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Automatic expense tracking with Telegram, AI, and Google Sheets

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Automatic expense tracking with Telegram, AI, and Google Sheets preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

The Problem Tired of manually logging every coffee and cab ride? Stop wrestling with spreadsheets! This template automates your expense tracking so you can manage your finances effortlessly. It'...

Best for

  • Personal Productivity automation workflows
  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.telegramtrigger, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatanthropic, n8n-nodes-base.httprequesttool, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputparserstructured, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatgooglegemini

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Automatic expense tracking with Telegram, AI, and Google Sheets
Workflow name
Automatic expense tracking with Telegram, AI, and Google Sheets

The Problem ๐Ÿ˜ซ Tired of manually logging every coffee and cab ride? Stop wrestling with spreadsheets! This template automates your expense tracking so you can manage your finances effortlessly.

It's perfect for freelancers, small business owners, and anyone who wants a simple, chat-based way to track spending.


How It Works โœจ Just send a message to your personal Telegram bot like "5 usd for coffee with my card" and this workflow will automatically:

๐Ÿ“ฒ Get your message from Telegram.

๐Ÿค– Use AI to understand the amount, category, currency, and payment method.

๐Ÿ’ฑ Convert currencies automatically using live exchange rates.

โœ๏ธ Log everything neatly into a new row in your Google Sheet.

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Quick Setup Guide

  1. Google Sheets ๐Ÿ“ Create a new Google Sheet.

Make sure your first row has these exact column names: date, amount, category, description, user_id, payment_method, currency, exchange_rate, amount_converted

Copy the Sheet ID from the browser's URL bar.

  1. Telegram Bot ๐Ÿค– Chat with @BotFather on Telegram, use the /newbot command, and get your API Token.

Chat with @userinfobot to get your personal Chat ID.

  1. n8n Workflow ๐Ÿ”— Add your credentials for Google Sheets, Telegram, and your AI model.

Paste your Chat ID into the Telegram Trigger node.

Paste your Sheet ID into the Append row in sheet node.

Activate the workflow and start tracking! โœ…

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 - Telegram Trigger

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

Block 2 - AI Agent

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent - agent
Config choices
Version 2

Block 3 - o3

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatOpenAi - lmChatOpenAi
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 4 - H3.5

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatAnthropic - lmChatAnthropic
Config choices
Version 1.3

Block 5 - Get Rates

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

Block 6 - Parser

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputParserStructured - outputParserStructured
Config choices
Version 1.3

Block 7 - Append row in sheet

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

Block 8 - 2.5F

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatGoogleGemini - lmChatGoogleGemini
Config choices
Version 1

Block 9 - 2.5F1

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatGoogleGemini - lmChatGoogleGemini
Config choices
Version 1

Block 10 - Code

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

3. Summary Table

Workflow Automatic expense tracking with Telegram, AI, and Google Sheets
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 10
Categories Personal Productivity, AI Summarization
Author M Sayed
Published 20 Jul 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/6210/6210.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 Automatic expense tracking with Telegram, AI, and Google Sheets do?

The Problem Tired of manually logging every coffee and cab ride? Stop wrestling with spreadsheets! This template automates your expense tracking so you can manage your finances effortlessly. It'...

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, AI Summarization use case.