Build a retrieval-based chatbot with Telegram, OpenAI and Google Drive PDF backup

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Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

Telegram RAG Chatbot with PDF Document & Google Drive Backup An upgraded Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot built in n8n that lets users ask questions via Telegram and receive accurate...

Best for

Internal Wiki automation workflows
AI RAG automation workflows
advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.embeddingsopenai, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.documentdefaultdataloader, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.vectorstoreinmemory, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.telegramtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.if, n8n-nodes-base.telegram

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: Build a retrieval-based chatbot with Telegram, OpenAI and Google Drive PDF backup
Workflow name: Build a retrieval-based chatbot with Telegram, OpenAI and Google Drive PDF backup

📚 Telegram RAG Chatbot with PDF Document & Google Drive Backup

An upgraded Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot built in n8n that lets users ask questions via Telegram and receive accurate answers from uploaded PDFs. It embeds documents using OpenAI and backs them up to Google Drive.

👤 Who’s it for

Perfect for:

Knowledge workers who want instant access to private documents
Support teams needing searchable SOPs and guides
Educators enabling course material Q&A for students
Individuals automating personal document search + cloud backup

⚙️ How it works / What it does

💬 Telegram Chat Handling

User sends a message
Triggered by the Telegram bot, the workflow checks if the message is text.
Text message → OpenAI RAG Agent
If the message is text, it's passed to a GPT-powered document agent.
This agent:
- Retrieves relevant info from embedded documents using semantic search
- Returns a context-aware answer to the user
Send answer back
The bot sends the generated response back to the Telegram user.
Non-text input fallback
If the message is not text, the bot replies with a polite unsupported message.

📄 PDF Upload and Embedding

User uploads PDFs manually
A manual trigger starts the embedding flow.
Default Data Loader
Reads and chunks the PDF(s) into text segments.
Insert to Vector Store (Embedding)
Text chunks are embedded using OpenAI and saved for retrieval.
Backup to Google Drive
The original PDF is uploaded to Google Drive for safekeeping.

🛠️ How to set up

Telegram Bot
- Create via BotFather
- Connect it to the Telegram Trigger node
OpenAI
- Use your OpenAI API key
- Connect the Embeddings and Chat Model nodes (GPT-3.5/4)
- Ensure both embedding and querying use the same Embedding node
Google Drive
- Set up credentials in n8n for your Google account
- Connect the “Backup to Google Drive” node
PDF Ingestion
- Use the “Upload your PDF here” trigger
- Connect it to the loader, embedder, and backup flow

✅ Requirements

Telegram bot token
OpenAI API key (GPT + Embeddings)
n8n instance (self-hosted or cloud)
Google Drive integration
PDF files to upload

🧩 How to customize the workflow

Feature	How to Customize
Auto-ingest from folders	Add Google Drive/Dropbox watchers for new PDFs
Add file upload via Telegram	Extend Telegram bot to receive PDFs and run the embedding flow
Track user questions	Log Telegram usernames and questions to a database
Summarize documents	Add summarization step on upload
Add Markdown or HTML support	Format replies for better Telegram rendering

Built with 💬 Telegram + 📄 PDF + 🧠 OpenAI Embeddings + ☁️ Google Drive + ⚡ 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 - Embeddings OpenAI

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

Block 2 - Default Data Loader

Type / Role: @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.documentDefaultDataLoader - documentDefaultDataLoader
Config choices: Version 1.1

Block 3 - Insert Data to Store

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

Block 4 - Query Data Tool

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

Block 5 - OpenAI Chat Model

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

Block 6 - Sticky Note3

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

Block 7 - Telegram Trigger

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

Block 8 - Is text message?

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

Block 9 - Send respond to user

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

Block 10 - Un-supported message type

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

Block 11 - Telegram document query agent

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

Block 12 - Sticky Note6

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

Block 13 - Sticky Note5

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

Block 14 - Code

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

Block 15 - Upload your PDF document here

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

Block 16 - Backup document(s) to Google Drive

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

Block 17 - Sticky Note

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

Block 18 - Sticky Note1

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

Block 19 - Sticky Note2

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

Block 20 - Sticky Note4

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

Block 21 - Sticky Note7

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

Block 22 - Sticky Note9

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

Block 23 - Sticky Note10

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

Block 24 - Sticky Note8

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

3. Summary Table

Workflow	Build a retrieval-based chatbot with Telegram, OpenAI and Google Drive PDF backup
Complexity	advanced
Nodes	24
Categories	Internal Wiki, AI RAG
Author	Trung Tran
Published	05 Aug 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/6994/6994.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 Internal Wiki workflows AI RAG workflows

Frequently asked questions

What does Build a retrieval-based chatbot with Telegram, OpenAI and Google Drive PDF backup do?

Telegram RAG Chatbot with PDF Document & Google Drive Backup An upgraded Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot built in n8n that lets users ask questions via Telegram and receive accurate...

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 Internal Wiki, AI RAG use case.

Trung Tran

35 workflows

Nodes

@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.embeddingsopenai @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.documentdefaultdataloader @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.vectorstoreinmemory @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai n8n-nodes-base.stickynote n8n-nodes-base.telegramtrigger n8n-nodes-base.if n8n-nodes-base.telegram

Complexity

advanced

Published 05 Aug 2025

Likes 0

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Install path: /data/workflows/6994/6994.json

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Build a retrieval-based chatbot with Telegram, OpenAI and Google Drive PDF backup

Workflow preview

Important notice

1. Workflow Overview

Best for

Tools used

Source and attribution

1.1 Workflow description

📚 Telegram RAG Chatbot with PDF Document & Google Drive Backup

👤 Who’s it for

⚙️ How it works / What it does

💬 Telegram Chat Handling

📄 PDF Upload and Embedding

🛠️ How to set up

✅ Requirements

🧩 How to customize the workflow

1.2 Logical Blocks

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Embeddings OpenAI

Block 2 - Default Data Loader

Block 3 - Insert Data to Store

Block 4 - Query Data Tool

Block 5 - OpenAI Chat Model

Block 6 - Sticky Note3

Block 7 - Telegram Trigger

Block 8 - Is text message?

Block 9 - Send respond to user

Block 10 - Un-supported message type

Block 11 - Telegram document query agent

Block 12 - Sticky Note6

Block 13 - Sticky Note5

Block 14 - Code

Block 15 - Upload your PDF document here

Block 16 - Backup document(s) to Google Drive

Block 17 - Sticky Note

Block 18 - Sticky Note1

Block 19 - Sticky Note2

Block 20 - Sticky Note4

Block 21 - Sticky Note7

Block 22 - Sticky Note9

Block 23 - Sticky Note10

Block 24 - Sticky Note8

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