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Extract business card data from Slack to Google Sheets with GPT-4o OCR

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Extract business card data from Slack to Google Sheets with GPT-4o OCR preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

You can turn messy business card photos into organized contact data automatically. With this workflow, you can upload a business card photo to Slack and instantly capture the contact details into G...

Best for

  • Document Extraction automation workflows
  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.slacktrigger, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, n8n-nodes-base.splitout, n8n-nodes-base.slack, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputparserstructured, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Extract business card data from Slack to Google Sheets with GPT-4o OCR
Workflow name
Extract business card data from Slack to Google Sheets with GPT-4o OCR

You can turn messy business card photos into organized contact data automatically. With this workflow, you can upload a business card photo to Slack and instantly capture the contact details into Google Sheets using OCR. No more manual typing—each new card is scanned, structured, saved, and confirmed back in Slack, making contact management fast and effortless.

How it works

  1. Slack Trigger – The workflow starts when a business card photo is uploaded to Slack.
  2. HTTP Request – The uploaded image is fetched from Slack.
  3. AI/OCR Parsing – The card image is analyzed by an AI model and structured into contact fields (name, company, email, phone, etc.).
  4. Transform Data – The extracted data is cleaned and mapped into the correct format.
  5. Google Sheets – A new row is appended to your designated Google Sheet, creating an organized contact database.
  6. Slack Notification – Finally, a confirmation message is sent back to Slack to let you know the contact has been successfully saved.

How to use

  1. Copy the template into your n8n instance.
  2. Connect your Slack account to capture uploaded images.
  3. Set up your Google Sheets connection and choose the spreadsheet where contacts should be stored.
  4. Adjust the Contact Information extraction node if you want to capture custom fields (e.g., job title, address).
  5. Deploy and test: upload a business card image in Slack and confirm it’s added to Google Sheets automatically.

Requirements

  1. n8n running (cloud).
  2. A Slack account with access to the channel where photos will be uploaded.
  3. A Google Sheets account with a target sheet prepared for storing contacts.
  4. AI/OCR capability enabled in your n8n (e.g., OpenAI, Google Vision, or another OCR/LLM provider).
  5. Basic access rights in both Slack and Google Sheets to read and write data.

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 - Slack Trigger

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

Block 2 - Append row in sheet

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.7

Block 3 - Transforming data

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

Block 4 - Send a message

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.slack - slack
Config choices
Version 2.3

Block 5 - Structure Output

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

Block 6 - AI model

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

Block 7 - Sticky Note

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

Block 8 - Sticky Note1

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

Block 9 - Fetch images

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

Block 10 - Scan Contact Information

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent - agent
Config choices
Version 2.1

3. Summary Table

Workflow Extract business card data from Slack to Google Sheets with GPT-4o OCR
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 10
Categories Document Extraction, AI Summarization
Author Toshiki Hirao
Published 08 Sept 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/8367/8367.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 Extract business card data from Slack to Google Sheets with GPT-4o OCR do?

You can turn messy business card photos into organized contact data automatically. With this workflow, you can upload a business card photo to Slack and instantly capture the contact details into G...

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, AI Summarization use case.