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Classify and route cold email replies using Claude and Instantly.ai

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Classify and route cold email replies using Claude and Instantly.ai preview
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1. Workflow Overview

Overview : Automatically reads every reply to your cold email campaigns in Instantly.ai, uses Claude AI to understand the intent, and takes the right action . No need ofmanual inbox checking needed...

Best for

  • Ticket Management automation workflows
  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.webhook, n8n-nodes-base.set, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chainllm, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatanthropic, n8n-nodes-base.switch, n8n-nodes-base.slack, n8n-nodes-base.gmail

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Classify and route cold email replies using Claude and Instantly.ai
Workflow name
Classify and route cold email replies using Claude and Instantly.ai

Overview :

Automatically reads every reply to your cold email campaigns in Instantly.ai, uses Claude AI to understand the intent, and takes the right action . No need ofmanual inbox checking needed.

How it works :

  • A lead replies to your cold email in Instantly.ai , this workflow starts automatically.
  • Claude AI reads the reply and labels it: Interested, Not Now, Unsubscribe, or Referral.
  • Each label triggers a different action calendar email, 30-day follow-up, opt-out removal, or referral ask.
  • Every reply gets logged to a Google Sheet automatically.

Setup steps :

  1. Instantly webhook — In Instantly → Settings → Webhooks, add a new webhook. Paste the URL from the Receive Instantly Reply node and set the trigger to Reply Received.
  2. Claude AI — Click the Claude Haiku node, add your Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com. Costs less than $0.01 per reply.
  3. Google Sheets — Create a sheet with these column headers: Timestamp | First Name | Last Name | Email | Company | Reply | Classification | Campaign. Connect your Google account in all four Log to Sheets nodes.
  4. Gmail — Connect your Gmail in Send Calendar Link and Send Referral Reply. Replace {{CALENDAR_LINK}} with your booking link.
  5. Slack (optional) — Connect Slack in Notify Slack - Hot Lead and pick a channel. Don’t use Slack? Right-click the node → Disable.
  6. Instantly re-sequence — In Re-add to Instantly Sequence, add your Instantly API key and replace {{SEQUENCE_ID}} with your follow-up sequence ID.
  7. Activate the workflow and send a test reply to confirm everything works.

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 - Sticky Note

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

Block 2 - Sticky Note1

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

Block 3 - Sticky Note2

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

Block 4 - Sticky Note3

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

Block 5 - Sticky Note4

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

Block 6 - Sticky Note5

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

Block 7 - Sticky Note6

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

Block 8 - Sticky Note7

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

Block 9 - Receive Instantly Reply

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

Block 10 - Extract Reply Data

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices
Version 3.4

Block 11 - Classify Reply Intent

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chainLlm - chainLlm
Config choices
Version 1.4

Block 12 - Claude Haiku

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

Block 13 - Route by Intent

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

Block 14 - Notify Slack - Hot Lead

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

Block 15 - Send Calendar Link

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

Block 16 - Log to Sheets - Interested

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 17 - Send Referral Reply

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

Block 18 - Log to Sheets - Referral

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 19 - Log to Sheets - Not Now

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 20 - Wait 30 Days

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

Block 21 - Re-add to Instantly Sequence

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

Block 22 - Remove from Instantly Sequences

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

Block 23 - Log to Sheets - Unsubscribed

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

3. Summary Table

Workflow Classify and route cold email replies using Claude and Instantly.ai
Complexity advanced
Nodes 23
Categories Ticket Management, AI Summarization
Author Akshay Chug
Published 02 Apr 2026

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/14622/14622.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 Classify and route cold email replies using Claude and Instantly.ai do?

Overview : Automatically reads every reply to your cold email campaigns in Instantly.ai, uses Claude AI to understand the intent, and takes the right action . No need ofmanual inbox checking needed...

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 Ticket Management, AI Summarization use case.