Automate Broken Job Link Checks with Postgres & Google Sheets

Automate Broken Job Link Checks with Postgres & Google Sheets

Stop manually checking hundreds of job application URLs for broken links. This n8n workflow automatically validates your job listings every three days, identifies dead or redirected apply links, and marks inactive jobs in both your Postgres database and Google Sheets—keeping your job board clean without user complaints.

What this workflow does

Every 72 hours, the automated process fetches all active jobs from your Supabase (Postgres) database and systematically validates each application URL. The workflow sends HTTP HEAD requests to check link status, then uses intelligent detection to identify failed jobs through multiple signals:

• HTTP status codes (404, 410 errors)
• DNS resolution failures and connection refused errors
• Soft-404 detection via redirect analysis—catching when job URLs redirect to different paths, indicating removed positions
• Malformed or missing URL filtering before validation

When dead links are discovered, the workflow simultaneously updates your Supabase database and Google Sheets, marking jobs as inactive through parallel processing for maximum efficiency.

Use cases

• Job aggregators: Automatically clean scraped job listings from multiple ATS systems
• Career platforms: Maintain high-quality job databases without manual link checking
• Internal hiring trackers: Keep recruitment dashboards accurate with working application links
• HR teams: Prevent candidate frustration from broken job application URLs

Technical details

Built with essential n8n nodes including Schedule Trigger for automated 3-day intervals, Postgres integration for Supabase database queries, HTTP Request nodes for link validation, custom Code node for dead link detection logic, conditional IF nodes for workflow routing, and Google Sheets integration for spreadsheet synchronization.

Perfect for teams managing job listings in Postgres who need reliable broken link detection and dual-platform updates without waiting for user reports or performing manual audits.