This workflow follows the Google Drive → Google Drive Trigger 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 →
{
"nodes": [
{
"id": "ff4e8706-09a0-4bf1-86c1-dfb65f55ccb3",
"name": "Google Drive Trigger",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDriveTrigger",
"position": [
20,
-140
],
"parameters": {
"event": "fileCreated",
"options": {},
"pollTimes": {
"item": [
{
"mode": "everyMinute"
}
]
},
"triggerOn": "specificFolder",
"folderToWatch": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": "1-hRMnBRYgY6iVJ_youKMyPz83k9GAVYu",
"cachedResultUrl": "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-hRMnBRYgY6iVJ_youKMyPz83k9GAVYu",
"cachedResultName": "nnnnnnnnnnn8n"
}
},
"credentials": {
"googleDriveOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 1
},
{
"id": "340fb03b-3b8a-4eb4-ad4c-b0ba12b72b19",
"name": "Google Drive",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive",
"position": [
260,
-140
],
"parameters": {
"fileId": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "id",
"value": "={{ $json.id }}"
},
"options": {
"binaryPropertyName": "data"
},
"operation": "download"
},
"credentials": {
"googleDriveOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 3
},
{
"id": "4a5d037f-0103-4645-87d0-785dfdfb80d1",
"name": "Extract from File",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.extractFromFile",
"position": [
260,
60
],
"parameters": {
"options": {}
},
"typeVersion": 1,
"alwaysOutputData": false
},
{
"id": "36c7e83d-f22f-4a71-b5a2-64ed3e4ce24b",
"name": "OpenAI",
"type": "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi",
"position": [
-120,
260
],
"parameters": {
"modelId": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": "gpt-4o-mini",
"cachedResultName": "GPT-4O-MINI"
},
"options": {},
"messages": {
"values": [
{
"role": "system",
"content": "Analyze the provided tabular data and identify the columns that contain personally identifiable information (PII). Return only the column names that contain PII, separated by commas. Key name: 'content'. Do not include any additional text or explanation."
},
{
"content": "=Here is some tabular data with column headers and two example rows.\n\nHeaders: {{Object.keys($json)}}\n\nExample Row 1: {{Object.values($json)}}\n\n"
}
]
},
"jsonOutput": true
},
"credentials": {
"openAiApi": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"executeOnce": true,
"typeVersion": 1.7
},
{
"id": "771c6535-47d4-4c70-b487-bd5ac602e29c",
"name": "Merge",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.merge",
"position": [
440,
260
],
"parameters": {
"numberInputs": 3
},
"typeVersion": 3
},
{
"id": "1fc467fd-379d-4841-978b-89c1453b61d8",
"name": "Upload to Drive",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive",
"position": [
740,
260
],
"parameters": {
"name": "={{ $json.fileName }}",
"content": "={{ $json.content }}",
"driveId": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": "My Drive"
},
"options": {},
"folderId": {
"__rl": true,
"mode": "list",
"value": "1F30Qu3csrmMhtcu_prMipeiGm-64VEdd",
"cachedResultUrl": "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F30Qu3csrmMhtcu_prMipeiGm-64VEdd",
"cachedResultName": "processed"
},
"operation": "createFromText"
},
"credentials": {
"googleDriveOAuth2Api": {
"name": "<your credential>"
}
},
"typeVersion": 3
},
{
"id": "92715586-e630-4584-83a3-1af42d7cb50e",
"name": "Get filename",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.splitOut",
"position": [
20,
60
],
"parameters": {
"options": {
"destinationFieldName": "originalFilename"
},
"fieldToSplitOut": "name"
},
"executeOnce": true,
"typeVersion": 1
},
{
"id": "2c4b3242-34db-4948-b835-cd2340ad7b19",
"name": "Get result",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.splitOut",
"position": [
200,
260
],
"parameters": {
"options": {
"destinationFieldName": "data"
},
"fieldToSplitOut": "message.content.content"
},
"typeVersion": 1
},
{
"id": "4207dc71-5b0e-4780-9f23-00f5a7fc3862",
"name": "Remove PII columns",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
"position": [
580,
260
],
"parameters": {
"jsCode": "// Input: All items from the previous node\nconst input = $input.all();\n\n// Step 1: Extract the PII column names from the first item\nconst firstItem = input[0];\nif (!firstItem.json.data || !firstItem.json.data) {\n throw new Error(\"PII column names are missing in the input data.\");\n}\nconst piiColumns = firstItem.json.data.split(',').map(col => col.trim());\n//console.log(\"PII Columns to Remove:\", piiColumns);\n\n// Step 2: Remove the first two items and process the remaining rows\nlet rows = input.slice(2).map(item => item.json); // Exclude the first item\n//console.log(\"Rows to convert (before skipping last):\", rows);\n\n\n// Ensure there are rows to process\nif (rows.length === 0) {\n throw new Error(\"No rows to convert to CSV.\");\n}\n\n// Step 3: Remove PII columns from each row\nconst sanitizedRows = rows.map(row => {\n const sanitizedRow = { ...row }; // Copy the row\n piiColumns.forEach(column => delete sanitizedRow[column]); // Remove PII columns\n return sanitizedRow;\n});\n//console.log(\"Sanitized Rows:\", sanitizedRows);\n\n// Step 4: Extract headers from sanitized rows\nconst headers = Object.keys(sanitizedRows[0]); // Extract updated headers\n//console.log(\"CSV Headers:\", headers);\n\n// Step 5: Convert rows to CSV format\nconst csvRows = [\n headers.join(','), // Add header row\n ...sanitizedRows.map(row => \n headers.map(header => String(row[header] || '').replace(/,/g, '')).join(',') // Match headers with rows\n )\n];\n\n// Join all rows with a newline character\nconst csvContent = csvRows.join('\\n');\n//console.log(\"CSV Content:\", csvContent);\n\nconst originalFileName = input[1].json.originalFilename;\n\n// Step 7: Generate a new filename\nconst fileExtension = originalFileName.split('.').pop();\nconst baseName = originalFileName.replace(`.${fileExtension}`, '');\nconst newFileName = `${baseName}_PII_removed.${fileExtension}`;\n//console.log(\"New Filename:\", newFileName);\n\n// Step 8: Return the CSV content and filename as JSON\nreturn [\n {\n json: {\n fileName: newFileName, // New file name\n content: csvContent // CSV content as plain text\n }\n }\n];\n"
},
"typeVersion": 2
},
{
"id": "e9f25ee7-cd00-4496-9062-5d57cab5788d",
"name": "Sticky Note",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
"position": [
-300,
-220
],
"parameters": {
"height": 260,
"content": "## Remove PII from CSV Files\nThis workflow monitors a Google Drive folder for new CSV files, identifies and removes PII columns using OpenAI, and uploads the sanitized file back to the drive. It requires Google Drive and OpenAI integrations with API access enabled."
},
"typeVersion": 1
}
],
"connections": {
"Merge": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Remove PII columns",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"OpenAI": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Get result",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Get result": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Merge",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Get filename": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Merge",
"type": "main",
"index": 1
}
]
]
},
"Google Drive": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Extract from File",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Upload to Drive": {
"main": [
[]
]
},
"Extract from File": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "OpenAI",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
},
{
"node": "Merge",
"type": "main",
"index": 2
}
]
]
},
"Remove PII columns": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Upload to Drive",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Google Drive Trigger": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Get filename",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
},
{
"node": "Google Drive",
"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.
googleDriveOAuth2ApiopenAiApi
For the full experience including quality scoring and batch install features for each workflow upgrade to Pro
How this works
Protecting sensitive data in your CSV files becomes effortless with this workflow, which automatically detects and removes personally identifiable information like names, emails, and addresses using AI-powered analysis. It's ideal for data analysts, compliance officers, or small business owners handling customer records who need to anonymise files before sharing or archiving without manual effort. The key step involves uploading a new CSV to Google Drive, where the workflow extracts the content and leverages OpenAI to scrub PII, ensuring privacy compliance while preserving the file's structure.
Use this workflow whenever you receive CSV files via Google Drive uploads that contain sensitive customer data requiring redaction for GDPR or similar regulations. Avoid it for non-tabular files or when precise custom rules are needed beyond AI detection, as it relies on OpenAI's general capabilities. Common variations include adding email notifications post-processing or integrating with tools like Airtable for further data handling.
About this workflow
Remove Personally Identifiable Information (Pii) From Csv Files With Openai. Uses googleDriveTrigger, googleDrive, extractFromFile, openAi. Event-driven trigger; 10 nodes.
Source: https://github.com/Zie619/n8n-workflows — original creator credit. Request a take-down →
Related workflows
Workflows that share integrations, category, or trigger type with this one. All free to copy and import.
The Problem That it Solves
Content creators, YouTubers, and social media managers who want to repurpose long form videos into short clips without doing it manually. Works on self hosted n8n instances.
This workflow automatically turns any audio file uploaded to Google Drive into a complete podcast episode. It handles transcription, content generation, blog drafting, social copy creation, thumbnail
End-to-end pipeline: Watch Drive ➜ Download PDF ➜ OCR text ➜ AI normalize to JSON ➜ Upsert Buyer (Account) ➜ Create Opportunity ➜ Map Products ➜ Create OLI via Composite API ➜ Archive to OneDrive. Pur
This workflow is designed for teams and businesses that receive invoices in Google Drive and want to automatically extract structured financial data without manual processing. It is ideal for finance