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Classify cold email replies and notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly

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Classify cold email replies and notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly preview
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1. Workflow Overview

Classify Cold Email Replies and Notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly Automatically classifies incoming cold email replies as HOT, WARM, or COLD using AI and sends priority Telegram notific...

Best for

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

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.webhook, n8n-nodes-base.respondtowebhook, n8n-nodes-base.if, n8n-nodes-base.set, n8n-nodes-base.stopanderror, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openai, n8n-nodes-base.telegram, 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 Devon Toh.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Classify cold email replies and notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly
Workflow name
Classify cold email replies and notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly

Classify Cold Email Replies and Notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly

Automatically classifies incoming cold email replies as HOT, WARM, or COLD using AI and sends priority Telegram notifications with auto-acknowledgment for fast response times.

Who is this for? Outbound sales teams using Instantly for cold email who want instant lead classification and speed-to-lead automation.

What problem does this solve? Manually checking inboxes for replies is slow. Hot leads go cold while you sleep. This workflow classifies replies in seconds, notifies you on Telegram, and auto-acknowledges warm/hot leads so they know you're responsive.

How it works:

  1. Instantly Reply Webhook - receives reply event from Instantly
  2. Respond 200 OK - acknowledges webhook immediately
  3. Validate Payload - checks required fields (email, reply body)
  4. Extract Lead Fields - normalizes lead data (email, name, subject, campaign)
  5. Classify Reply - OpenAI - GPT-4o-mini classifies as HOT/WARM/COLD with reasoning
  6. Parse Classification - extracts classification + carries forward lead data
  7. Is HOT? / Is WARM? - routes to the right notification branch
  8. Telegram - HOT/WARM/COLD Lead - sends priority-formatted notification
  9. Auto-Ack HOT/WARM Gmail - instantly sends acknowledgment email to engaged leads
  10. Log Reply to Sheet - logs everything for tracking

Setup:

  1. Add credentials: OpenAI, Gmail, Telegram Bot, Header Auth
  2. Replace YOUR_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID with your chat ID (message @userinfobot)
  3. Create a Google Sheet with columns: timestamp, lead_email, lead_name, classification, campaign, subject, reply_snippet, reasoning, auto_ack_sent, manual_reply_sent, manual_reply_at
  4. Replace YOUR_GOOGLE_SHEET_ID with your sheet ID
  5. Configure Instantly webhook: Settings > Integrations > Webhooks > reply_received event > paste your n8n webhook URL

Customization:

  • Edit the OpenAI system prompt to adjust classification criteria
  • Modify auto-ack email copy in the Gmail nodes
  • Adjust Telegram message formatting per branch

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 - Instantly Reply Webhook

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

Block 2 - Respond 200 OK

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

Block 3 - Validate Payload

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

Block 4 - Extract Lead Fields

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

Block 5 - Stop - Invalid Payload

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

Block 6 - Classify Reply - OpenAI

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

Block 7 - Parse Classification

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

Block 8 - Is HOT?

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

Block 9 - Is WARM?

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

Block 10 - Telegram - HOT Lead

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

Block 11 - Telegram - WARM Lead

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

Block 12 - Telegram - COLD Lead

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

Block 13 - Auto-Ack HOT Gmail

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

Block 14 - Auto-Ack WARM Gmail

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

Block 15 - Log Reply to Sheet

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

Block 16 - Section - Intake

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

Block 17 - Section - Classify

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

Block 18 - Section - Route

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

Block 19 - Warning

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

Block 20 - Main Description

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

3. Summary Table

Workflow Classify cold email replies and notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly
Complexity advanced
Nodes 20
Categories AI Summarization
Author Devon Toh
Published 21 Mar 2026

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/14220/14220.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 cold email replies and notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly do?

Classify Cold Email Replies and Notify via Telegram with OpenAI and Instantly Automatically classifies incoming cold email replies as HOT, WARM, or COLD using AI and sends priority Telegram notific...

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 AI Summarization use case.