Trigger n8n Workflows from Incoming Emails

n8n is brilliant for workflow automation. But when it comes to email triggers, you're stuck with the IMAP node — polling every few minutes, wrestling with OAuth tokens, and parsing raw MIME data.

There's a better way: trigger workflows instantly when emails arrive, with clean JSON payloads ready to use.

The IMAP Problem

n8n's built-in IMAP node works, but it has friction:

• Polling delays — 1-5 minute intervals, not real-time
• OAuth headaches — Gmail tokens expire, connections drop
• MIME parsing — raw email data needs manual extraction
• No retry logic — if n8n is down during a poll, emails are missed

For simple use cases, this is fine. For production workflows, you want something more reliable.

Email to Webhook

The solution: convert incoming emails to webhooks. Emails arrive → instant HTTP POST to n8n → workflow runs.

Here's how to set it up with Mailhooks.

Two Ways to Connect

Option A: Mailhooks Community Node

We've built a community node for n8n that makes setup even easier:

# Install in your n8n instance
npm install n8n-nodes-mailhooks

Or install via n8n's Community Nodes settings panel.

The node provides:

• Mailhooks Trigger — fires when emails arrive (real-time, no polling)
• Mailhooks — fetch emails, list inboxes, manage hooks via API

View on npm →

Option B: Generic Webhook

If you prefer not to install community nodes, use n8n's built-in Webhook node:

Setup: 5 Minutes

1. Create a Webhook Trigger in n8n

1. Create a new workflow
2. Add a Webhook node as the trigger
3. Set HTTP Method to POST
4. Copy the Production Webhook URL

2. Create a Mailhooks Inbox

1. Sign up at mailhooks.dev (free tier available)
2. Go to Dashboard → Inboxes → Create Inbox
3. Name it (e.g., "n8n Support")
4. Add a Webhook hook with your n8n URL
5. Save

You'll get an email address like [email protected]

3. Test It

Send an email to your new address. Watch n8n execute instantly.

The Payload

When an email arrives, your webhook receives clean JSON:

{
  "id": "msg_abc123",
  "from": "[email protected]",
  "fromName": "Jane Customer",
  "to": "[email protected]",
  "subject": "Help with my order #12345",
  "text": "Hi, I haven't received my order yet...",
  "html": "
Hi, I haven't received my order yet...
",
  "date": "2025-01-28T10:30:00Z",
  "attachments": [
    {
      "filename": "screenshot.png",
      "contentType": "image/png",
      "size": 45678,
      "url": "https://files.mailhooks.dev/..."
    }
  ]
}

No MIME parsing. No base64 decoding. Just use {{ $json.from }} in your next node.

Real-World Workflows

Support Ticket from Email

Automatically create tickets when customers email:

Notion node config:

• Database: Support Tickets
• Title: {{ $json.subject }}
• Customer: {{ $json.from }}
• Description: {{ $json.text }}

Slack node config:

• Message: 📧 New ticket from {{ $json.fromName }}: {{ $json.subject }}

Lead Capture from Contact Form

When leads email your sales address:

HubSpot node:

• Email: {{ $json.from }}
• First Name: {{ $json.fromName.split(' ')[0] }}
• Lead Source: "Email Inquiry"
• Notes: {{ $json.text }}

Invoice Processing

Vendors send invoices to a dedicated address:

Attachment download:

// In HTTP Request node
URL: {{ $json.attachments[0].url }}
Response Format: File

Auto-Responder

Acknowledge emails immediately:

Gmail node:

• To: {{ $json.from }}
• Subject: Re: {{ $json.subject }}
• Body: "Thanks for reaching out! We've received your email and will respond within 24 hours."

Order Notifications to Slack

E-commerce order confirmations forwarded to your team:

Code node:

const text = $json.text;
const orderMatch = text.match(/Order #(\d+)/);
const totalMatch = text.match(/Total: \$?([\d.]+)/);

return {
  orderId: orderMatch ? orderMatch[1] : 'Unknown',
  total: totalMatch ? totalMatch[1] : 'Unknown',
  customer: $json.from
};

Slack message:

Email to Database

Archive all emails to a database:

Postgres node:

INSERT INTO emails (from_address, subject, body, received_at)
VALUES (
  '{{ $json.from }}',
  '{{ $json.subject }}',
  '{{ $json.text }}',
  '{{ $json.date }}'
)

Handling Attachments

Mailhooks provides direct URLs for attachments. Download them in n8n:

Save to Google Drive

HTTP Request config:

• URL: {{ $json.attachments[0].url }}
• Response Format: File

Google Drive config:

• File Name: {{ $json.attachments[0].filename }}
• Parent Folder: Your folder ID

Process Multiple Attachments

Use a Loop Over Items node:

Filtering & Routing

By Sender

Switch conditions:

{{ $json.from.endsWith('@vip-client.com') }}
{{ $json.from.endsWith('@vendor.com') }}

By Subject

By Recipient (Catch-All)

With Mailhooks, any address at your domain works:

• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]

Route in n8n:

// Switch node
{{ $json.to.includes('support@') }}
{{ $json.to.includes('sales@') }}
{{ $json.to.includes('invoices@') }}

Reliability

What if n8n is Down?

Mailhooks queues failed webhooks and retries automatically:

• First retry: 1 minute
• Then: 5 min, 15 min, 1 hour
• Continues for 24 hours

Your emails aren't lost if n8n restarts or has downtime.

Monitoring Deliveries

Check webhook status in Mailhooks dashboard:

• ✅ Delivered — n8n responded 2xx
• 🔄 Pending — queued for retry
• ❌ Failed — all retries exhausted

Compared to IMAP

Advanced: Custom Domain

Instead of @yourteam.mailhooks.email, use your own domain:

1. Add domain in Mailhooks dashboard
2. Set MX records to Mailhooks servers
3. Create inboxes with your domain

Now emails to [email protected] trigger your n8n workflows.

Getting Started

1. Sign up for Mailhooks — free tier includes 100 emails/month
2. Create an inbox with your n8n webhook URL
3. Send a test email
4. Build your workflow

Total setup: 5-10 minutes. No OAuth, no polling, no MIME parsing.

Need help setting up email-triggered workflows? Check our n8n integration docs or reach out.