "type": "string",
              "value": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY"
            }
          ]
        },
        "includeOtherFields": true
      },
      "typeVersion": 3.4
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    {
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      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.switch",
      "position": [
        288,
        704
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "rules": {
          "values": [
            {
              "conditions": {
                "options": {
                  "version": 2,
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                    "operator": {
                      "type": "array",
                      "operation": "contains",
                      "rightType": "any"
                    },
                    "leftValue": "={{ $json['Select Platforms']}}",
                    "rightValue": "Instagram"
                  }
                ]
              },
              "renameOutput": true
            },
            {
              "conditions": {
                "options": {
                  "version": 2,
                  "leftValue": "",
                  "caseSensitive": false,
                  "typeValidation": "loose"
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                "combinator": "and",
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                    "operator": {
                      "type": "array",
                      "operation": "contains",
                      "rightType": "any"
                    },
                    "leftValue": "={{ $json['Select Platforms']}}",
                    "rightValue": "TikTok"
                  }
                ]
              },
              "renameOutput": true
            }
          ]
        },
        "options": {
          "ignoreCase": true,
          "fallbackOutput": "none",
          "allMatchingOutputs": true
        },
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      "alwaysOutputData": true
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    {
      "id": "63607524-f0e1-459d-a18e-7000d8d3608d",
      "name": "Filter Images Only1",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.filter",
      "position": [
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      ],
      "parameters": {
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        "conditions": {
          "options": {
            "version": 2,
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            "caseSensitive": true,
            "typeValidation": "strict"
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          "conditions": [
            {
              "id": "id-1",
              "operator": {
                "type": "string",
                "operation": "equals"
              },
              "leftValue": "={{ $json.type }}",
              "rightValue": "Image"
            },
            {
              "id": "id-2",
              "operator": {
                "type": "string",
                "operation": "notEmpty"
              },
              "leftValue": "={{ $json.displayUrl || $json.imageUrl }}"
            }
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  ],
  "connections": {
    "Form Trigger1": {
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        [
          {
            "node": "Workflow Configuration1",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Platform Router1": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Scrape Instagram Posts",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ],
        [
          {
            "node": "Scrape TikTok Posts",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Filter Images Only1": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Analyze Images with GPT-4o Vision",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Scrape TikTok Posts": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Filter Images Only1",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Aggregate All Results": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Generate Competitive Analysis Report",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Scrape Instagram Posts": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Filter Images Only1",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Workflow Configuration1": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Platform Router1",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
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    "Analyze Images with GPT-4o Vision": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Aggregate All Results",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Generate Competitive Analysis Report": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Log Results to Google Sheets",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  }
}

Credentials you'll need

Each integration node will prompt for credentials when you import. We strip credential IDs before publishing — you'll add your own.

• googleSheetsOAuth2Api

About this workflow

Marketing teams, social media managers, and brand strategists who want to understand competitor visual strategies across multiple platforms. Perfect for agencies managing multiple client accounts or brands looking to benchmark their visual content.

Source: https://n8n.io/workflows/11573/ — original creator credit. Request a take-down →

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