Convert Telegram voice messages to Google Docs with Whisper & GPT-4o tagging

This n8n template demonstrates how to automatically convert voice messages from Telegram into structured, searchable notes in Google Docs using AI transcription and intelligent tagging.

Use cases are many: Try capturing ideas on-the-go while walking, recording meeting insights hands-free, creating voice journals, or building a personal knowledge base from spoken thoughts!

Good to know

• OpenAI Whisper transcription costs approximately $0.006 per minute of audio
• ChatGPT tagging adds roughly $0.001-0.003 per message depending on length
• The workflow supports both German and English voice recognition
• Text messages are also supported - they bypass transcription and go directly to AI tagging
• Perfect companion: Combine with the "Weekly AI Review" workflow for automated weekly summaries of all your notes!

How it works

• Telegram receives your voice message or text and triggers the workflow
• An IF node intelligently detects whether you sent audio or text content
• For voice messages: Telegram downloads the audio file and OpenAI Whisper transcribes it to text
• For text messages: Content is passed directly to the next step
• ChatGPT analyzes the content and generates up to 3 relevant keywords (Work, Ideas, Private, Health, etc.)
• A function node formats everything with Swiss timestamps, message type indicators, and clean structure
• The formatted entry gets automatically inserted into your Google Doc with date, keywords, and full content
• Telegram sends you a confirmation with the transcribed/original text so you can verify accuracy

How to use

• Simply send a voice message or text to your Telegram bot - the workflow handles everything automatically
• The manual execution can be used for testing, but in production this runs on every message
• Voice messages work best with clear speech in quiet environments for optimal transcription

Requirements

• Telegram Bot Token and configured webhook
• OpenAI API account for Whisper transcription and ChatGPT tagging
• Google Docs API access for document writing
• A dedicated Google Doc where all notes will be collected

Customising this workflow

• Adjust the AI prompt to use different tagging categories relevant to your workflow (e.g., project names, priorities, emotions)
• Add multiple Google Docs for different contexts (work vs. private notes)
• Include additional processing like sentiment analysis or automatic task extraction
• Connect to other apps like Notion, Obsidian, or your preferred note-taking system

And don't forget to also implement the complimentary workflow Weekly AI Review!