Classifying and Sorting Emails using LLM: A Guide to the GPT-4 API and n8n workflows

The modern age has ushered in a plethora of digital communications, with email being a primary mode for both personal and professional correspondence. As the volume of emails grows, it becomes increasingly challenging to manage and organize them effectively. Enter the power of Language Models like GPT-4 and workflow automation tools like n8n. By integrating the GPT-4 API into an n8n workflow, we can harness the ability of LLM (Large Language Models) to classify and sort emails intelligently.

Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Setting Up the GPT-4 API:

Before integrating with n8n, ensure you have access to the GPT-4 API.

• Sign up for an API key from OpenAI.
• Store the key securely; you'll need it to authenticate and make requests.

2. Setting Up n8n:

n8n is a free and open node-based workflow automation tool.

• Install n8n locally or use the cloud version.
• Familiarize yourself with its interface – primarily the node-based approach to building workflows.

3. Creating the Email Classification Workflow:

3.1. Start with an Email Trigger Node:

• Use the IMAP Email node to fetch incoming emails.
• Configure your email credentials and specify the mailbox to monitor.

3.2. Add the GPT-4 Node:

• Integrate the GPT-4 node after the Email trigger.
• Authenticate using your GPT-4 API key.
• Set up the node to classify the email based on its content. You might send a prompt like "Classify this email as personal, work, spam, or other: [Email Content]" to the GPT-4 model.

3.3. Process the Model's Response:

• Based on GPT-4's response, use the "Set" node to assign categories to emails.

3.4. Sort Emails:

• Use the "Move Email" node to move emails to different folders based on their classification.

3.5. Add Error Handling:

• Incorporate nodes that handle potential errors, such as failure to connect to the email server or the GPT-4 API.

4. Testing and Iteration:

• Initially, monitor the classification results closely.
• Fine-tune the prompt or add training data if you find discrepancies in the classification.

5. Going Beyond Classification:

With GPT-4 and n8n, there's potential for even more advanced email management:

• Summarization: Use GPT-4 to provide brief summaries of lengthy emails.
• Automated Responses: Set up conditional nodes that send automated replies based on the email content.
• Integration with other apps: Use n8n to integrate with task management tools, CRMs, etc., and automate actions based on email content.

Conclusion:

The combination of GPT-4's powerful language understanding capabilities and n8n's workflow automation can revolutionize email management. With a bit of setup and tuning, you can ensure that your inbox remains organized, and you can focus on the most critical communications. Welcome to the future of email management!