Automatically Archive Old Wordpress Posts to Draft Status

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": "48e4e6d7-f1c4-4539-a1c7-9d5fd4aed1eb",
      "name": "Quarterly Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "position": [
        -304,
        96
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": [
            {
              "field": "cronExpression",
              "expression": "0 0 1 */3 *"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "typeVersion": 1.2
    },
    {
      "id": "acc3caae-a2f2-47ee-90fe-d9d6cc908cde",
      "name": "Find Old Posts",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.wordpress",
      "position": [
        -48,
        96
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "options": {
          "order": "asc",
          "before": "{{ $now.minus({ months: 12 }).toISO() }}",
          "status": "publish"
        },
        "operation": "getAll"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "4d37e32a-8a0c-4881-9898-871252d5ac45",
      "name": "Check if Posts Found",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
      "position": [
        208,
        96
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "options": {},
        "conditions": {
          "options": {
            "version": 1,
            "leftValue": "",
            "caseSensitive": true,
            "typeValidation": "strict"
          },
          "combinator": "and",
          "conditions": [
            {
              "id": "6516d0df-79fc-4895-b422-1aaf6e348fc8",
              "operator": {
                "type": "number",
                "operation": "gt"
              },
              "leftValue": "={{ $json.length }}",
              "rightValue": 0
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "typeVersion": 2
    },
    {
      "id": "9d23ec40-bb26-4aa4-b960-fde58c5247f6",
      "name": "Archive Post",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.wordpress",
      "position": [
        464,
        32
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "postId": "={{ $json.id }}",
        "operation": "update",
        "updateFields": {
          "tags": "archived,old-content",
          "status": "draft"
        }
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "4d4a6928-521e-4cda-b7ee-66641e34838f",
      "name": "Send Notification",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.emailSend",
      "position": [
        720,
        32
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "options": {},
        "subject": "Quarterly Archive Complete"
      },
      "credentials": {
        "smtp": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      },
      "typeVersion": 2.1
    },
    {
      "id": "6b526fe7-645a-4cb5-bb5b-4e0c31d84142",
      "name": "Log No Posts",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.noOp",
      "position": [
        448,
        208
      ],
      "parameters": {},
      "typeVersion": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "e9a2e951-43e5-4e98-83d4-3145dc6dbf47",
      "name": "Sticky Note",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "position": [
        -576,
        -80
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "width": 380,
        "height": 780,
        "content": "## Workflow Overview\n\n**Author: David Olusola**\nThis workflow automatically archives old WordPress posts every quarter.\n\n**Schedule:** Runs on the 1st day of every 3rd month (quarterly)\n\n**Steps:**\n1. Trigger executes quarterly\n2. Finds old posts from WordPress\n3. Archives the identified posts\n\n---\n\n## Need n8n Coaching?\n\n\ud83c\udfaf **Get Professional Help:**\n- Workflow optimization\n- Advanced automation strategies\n- Custom node development\n- Error handling & debugging\n- Performance improvements\n\n\ud83d\udce7 [Contact for n8n coaching and consultation services!](mailto:david@daexai.com)\n\n---\n\n\ud83d\udca1 **Tips:**\n- Add filters to \"Find Old Posts\" to specify criteria\n- Consider adding error handling nodes\n- Test with a smaller batch first"
      },
      "typeVersion": 1
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Archive Post": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Send Notification",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Find Old Posts": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Check if Posts Found",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Quarterly Trigger": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Find Old Posts",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Check if Posts Found": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Archive Post",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ],
        [
          {
            "node": "Log No Posts",
            "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.

• smtp

About this workflow

This workflow is designed to maintain your blog's health and SEO by automatically moving old, published posts into a "draft" or "archive" state. This prevents outdated or low-traffic content from negatively impacting your site's performance and allows you to easily review and…

Source: https://n8n.io/workflows/7418/ — original creator credit. Request a take-down →

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