Skip to main content

Automated YouTube subscription notifications with RSS and email

Workflow preview

Workflow preview
100%
Automated YouTube subscription notifications with RSS and email preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

Who is this template for? You are in the bad habit of always checking your feed to see if there are new videos? This workflow will help you get rid of this habit by delivering an email notification...

Best for

  • Personal Productivity automation workflows
  • advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.youtube, n8n-nodes-base.scheduletrigger, n8n-nodes-base.if, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.rssfeedread, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.filter, n8n-nodes-base.emailsend

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Automated YouTube subscription notifications with RSS and email
Workflow name
Automated YouTube subscription notifications with RSS and email

Who is this template for?

You are in the bad habit of always checking your feed to see if there are new videos? This workflow will help you get rid of this habit by delivering an email notification for each new video posted from the channels you are subscribed to. No need to check your feed again: no email = no new video.

Example email

How it works

Every hour (by default), we:

  • Fetch all your YouTube subscriptions from the YouTube Data v3 API.
  • Get a list of the latest videos of each channel through RSS (we don't use YouTube's API for this step as it would put us over the daily quota).
  • Send you a simple yet beautiful email for each new video that was published since the last run of the workflow. To go to the video, simply click on the thumbnail.

Caveats

Because of the way this workflow is implemented, if your n8n instance stops, you will not get emails for the videos you missed when your instance is back online. The situation could be improved if n8n gave us an easy way to access the last successful execution's timestamp.

Set up instructions

  1. Complete the Set up credentials step when you first open the workflow. You'll need YouTube OAuth2 API and SMTP credentials.
  2. In the Send an email for each new video step, set the email address from which the email will be sent (an email address that your SMTP credentials allow sending from) and the email address to which you are going to send the email to (can be the same).

Optional steps

  1. From the Schedule Trigger step, you can change the check frequency (default: every hour).
  2. If there are channels that you do not want notifications from, you can add their channel ID to the list in the Filter out channels step. To get a channel's ID, go to its main page, click on the description, then "Share channel" and finally "Copy channel ID".
  3. By default, shorts are excluded. But if you want them, simply remove the Filter out shorts step from the workflow.

Template was created in n8n v1.84.0

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 video details

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

Block 2 - Schedule Trigger

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

Block 3 - Filter out shorts

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.if - if
Config choices
Version 2

Block 4 - Sticky Note

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

Block 5 - Sticky Note1

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

Block 6 - Sticky Note2

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

Block 7 - Sticky Note3

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

Block 8 - Sticky Note4

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

Block 9 - Get latest 15 videos of each channel

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.rssFeedRead - rssFeedRead
Config choices
Version 1.1

Block 10 - Get my subscriptions

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

Block 11 - Check for errors

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.if - if
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 12 - Only keep channels with unwatched videos

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.filter - filter
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 13 - Keep only videos published since last run

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.filter - filter
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 14 - Send an email for each new video

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.emailSend - emailSend
Config choices
Version 2.1

Block 15 - If the HTTP request failed, throw the error

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

Block 16 - Split out subscriptions to process individually

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

Block 17 - Sticky Note5

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

Block 18 - Filter out channels

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.filter - filter
Config choices
Version 2.2

3. Summary Table

Workflow Automated YouTube subscription notifications with RSS and email
Complexity advanced
Nodes 18
Categories Personal Productivity
Author Sweenu
Published 19 Mar 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/3216/3216.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

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

  4. 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. 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.

Frequently asked questions

What does Automated YouTube subscription notifications with RSS and email do?

Who is this template for? You are in the bad habit of always checking your feed to see if there are new videos? This workflow will help you get rid of this habit by delivering an email notification...

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 Personal Productivity use case.