# WhatsApp personal AI assistant with PDF: n8n workflow template

> Started by an incoming WhatsApp message, and works across Airtable, Gmail, Google Calendar and WhatsApp.

Source: https://millionrounds.com/workflow/whatsapp-personal-ai-assistant-with-pdf (Millionrounds; every figure on the page links to its filing or article)

[Automation library](https://millionrounds.com/workflows) · [Customer support](https://millionrounds.com/workflows?category=Customer+support#library)

# WhatsApp personal AI assistant with PDF

Started by an incoming WhatsApp message, and works across Airtable, Gmail, Google Calendar and WhatsApp. It puts Claude and OpenAI behind a retrieval step, so answers are drawn from documents you supply rather than from the model alone. 35 steps, 3 branches: large, and worth reading before you trust it with anything live.

Large Calls a model: Claude, OpenAI Retrieval

[Download free](https://millionrounds.com/login?next=%2Fapp%2Fworkflow%2Fwhatsapp-personal-ai-assistant-with-pdf)

**35 steps** Large: read it before trusting it with anything live

**3** Branches: places the flow splits

**0** Loops or waits

**4** Services it connects to

## The flow

Starts it 1 Model 8 Logic 8 Service 18

The steps in the order they run, from what starts it.

- 1 **SerpAPI Web Search Tool** Tool Serp Api *Model*
- 2 **Claude Sonnet Model** Lm Chat Anthropic *Model*
- 3 **Airtable Email Database** Airtable Tool *Service*
- 4 **Add Email to Airtable** Airtable Tool *Service*
- 5 **Search Google Drive** Google Drive Tool *Service*
- 6 **Create Google Calendar Event** Google Calendar Tool *Service*
- 7 **Send Email via Gmail** Gmail Tool *Service*
- 8 **Send Discord Message** Discord Tool *Service*
- 9 **Search Gmail Emails** Gmail Tool *Service*
- 10 **Get Google Calendar Events** Google Calendar Tool *Service*
- 11 **Calculator Tool** Tool Calculator *Model*
- 12 **When WhatsApp Message Received** Whats App trigger *Starts it*
- 13 **Conversation Memory Buffer** Memory Buffer Window *Model*
- 14 **Personal Assistant Agent** Agent *Model*
- 15 **Route by Input Type** Switch *Logic*
- 16 **If Reply Should Be Audio** If *Logic*
- 17 **Set Text Input** Set *Logic*
- 18 **Get WhatsApp Audio URL** Whats App *Service*
- 19 **Get WhatsApp Image URL** Whats App *Service*
- 20 **If Message is PDF Document** If *Logic*
- 21 **OpenAI Generate Audio Reply** Open Ai *Model*
- 22 **Send Text Reply via WhatsApp** Whats App *Service*
- 23 **Fetch Audio from URL** Http Request *Service*
- 24 **Fetch Image from URL** Http Request *Service*
- 25 **Get WhatsApp File URL** Whats App *Service*
- 26 **Send Incorrect Format Error** Whats App *Service*
- 27 **Fix Audio MIME Type** Code *Logic*
- 28 **OpenAI Transcribe Audio** Open Ai *Model*
- 29 **OpenAI Analyze Image** Open Ai *Model*
- 30 **Fetch PDF File from URL** Http Request *Service*
- 31 **Send Audio via WhatsApp** Whats App *Service*
- 32 **Set Audio Transcript Text** Set *Logic*
- 33 **Set Image Analysis Text** Set *Logic*
- 34 **Extract Text from PDF** Extract From File *Service*
- 35 **Set File Content Text** Set *Logic*

## How it's built

- **Starts on:** An incoming WhatsApp message
- **Steps:** 35, with 3 branches
- **Size:** Large: read it before trusting it with anything live
- **Connects to:** Airtable, Gmail, Google Calendar, WhatsApp
- **Model:** Claude, OpenAI
- **Retrieval:** Answers are drawn from documents you supply, not from the model alone

## Questions

What does it need to run?

An n8n account, plus your own Airtable, Gmail, Google Calendar and WhatsApp accounts, and a key for Claude and OpenAI. You connect your own accounts after importing it; none are included.

What starts it?

It starts on an incoming WhatsApp message.

Does it use AI?

Yes. It calls Claude and OpenAI. Its answers draw on documents you give it, not on the model alone. Model calls are billed by the provider, not by n8n.

How long does it take to set up?

Take your time. At 35 steps it is large: read it before trusting it with anything live.

How do I import it?

Copy the workflow, open a new workflow in n8n and paste. The steps appear on the canvas, ready for your own accounts.

**Before you run it**

Nothing here has been tested by us. It is somebody's working automation, read and described from its own steps. Treat the connections it wants as a list of accounts it will touch, and read the 35 steps before you point it at anything that matters.

## Run it in n8n

- **Create your n8n account** Free to start. n8n is where the workflow runs. [Create an n8n account ↗](https://millionrounds.com/n8n)
- **Download the workflow** Free with a Millionrounds account. [Download free](https://millionrounds.com/login?next=%2Fapp%2Fworkflow%2Fwhatsapp-personal-ai-assistant-with-pdf)
- **Paste it into n8n** Open a new workflow in n8n and paste. Then connect your own accounts.

Stored with the author's traces removed: canvas notes, instance identifiers, saved credential names and any live document they had left behind.

## Connects to

Each opens the other workflows that use it.

[Airtable](https://millionrounds.com/workflows?service=Airtable#library)[Gmail](https://millionrounds.com/workflows?service=Gmail#library)[Google Calendar](https://millionrounds.com/workflows?service=Google+Calendar#library)[WhatsApp](https://millionrounds.com/workflows?service=WhatsApp#library)

## Workflows like it

Also customer support, with the same services where possible, closest in size first.

- [**Use OCR and vector search to answer questions with WhatsApp** 35 steps · calls a model · Google Drive, Pinecone](https://millionrounds.com/workflow/use-ocr-and-vector-search-to-answer-questions-with-whatsapp)
- [**AI-powered WhatsApp customer service with OpenAI and Gmail** 37 steps · calls a model · Gmail, Google Sheets](https://millionrounds.com/workflow/ai-powered-whatsapp-customer-service-with-openai-and-gmail)
- [**Route WhatsApp support requests with Claude and Supabase** 37 steps · calls a model · Gmail, Google Calendar](https://millionrounds.com/workflow/route-whatsapp-support-requests-with-claude-and-supabase)
- [**Escalate overdue and blocked Jira tickets with Gmail** 33 steps · Gmail, Jira](https://millionrounds.com/workflow/escalate-overdue-and-blocked-jira-tickets-with-gmail)
- [**AI-powered WhatsApp support bot with OpenAI and Gmail** 32 steps · calls a model · Gmail, Google Sheets](https://millionrounds.com/workflow/ai-powered-whatsapp-support-bot-with-openai-and-gmail)
- [**Automated customer support system with Gmail** 31 steps · calls a model · Gmail, Google Sheets](https://millionrounds.com/workflow/automated-customer-support-system-with-gmail)