Automate Instagram carousel posts with Google Sheets, Drive & Cloudinary

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Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

Who is this for? This workflow is ideal for social media managers, content creators, marketers, and small businesses who want to automate Instagram Carousel posts using Google Sheets and Google Dri...

Best for

Social Media automation workflows
advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.googledrive, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, n8n-nodes-base.scheduletrigger, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.set, n8n-nodes-base.aggregate

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by Henry.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title: Automate Instagram carousel posts with Google Sheets, Drive & Cloudinary
Workflow name: Automate Instagram carousel posts with Google Sheets, Drive & Cloudinary

Who is this for?

This workflow is ideal for social media managers, content creators, marketers, and small businesses who want to automate Instagram Carousel posts using Google Sheets and Google Drive. It is also suitable for anyone looking to streamline repetitive Instagram publishing tasks with n8n, Cloudinary, and the Instagram Graph API.

What problem is this workflow solving? / Use case

Managing and publishing Instagram Carousel posts manually can be time-consuming, especially when handling multiple accounts or campaigns. This workflow solves that by automatically fetching scheduled posts from Google Sheets, uploading images from Google Drive to Cloudinary, and publishing them to Instagram, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

What this workflow does

This n8n workflow checks a Google Sheet every 5 minutes for new Carousel posts marked as "ToDo." When found, it uploads images from a specified Google Drive folder to Cloudinary, prepares the media on Instagram using the Graph API, and publishes the Carousel post with the given caption.

Setup

Prepare a Google Sheet to track posts and image folder URLs. Example : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WEUHeQXFMYsWVAW3DykWwpANxxD3DxH-S6c0i06dW1g/edit?usp=sharing
Upload post images to a dedicated Google Drive folder.
Set up a Cloudinary account and gather API credentials.
Obtain Instagram access_token and ig_business_id for API publishing.
Configure the n8n workflow with required credentials and your custom intervals.

How to customize this workflow to your needs

Adjust the schedule trigger interval to fit your publishing frequency.
Expand the Google Sheet with additional metadata as required.
Modify the filter logic to support different content types or statuses.
Add extra automation steps, such as sending notifications after publishing.

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Get image list from a Google Drive folder1

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive - googleDrive
Config choices: Version 3

Block 2 - Get Execution for Carousel

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices: Version 4.6

Block 3 - Schedule Trigger

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger - scheduleTrigger
Config choices: Version 1.2

Block 4 - Sticky Note8

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 5 - Sticky Note

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 6 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 7 - Sticky Note2

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 8 - Upload images to Cloudinary

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.2

Block 9 - Setup for Instagram (access token, ig_business_id)

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices: Version 3.4

Block 10 - Download Image from Google Drive (Carousel)

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.2

Block 11 - Create Media Container (Image)

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.2

Block 12 - Combine Instagram media containers

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.aggregate - aggregate
Config choices: Version 1

Block 13 - Create Media Container (Carousel)

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.2

Block 14 - Publish Instagram Carousel

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.2

Block 15 - Update Execute to "Processed"

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices: Version 4.6

3. Summary Table

Workflow	Automate Instagram carousel posts with Google Sheets, Drive & Cloudinary
Complexity	advanced
Nodes	15
Categories	Social Media
Author	Henry
Published	10 Jul 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/5833/5833.json as the source template for this automation.
2. Import the template into n8n

Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.
3. Configure credentials and variables

Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.
4. Test with sample data

Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.
5. Activate and monitor

Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Download workflow JSON Original n8n.io source Social Media workflows

Frequently asked questions

What does Automate Instagram carousel posts with Google Sheets, Drive & Cloudinary do?

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Social Media use case.

Henry

5 workflows

Nodes

n8n-nodes-base.googledrive n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets n8n-nodes-base.scheduletrigger n8n-nodes-base.stickynote n8n-nodes-base.httprequest n8n-nodes-base.set n8n-nodes-base.aggregate

Complexity

advanced

Published 10 Jul 2025

Likes 0

View on n8n.io Download Workflow

Install path: /data/workflows/5833/5833.json

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Automate Instagram carousel posts with Google Sheets, Drive & Cloudinary

Workflow preview

Important notice

1. Workflow Overview

Best for

Tools used

Source and attribution

1.1 Workflow description

Who is this for?

What problem is this workflow solving? / Use case

What this workflow does

Setup

How to customize this workflow to your needs

1.2 Logical Blocks

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Get image list from a Google Drive folder1

Block 2 - Get Execution for Carousel

Block 3 - Schedule Trigger

Block 4 - Sticky Note8

Block 5 - Sticky Note

Block 6 - Sticky Note1

Block 7 - Sticky Note2

Block 8 - Upload images to Cloudinary

Block 9 - Setup for Instagram (access token, ig_business_id)

Block 10 - Download Image from Google Drive (Carousel)

Block 11 - Create Media Container (Image)

Block 12 - Combine Instagram media containers

Block 13 - Create Media Container (Carousel)

Block 14 - Publish Instagram Carousel

Block 15 - Update Execute to "Processed"

3. Summary Table

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

2. Import the template into n8n

3. Configure credentials and variables

4. Test with sample data

5. Activate and monitor

5. General Notes & Resources

Frequently asked questions