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Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages with OpenAI Whisper & Google Workspace

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Open on n8n.io

Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

️ VoiceScribe AI: Telegram Audio Message Auto Transcription with OpenAI Whisper Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages and store them as structured logs in Google Sheets, while bac...

Best for

  • Document Extraction automation workflows
  • Multimodal AI automation workflows
  • advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.telegram, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.if, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openai, n8n-nodes-base.googledrive, n8n-nodes-base.merge, n8n-nodes-base.telegramtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages with OpenAI Whisper & Google Workspace
Workflow name
Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages with OpenAI Whisper & Google Workspace

🎙️ VoiceScribe AI: Telegram Audio Message Auto Transcription with OpenAI Whisper

> Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages and store them as structured logs in Google Sheets, while backing up the audio in Google Drive.

🧑‍💼 Who’s it for

  • Journalists, content creators, or busy professionals who often record voice memos or short interviews on the go.
  • Anyone who wants to turn voice recordings into searchable, structured notes.

⚙️ How it works / What it does

  1. User sends a voice message to a Telegram bot.
  2. n8n checks if the message is an audio voice note.
  3. If valid, it downloads the audio file and:
    • Transcribes it using OpenAI Whisper (or your LLM of choice).
    • Uploads the original audio to Google Drive for safekeeping.
  4. The transcript and audio metadata are merged.
  5. The workflow:
    • Logs the data into a Google Sheet.
    • Sends a formatted confirmation message to the user via Telegram.

If the input is not audio, the bot politely informs the user that only voice messages are accepted.

✅ Features

  • Accepts only Telegram voice messages.
  • Transcribes via OpenAI Whisper.
  • Logs DateTime, Duration, Transcript, and Audio URL to Google Sheets.
  • Sends user feedback message via Telegram with download + transcript link.

🚀 How to set up

Prerequisites

  • Telegram Bot connected to n8n (via Telegram Trigger)
  • Google Drive & Google Sheets credentials configured
  • OpenAI or Whisper API credentials (for transcription)

Steps

  1. Telegram Trigger
    Start the flow when a new message is sent to your bot.
  2. Check Message Type
    Use a conditional node to confirm it's a voice message.
  3. Download Voice Message
    Download the .oga file from Telegram.
  4. Transcribe Audio
    Send the binary audio to OpenAI Whisper or your transcription service.
  5. Upload to Google Drive
    Backup the original audio file.
  6. Merge Outputs
    Combine transcription with Drive metadata.
  7. Transform to Row Format
    Prepare structured JSON for Google Sheets.
  8. Append to Google Sheet
    Store the transcript log (DateTime, Duration, Transcript, AudioURL).
  9. Send Confirmation to User
    Inform the user via Telegram with their transcript and download link.
  10. Unsupported Message Handler
    Reply to users who send non-audio messages.

📄 Example Output in Google Sheet

DateTime Duration Transcript AudioURL
2025-08-07T13:12:19Z 27 Dự án Outlet Activation là... https://drive.google.com/uc?id=xxxx&export=download

🧠 How to customize the workflow

  • Swap Whisper with Deepgram, AssemblyAI, or other providers.
  • Add speaker name detection or prompt-based tagging via GPT.
  • Route transcripts into Notion, Airtable, or CRM systems.
  • Add multi-language support or summarization steps.

📦 Requirements

Component Required
Telegram API
Google Drive API
Google Sheets API
OpenAI Whisper API
n8n Cloud or Self-hosted

Created with ❤️ using n8n

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 - Un-supported message type

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

Block 2 - Sticky Note

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

Block 3 - Sticky Note1

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

Block 4 - Sticky Note5

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

Block 5 - Sticky Note6

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

Block 6 - Sticky Note7

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

Block 7 - Sticky Note8

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

Block 8 - Sticky Note9

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

Block 9 - Is audio message?

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

Block 10 - Download audio message

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

Block 11 - Transcribe a recording

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi - openAi
Config choices
Version 1.8

Block 12 - Upload file

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

Block 13 - Merge

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.merge - merge
Config choices
Version 3.2

Block 14 - Telegram Voice Message Trigger

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

Block 15 - Sticky Note2

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

Block 16 - Inform user via Telegram

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

Block 17 - Log voice record to google sheet

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

Block 18 - Transform the output of voice record

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

Block 19 - Sticky Note10

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

3. Summary Table

Workflow Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages with OpenAI Whisper & Google Workspace
Complexity advanced
Nodes 19
Categories Document Extraction, Multimodal AI
Author Trung Tran
Published 07 Aug 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/7123/7123.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 Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages with OpenAI Whisper & Google Workspace do?

️ VoiceScribe AI: Telegram Audio Message Auto Transcription with OpenAI Whisper Automatically transcribe Telegram voice messages and store them as structured logs in Google Sheets, while bac...

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 Document Extraction, Multimodal AI use case.