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Build & query RAG system with Google Drive, OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, and Pinecone

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Build & query RAG system with Google Drive, OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, and Pinecone preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

What This Workflow Does This RAG Pipeline in n8n automates document ingestion from Google Drive, vectorizes it using OpenAI embeddings, stores it in Pinecone, and enables chat based retrieval us...

Best for

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

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.googledrivetrigger, n8n-nodes-base.googledrive, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.vectorstorepinecone, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.embeddingsopenai, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.documentdefaultdataloader, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.textsplitterrecursivecharactertextsplitter, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chattrigger

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Build & query RAG system with Google Drive, OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, and Pinecone
Workflow name
Build & query RAG system with Google Drive, OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, and Pinecone

πŸ” What This Workflow Does

This RAG Pipeline in n8n automates document ingestion from Google Drive, vectorizes it using OpenAI embeddings, stores it in Pinecone, and enables chat-based retrieval using LangChain agents.

Main Functions:

πŸ“‚ Auto-detects new files uploaded to a specific Google Drive folder. 🧠 Converts the file into embeddings using OpenAI. πŸ“¦ Stores them in a Pinecone vector database. πŸ’¬ Allows a user to query the knowledge base through a chat interface. πŸ€– Uses a GPT-4o-mini model with LangChain to generate intelligent responses using retrieved context. βš™οΈ Setup Instructions

  1. Connect Accounts Ensure these services are connected in n8n:

βœ… Google Drive (OAuth2) βœ… OpenAI βœ… Pinecone You can do this in n8n > Credentials > New and use the matching names from the file:

Google Drive: "Google Drive account 2" OpenAI: "OpenAi success" Pinecone: "PineconeApi account 2" 2. Folder Setup Upload your documents to this folder in Google Drive:

πŸ“ Power Folder

The workflow is triggered every minute when a new file is uploaded.

  1. Workflow Overview A. File Ingestion Path

Google Drive Trigger β€” detects new file. Google Drive (Download) β€” downloads the new file. Recursive Text Splitter β€” splits text into chunks. Default Data Loader β€” loads content as LangChain documents. OpenAI Embeddings β€” converts text chunks into embeddings. Pinecone Vector Store β€” stores them in "ragfile" index. B. Chat Retrieval Path

When chat message received β€” AI Agent β€” LangChain agent managing tools. OpenAI Chat Model (GPT-4o-mini) β€” generates replies. Pinecone Vector Store (retrieval) β€” retrieves matching content. Embeddings OpenAI1 β€” helps match queries to document chunks.

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 - Google Drive Trigger

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

Block 2 - Google Drive

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

Block 3 - Pinecone Vector Store

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

Block 4 - Embeddings OpenAI

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

Block 5 - Default Data Loader

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

Block 6 - Recursive Character Text Splitter

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

Block 7 - AI Agent

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

Block 8 - When chat message received

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

Block 9 - OpenAI Chat Model

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

Block 10 - Pinecone Vector Store1

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

Block 11 - Embeddings OpenAI1

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

Block 12 - Sticky Note

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

3. Summary Table

Workflow Build & query RAG system with Google Drive, OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, and Pinecone
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 12
Categories Internal Wiki, AI RAG
Author David Olusola
Published 30 May 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/4501/4501.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 Build & query RAG system with Google Drive, OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, and Pinecone do?

What This Workflow Does This RAG Pipeline in n8n automates document ingestion from Google Drive, vectorizes it using OpenAI embeddings, stores it in Pinecone, and enables chat based retrieval us...

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.