Gmail Shipping Docs to Google Sheets

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 →

{
  "name": "Shipping Document Processor",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "## \ud83d\udea2 Shipping Document Processor\n\n### What this workflow does\n1. Watches Gmail for shipping docs\n2. Extracts B/L, containers, route, ETA\n3. Calculates days to arrival\n4. Logs to shipment tracker\n5. Alerts on arrivals within 3 days\n\n### Handles\n- Bills of Lading (B/L)\n- Packing Lists\n- Commercial Invoices\n- Customs Documents\n\n### Setup steps\n1. Connect Gmail OAuth2 credentials\n2. Get PDF Vector API key from pdfvector.com/api-keys\n3. Create Google Sheet with columns below\n4. Connect Slack for notifications\n5. Update credential IDs in the nodes\n\n### Sheet columns\nShipment ID, Document Type, B/L Number, Shipper, Consignee, Route, Vessel, ETD, ETA, Days to Arrival, Containers, Container Count, Total Weight (kg), HS Codes, Incoterms, Received Date\n\n### Perfect for\n- Freight forwarders\n- Import/export teams\n- Logistics managers",
        "height": 560,
        "width": 320,
        "color": 5
      },
      "id": "sticky-main",
      "name": "Sticky Note",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        60,
        60
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "## \u23f0 ETA Status\n\nAlerts based on days to arrival:\n- Arrived/Overdue: \u22640 days\n- Arriving Soon: 1-3 days \u2192 urgent alert\n- In Transit: >3 days \u2192 normal notification",
        "height": 140,
        "width": 260
      },
      "id": "sticky-eta",
      "name": "Sticky Note1",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        680,
        60
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "pollTimes": {
          "item": [
            {
              "mode": "everyMinute"
            }
          ]
        },
        "filters": {
          "includeSpamTrash": false
        }
      },
      "id": "gmail-trigger",
      "name": "Gmail Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.gmailTrigger",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        140,
        340
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "gmailOAuth2": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      },
      "notes": "Monitor for shipping documents"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "get",
        "messageId": "={{ $json.id }}",
        "simple": false,
        "options": {
          "downloadAttachments": true
        }
      },
      "id": "gmail-get",
      "name": "Get a message",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.gmail",
      "typeVersion": 2.2,
      "position": [
        340,
        340
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "gmailOAuth2": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "extract",
        "inputType": "file",
        "prompt": "Extract all shipping information from this document:\n\n1. Document Identification:\n   - Document type (Bill of Lading, Packing List, Commercial Invoice, etc.)\n   - B/L number or booking number\n\n2. Parties:\n   - Shipper name, address, country\n   - Consignee name, address, country\n   - Notify party if present\n\n3. Container Information:\n   - Container numbers\n   - Container types (20GP, 40GP, 40HC, etc.)\n   - Seal numbers\n\n4. Voyage Details:\n   - Vessel name\n   - Voyage number\n   - Port of Loading\n   - Port of Discharge\n   - Place of Delivery\n   - ETD (Estimated Time of Departure)\n   - ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)\n\n5. Cargo Details:\n   - Cargo description\n   - HS codes (tariff codes)\n   - Number of packages\n   - Gross weight\n   - Volume/CBM\n\n6. Terms:\n   - Freight terms (Prepaid/Collect)\n   - Incoterms (FOB, CIF, EXW, etc.)\n   - Special instructions",
        "schema": "{\"type\":\"object\",\"properties\":{\"documentType\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"enum\":[\"Bill of Lading\",\"Packing List\",\"Commercial Invoice\",\"Customs Declaration\",\"Shipping Manifest\",\"Arrival Notice\",\"Delivery Order\",\"Other\"]},\"blNumber\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"Bill of Lading number\"},\"bookingNumber\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"Booking reference number\"},\"shipper\":{\"type\":\"object\",\"properties\":{\"name\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"address\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"country\":{\"type\":\"string\"}}},\"consignee\":{\"type\":\"object\",\"properties\":{\"name\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"address\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"country\":{\"type\":\"string\"}}},\"notifyParty\":{\"type\":\"object\",\"properties\":{\"name\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"contact\":{\"type\":\"string\"}}},\"containers\":{\"type\":\"array\",\"items\":{\"type\":\"object\",\"properties\":{\"number\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"type\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"sealNumber\":{\"type\":\"string\"}}}},\"vessel\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"Vessel/ship name\"},\"voyageNumber\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"portOfLoading\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"portOfDischarge\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"placeOfDelivery\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"etd\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"Estimated departure date\"},\"eta\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"Estimated arrival date\"},\"cargo\":{\"type\":\"array\",\"items\":{\"type\":\"object\",\"properties\":{\"description\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"hsCode\":{\"type\":\"string\"},\"packages\":{\"type\":\"number\"},\"grossWeight\":{\"type\":\"number\"},\"volume\":{\"type\":\"number\"}}}},\"freightTerms\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"Prepaid or Collect\"},\"incoterms\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"description\":\"FOB, CIF, EXW, etc.\"},\"totalWeight\":{\"type\":\"number\",\"description\":\"Total gross weight in kg\"},\"totalVolume\":{\"type\":\"number\",\"description\":\"Total volume in CBM\"},\"specialInstructions\":{\"type\":\"string\"}},\"required\":[\"documentType\"],\"additionalProperties\":false}",
        "binaryPropertyName": "attachment_0"
      },
      "id": "pdfvector-extract",
      "name": "PDF Vector - Extract Shipping",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-pdfvector.pdfVector",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [
        540,
        340
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "pdfVectorApi": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "jsCode": "const doc = $input.first().json.data;\n\n// Get email data with optional chaining for manual testing\nconst emailData = $('Get a message')?.item?.json || {};\nconst senderEmail = emailData?.from?.value?.[0]?.address || 'test@example.com';\nconst receivedDate = emailData?.date || new Date().toISOString();\n\n// Generate shipment ID\nconst shipmentId = doc.blNumber || doc.bookingNumber || `SHP-${Date.now().toString(36).toUpperCase()}`;\n\n// Format containers\nconst containers = doc.containers || [];\nconst containerList = containers.length > 0\n  ? containers.map(c => `${c.number || 'N/A'} (${c.type || 'N/A'})`).join(', ')\n  : 'N/A';\nconst containerCount = containers.length;\n\n// Format cargo\nconst cargo = doc.cargo || [];\nconst cargoList = cargo.length > 0\n  ? cargo.map(c => `${c.description || 'Unknown'} - ${c.packages || 0} pkgs, ${c.grossWeight || 0} kg`).join('; ')\n  : 'N/A';\nconst hsCodes = cargo.map(c => c.hsCode).filter(Boolean).join(', ') || 'N/A';\n\n// Parse ETA with better date handling\nfunction parseDate(dateStr) {\n  if (!dateStr) return null;\n  \n  let date = new Date(dateStr);\n  if (!isNaN(date.getTime())) return date;\n  \n  // Try common date formats\n  const cleanedStr = dateStr\n    .replace(/\\s+at\\s+/i, ' ')\n    .replace(/\\s+(EST|CST|MST|PST|EDT|CDT|MDT|PDT|UTC|GMT)$/i, '');\n  \n  date = new Date(cleanedStr);\n  if (!isNaN(date.getTime())) return date;\n  \n  return null;\n}\n\n// Calculate days to arrival\nlet daysToArrival = 'N/A';\nlet etaStatus = 'Unknown';\nconst etaDate = parseDate(doc.eta);\nif (etaDate) {\n  const today = new Date();\n  today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);\n  etaDate.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);\n  daysToArrival = Math.ceil((etaDate - today) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24));\n  \n  // Determine status\n  if (daysToArrival <= 0) etaStatus = 'Arrived/Overdue';\n  else if (daysToArrival <= 3) etaStatus = 'Arriving Soon';\n  else etaStatus = 'In Transit';\n}\n\n// Route summary\nconst route = `${doc.portOfLoading || 'N/A'} \u2192 ${doc.portOfDischarge || 'N/A'}`;\n\n// Shipper/Consignee names\nconst shipperName = doc.shipper?.name || 'N/A';\nconst consigneeName = doc.consignee?.name || 'N/A';\n\nreturn [{\n  json: {\n    shipmentId: shipmentId,\n    documentType: doc.documentType || 'Unknown',\n    blNumber: doc.blNumber || 'N/A',\n    bookingNumber: doc.bookingNumber || 'N/A',\n    \n    // Parties\n    shipper: doc.shipper,\n    shipperName: shipperName,\n    consignee: doc.consignee,\n    consigneeName: consigneeName,\n    notifyParty: doc.notifyParty,\n    \n    // Route\n    route: route,\n    portOfLoading: doc.portOfLoading || 'N/A',\n    portOfDischarge: doc.portOfDischarge || 'N/A',\n    placeOfDelivery: doc.placeOfDelivery || 'N/A',\n    \n    // Vessel\n    vessel: doc.vessel || 'N/A',\n    voyageNumber: doc.voyageNumber || 'N/A',\n    \n    // Dates\n    etd: doc.etd || 'N/A',\n    eta: doc.eta || 'N/A',\n    daysToArrival: daysToArrival,\n    etaStatus: etaStatus,\n    \n    // Containers\n    containers: containers,\n    containerList: containerList,\n    containerCount: containerCount,\n    \n    // Cargo\n    cargo: cargo,\n    cargoList: cargoList,\n    hsCodes: hsCodes,\n    totalWeight: doc.totalWeight || 0,\n    totalVolume: doc.totalVolume || 0,\n    \n    // Terms\n    freightTerms: doc.freightTerms || 'N/A',\n    incoterms: doc.incoterms || 'N/A',\n    specialInstructions: doc.specialInstructions || 'None',\n    \n    // Meta\n    senderEmail: senderEmail,\n    receivedDate: receivedDate,\n    processedAt: new Date().toISOString()\n  }\n}];"
      },
      "id": "process-shipping",
      "name": "Process Shipping Data",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [
        740,
        340
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "append",
        "documentId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "YOUR_SPREADSHEET_ID",
          "mode": "list"
        },
        "sheetName": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "gid=0",
          "mode": "list"
        },
        "columns": {
          "mappingMode": "defineBelow",
          "value": {
            "Shipment ID": "={{ $json.shipmentId }}",
            "Document Type": "={{ $json.documentType }}",
            "B/L Number": "={{ $json.blNumber }}",
            "Shipper": "={{ $json.shipperName }}",
            "Consignee": "={{ $json.consigneeName }}",
            "Route": "={{ $json.route }}",
            "Vessel": "={{ $json.vessel }}",
            "ETD": "={{ $json.etd }}",
            "ETA": "={{ $json.eta }}",
            "Days to Arrival": "={{ $json.daysToArrival }}",
            "Containers": "={{ $json.containerList }}",
            "Container Count": "={{ $json.containerCount }}",
            "Total Weight (kg)": "={{ $json.totalWeight }}",
            "HS Codes": "={{ $json.hsCodes }}",
            "Incoterms": "={{ $json.incoterms }}",
            "Received Date": "={{ $json.receivedDate }}"
          }
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "sheets-log",
      "name": "Log to Shipment Tracker",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets",
      "typeVersion": 4.4,
      "position": [
        940,
        340
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "googleSheetsOAuth2Api": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "conditions": {
          "options": {
            "caseSensitive": true,
            "leftValue": "",
            "typeValidation": "strict"
          },
          "conditions": [
            {
              "id": "arriving-soon-check",
              "leftValue": "={{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.etaStatus }}",
              "rightValue": "Arriving Soon",
              "operator": {
                "type": "string",
                "operation": "equals"
              }
            },
            {
              "id": "arrived-check",
              "leftValue": "={{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.etaStatus }}",
              "rightValue": "Arrived/Overdue",
              "operator": {
                "type": "string",
                "operation": "equals"
              }
            }
          ],
          "combinator": "or"
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "if-arriving-soon",
      "name": "Arriving Soon?",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
      "typeVersion": 2.2,
      "position": [
        1140,
        340
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "authentication": "oAuth2",
        "select": "channel",
        "channelId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "YOUR_SLACK_CHANNEL_ID",
          "mode": "list"
        },
        "text": "=\ud83d\udea8 *SHIPMENT ARRIVING SOON*\n\n*Shipment:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.shipmentId }}\n*Type:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.documentType }}\n\n\ud83d\udea2 *Route:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.route }}\n*Vessel:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.vessel }}\n\n\u23f0 *ETA:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.eta }}\n\ud83d\udd34 *Only {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.daysToArrival }} days until arrival!*\n\n\ud83d\udce6 *Cargo:*\n\u2022 Containers: {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.containerCount }}\n\u2022 Weight: {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.totalWeight }} kg\n\u2022 Incoterms: {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.incoterms }}\n\n*Shipper:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.shipperName }}\n*Consignee:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.consigneeName }}",
        "otherOptions": {}
      },
      "id": "slack-urgent",
      "name": "Urgent - Arriving Soon",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "typeVersion": 2.2,
      "position": [
        1340,
        240
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "slackOAuth2Api": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "authentication": "oAuth2",
        "select": "channel",
        "channelId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "YOUR_SLACK_CHANNEL_ID",
          "mode": "list"
        },
        "text": "=\ud83d\udce6 *New Shipping Document Processed*\n\n*Shipment:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.shipmentId }}\n*Type:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.documentType }}\n\n\ud83d\udea2 *Route:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.route }}\n*Vessel:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.vessel }}\n*ETA:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.eta }} ({{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.daysToArrival }} days)\n\n\ud83d\udcca *Details:*\n\u2022 Containers: {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.containerCount }}\n\u2022 Weight: {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.totalWeight }} kg\n\u2022 Incoterms: {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.incoterms }}\n\n*Shipper:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.shipperName }}\n*Consignee:* {{ $('Process Shipping Data').item.json.consigneeName }}",
        "otherOptions": {}
      },
      "id": "slack-normal",
      "name": "Notify Logistics Team",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "typeVersion": 2.2,
      "position": [
        1340,
        440
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "slackOAuth2Api": {
          "name": "<your credential>"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Gmail Trigger": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Get a message",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Get a message": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "PDF Vector - Extract Shipping",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "PDF Vector - Extract Shipping": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Process Shipping Data",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Process Shipping Data": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Log to Shipment Tracker",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Log to Shipment Tracker": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Arriving Soon?",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Arriving Soon?": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Urgent - Arriving Soon",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ],
        [
          {
            "node": "Notify Logistics Team",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "settings": {
    "executionOrder": "v1"
  },
  "tags": [
    {
      "name": "PDF Vector"
    },
    {
      "name": "Logistics"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shipping"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bill of Lading"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "templateCredsSetupCompleted": false
  }
}

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.

• gmailOAuth2
• googleSheetsOAuth2Api
• pdfVectorApi
• slackOAuth2Api

About this workflow

Shipping Document Processor. Uses gmailTrigger, gmail, n8n-nodes-pdfvector, googleSheets. Event-driven trigger; 10 nodes.

Source: https://github.com/khanhduyvt0101/workflows/blob/0153ee2efc0f692c931b9bb4c2a04abf11756822/n8n-workflows/shipping-document-processor.json — original creator credit. Request a take-down →

More AI & RAG workflows → · Browse all categories →

Related workflows

Workflows that share integrations, category, or trigger type with this one. All free to copy and import.