Jitesh Dugar This workflow corresponds to n8n.io template #12660 — we link there as the canonical source.
This workflow follows the Gmail → Google Drive recipe pattern — see all workflows that pair these two integrations.
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": "d542b250-1878-4430-ace4-ef66d331df36",
"name": "Trigger: Watch Secure Inbox",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive",
"position": [
1424,
1408
],
"parameters": {
"driveId": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": "My Drive"
},
"options": {},
"folderId": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": "root",
"cachedResultName": "/ (Root folder)"
}
},
"credentials": {
"googleDriveOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 3
},
{
"id": "4e2b9126-7949-4081-9608-700e1aa2a9ad",
"name": "Download PDF Binary",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive",
"position": [
1616,
1408
],
"parameters": {
"fileId": "={{ $json.id }}",
"options": {},
"operation": "download"
},
"credentials": {
"googleDriveOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 3
},
{
"id": "12f127df-2a9e-4a7f-9dae-4a0afc3e4371",
"name": "Lookup Employee Password",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets",
"position": [
1824,
1408
],
"parameters": {
"operation": "lookup",
"documentId": "YOUR_EMPLOYEE_DB_ID"
},
"credentials": {
"googleSheetsOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 4
},
{
"id": "3c451a1d-76d8-4b62-a8d5-f2bb479de499",
"name": "Pre-Encryption Integrity Check",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
"position": [
2016,
1408
],
"parameters": {
"jsCode": "// Verify if password was found, else throw to error path\nif (!$input.first().json.National_ID) {\n throw new Error(\"Employee Security Metadata Missing\");\n}\nreturn $input.first();"
},
"typeVersion": 2
},
{
"id": "78826291-aeb6-4fb0-b68e-1a37ec7572e6",
"name": "Encrypt PDF (AES-128)",
"type": "n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf.htmlcsstopdf",
"onError": "continueErrorOutput",
"position": [
2224,
1408
],
"parameters": {
"resource": "pdfManipulation",
"operation": "encrypt"
},
"credentials": {
"htmlcsstopdfApi": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 1
},
{
"id": "e2ec7c3f-9f09-43e4-891f-f12496995280",
"name": "IF: Encryption Success?",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
"position": [
2416,
1408
],
"parameters": {
"conditions": {
"boolean": [
{
"value1": "={{ !!$json.data }}"
}
]
}
},
"typeVersion": 1
},
{
"id": "22d01e26-6884-4b25-9148-ce7dfb148790",
"name": "Deliver Secure Email",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.gmail",
"position": [
2672,
1312
],
"parameters": {
"sendTo": "={{ $node[\"Lookup Employee Password\"].json.Email }}",
"message": "Hello,\n\nPlease find your encrypted payslip for the last month. Use your National ID to unlock.",
"options": {},
"subject": "=Secure Payslip: {{ $now.minus({ months: 1 }).toFormat('MMMM yyyy') }}"
},
"credentials": {
"gmailOAuth2": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 2.1
},
{
"id": "70515242-c816-4805-811b-a49ede836539",
"name": "Alert Admin (Slack)",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
"position": [
2672,
1552
],
"parameters": {
"text": "=\ud83d\udea8 *Payroll Security Failure*\nEmployee: {{ $node[\"Lookup Employee Password\"].json.Email }}\nReason: Encryption failed or metadata missing.",
"user": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": ""
},
"select": "user",
"otherOptions": {},
"authentication": "oAuth2"
},
"credentials": {
"slackOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 2.1
},
{
"id": "258461af-8769-4e62-8435-c681b4ad2ad9",
"name": "Main Documentation",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
"position": [
1184,
864
],
"parameters": {
"width": 550,
"height": 480,
"content": "## How it works\nThis enterprise workflow manages secure payroll distribution. It triggers on new file arrivals, performs a lookup for employee-specific passwords, and validates security metadata. The PDF is encrypted using 128-bit AES. If successful, it is delivered via Gmail. If any step fails (missing password or encryption error), the workflow routes to an error-handling path that alerts admins via Slack and logs the failure for auditing.\n\n## Setup steps\n1. **Employee DB**: Connect a Google Sheet containing Employee Emails and National IDs.\n2. **Drive**: Select your source folder for unencrypted payslips.\n3. **Encryption**: Connect your HTML to PDF node; the password is dynamically mapped to the 'National ID' column.\n4. **Gmail**: Set up your payroll sender account.\n5. **Error Handling**: Configure the Slack channel to receive alerts for any failed encryptions."
},
"typeVersion": 1
},
{
"id": "513598d6-c807-40cc-9ece-bf300eaf365c",
"name": "Security Overview",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
"position": [
1792,
1200
],
"parameters": {
"color": 7,
"width": 1000,
"height": 450,
"content": "### \ud83d\udee1\ufe0f Secure Processing & Fail-Safe Routing\nNodes grouped here manage the encryption lifecycle and ensure that only successfully locked files are dispatched."
},
"typeVersion": 1
}
],
"connections": {
"Download PDF Binary": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Lookup Employee Password",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Encrypt PDF (AES-128)": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "IF: Encryption Success?",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"IF: Encryption Success?": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Deliver Secure Email",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
],
[
{
"node": "Alert Admin (Slack)",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Lookup Employee Password": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Pre-Encryption Integrity Check",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Trigger: Watch Secure Inbox": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Download PDF Binary",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Pre-Encryption Integrity Check": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Encrypt PDF (AES-128)",
"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.
gmailOAuth2googleDriveOAuth2ApigoogleSheetsOAuth2ApihtmlcsstopdfApislackOAuth2Api
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About this workflow
Achieve a high-security, compliant payroll distribution system by using this automation to encrypt sensitive documents and manage delivery failures. This workflow provides an enterprise-grade solution by monitoring secure storage for payslips, fetching unique employee…
Source: https://n8n.io/workflows/12660/ — original creator credit. Request a take-down →
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