How to Tag Incidents Based on Keywords with n8n: A Step-by-Step Guide for Operations

Identifying and categorizing incidents efficiently can be challenging for Operations teams handling a continuous influx of reports and alerts. ⚙️ Leveraging automation tools like n8n to tag incidents based on keywords saves time, reduces errors, and speeds up response. In this article, you will learn a practical, step-by-step approach to build an automated workflow that tags incidents extracted from emails and messages, integrating services such as Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, and HubSpot.

Whether you are a startup CTO, an automation engineer, or an operations specialist, this guide will walk you through designing a scalable, robust automation workflow using n8n. We will break down each step, explain key configurations, and share tips to handle errors, security, and monitoring. Plus, you will find useful comparisons of popular automation platforms and integration options to make informed decisions.

Understanding the Problem and Benefits of Keyword-Based Incident Tagging

Operations teams receive incident reports from multiple channels like emails, chats, and helpdesk tickets daily. Manually sorting and tagging these incidents slows down resolution and introduces human error. Automating keyword-based tagging helps in:

• Quickly categorizing incidents by severity, type, or department
• Enhancing workflow routing and prioritization
• Generating actionable insights and analytics
• Saving time and operational costs

By building an n8n workflow integrated with Gmail for email triggers, Google Sheets for tag management, Slack for alerts, and HubSpot to update tickets, Operations teams gain streamlined incident handling with minimal manual intervention.

Tools and Services Used in the Automation Workflow

• n8n: The open-source automation platform which orchestrates the workflow.
• Gmail: To trigger workflows based on incoming incident emails.
• Google Sheets: To maintain a dynamic list of keywords and corresponding tags.
• Slack: To send alerts about tagged incidents to respective channels.
• HubSpot: To update incident tickets with tags for CRM and support alignment.

End-to-End Workflow Explained

The automation follows this flow:

1. Trigger: New incident email arrives in Gmail inbox.
2. Extract: Parse email content and subject to capture incident details.
3. Lookup: Query Google Sheets containing keywords and associated tags.
4. Process: Check if any keywords appear in the incident description.
5. Tag: Assign appropriate tags based on matched keywords.
6. Notify: Post an alert with tags to a Slack channel.
7. Update: Add tags to the incident record in HubSpot.

Building the n8n Workflow: Step-by-Step Node Breakdown

1. Gmail Trigger Node

This node listens for new emails in your Gmail inbox or a specific label. Set the node as follows:

• Resource: Email
• Operation: Watch Emails
• Label: Specify the folder or label for incident emails (e.g., “Incidents”)
• Additional Options: Mark emails as read after processing to avoid duplicates

{
  "resource": "email",
  "operation": "watch",
  "label": "Label_Incidents",
  "markAsRead": true
}

2. Extract Email Content

Use the built-in Extract Text or Function node to parse email subject and body, extracting the incident description for keyword matching. Example code snippet in a Function node:

return [{
  json: {
    subject: $json["subject"],
    body: $json["textPlain"] || $json["textHtml"],
  }
}];

3. Google Sheets Node to Retrieve Keywords

Connect to Google Sheets to fetch current keywords and tags list. Configure the node:

• Resource: Spreadsheet Rows
• Operation: Read Rows
• Spreadsheet ID: Your keywords sheet ID
• Sheet Name: e.g., “Keywords”
• Range: A:B (columns for keywords and tags)

4. Function Node: Match Keywords and Assign Tags

This node loops through each keyword from Google Sheets and checks if it exists in the email body. Uses JavaScript for matching:

const incidentText = (items[0].json.body || '').toLowerCase();
const keywords = items[1].json;
let tags = [];

for (const row of items[1].json) {
  const keyword = row.keyword.toLowerCase();
  const tag = row.tag;
  if (incidentText.includes(keyword)) {
    tags.push(tag);
  }
}

return [{ json: { tags: [...new Set(tags)] } }];

5. Slack Node: Send Notification

Set up the Slack node to post a message with incident details and tags:

• Resource: Message
• Operation: Post Message
• Channel: #operations-incidents
• Message: Use expressions to insert email subject and tags, e.g. Incident tagged: {{$json["subject"]}} - Tags: {{$json["tags"].join(", ")}}

6. HubSpot Node: Update Ticket

Use HubSpot API to update the corresponding ticket with the tags. Configure:

• Resource: CRM Ticket
• Operation: Update
• Ticket ID: Map from email or use property mapping rules
• Properties: Add custom field for tags, e.g., incident_tags

Handling Errors, Retries, and Rate Limits

Common issues include API rate limits from Gmail or HubSpot, network failures, or malformed emails.

• Retries: Configure exponential backoff in n8n for API calls, retrying up to 3 times.
• Error Node: Use error workflow triggers to capture and log errors.
• Idempotency: Maintain processed email IDs in a database or Google Sheet to avoid double processing.
• Logging: Integrate a logging service or Google Sheets node to save workflow execution details.

Security Considerations

Ensure API credentials for Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, and HubSpot are stored securely using n8n’s credential management.

• Limit OAuth scopes to minimum required permissions
• Mask sensitive data in logs and output
• Comply with privacy regulations for personally identifiable information (PII)

Scaling and Optimization Tips

Webhook vs Polling 📡

While polling Gmail for new emails is simple, using Gmail Push Notifications with webhooks lowers latency and API calls.

Queue and Concurrency

To handle high volumes of incidents, implement n8n queues with limited concurrency to avoid hitting rate limits.

Modular Workflows

Split the workflow into modular segments—trigger, keyword matching, notification—to simplify updates and debugging.

Robust version control within n8n helps track changes over time and revert problematic updates.

Testing and Monitoring

• Use sandbox or test Gmail accounts to simulate incoming incidents.
• Monitor n8n run history to identify failures or slow steps.
• Set alerts via Slack or email for critical workflow errors.
• Validate tags on test incidents before production rollout.

Ready to accelerate your Operations with pre-built automations? Explore the Automation Template Marketplace now for ready-to-use workflows and inspiration.

Comparing Popular Automation Platforms for Incident Tagging

Platform	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free self-hosted; Paid cloud plans from $20/month	Open-source, flexible, highly customizable, strong community	Requires setup and maintenance when self-hosted
Make (Integromat)	Plans from $9/month; free tier includes 1,000 ops	Visual scenario building, many app integrations, good support	Can become costly at scale, less developer control
Zapier	Starting $19.99/month, limited free tier	Ease of use, large app ecosystem, fast setup	Limited custom logic, higher cost for volume

Webhook vs Polling for Receiving Emails

Method	Response Time	Implementation Complexity	API Calls Usage
Polling	5-15 minutes delay depending on interval	Simple to set up	Higher due to frequent checks
Webhook (Push Notifications)	Near real-time	Requires initial setup and security considerations	Low API usage

Google Sheets vs Database for Keyword Management

Storage Option	Setup Complexity	Ease of Update	Performance at Scale
Google Sheets	Very low	High (non-technical users can edit)	Moderate (can slow with very large data)
Relational Database (PostgreSQL, etc.)	Moderate to High (requires DB setup)	Moderate (technical updates preferred)	Excellent (handles large data efficiently)

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FAQ: How to Tag Incidents Based on Keywords with n8n

Conclusion

Automating how to tag incidents based on keywords with n8n empowers Operations teams to handle large volumes of incident data efficiently, reduce human errors, and accelerate response times. Leveraging integrations like Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, and HubSpot within a modular, secure, and scalable workflow brings tangible benefits.

By following this step-by-step guide, you can build a robust automation that extracts incident details, checks keywords, applies tags, and informs your team seamlessly. Remember to monitor, handle errors gracefully, and adapt the workflow to your evolving needs.

Don’t wait to streamline your incident management—start automating today!