Detect Scope Creep with Gmail & Gemini in n8n (Docs/Sheets)

Spot scope creep in client email—automatically (Gmail + Gemini in n8n)

This n8n workflow monitors labeled client emails in Gmail, compares requests to each active project’s approved scope of work stored in Google Docs, and uses Gemini to recommend whether every request is in scope, a change request, or needs human review. When ambiguity or unsupported items appear, it logs the result in Google Sheets and creates unsent Gmail drafts for manual follow-up.

What this workflow does

• Every five minutes, checks Gmail for incoming messages with the configured scope-review label, excluding already processed, sent mail, and drafts.
• Uses Gmail message ID to search Scope_Requests in Google Sheets to prevent duplicate routine processing.
• Loads the full email, removes quoted replies where possible, and validates the sender and new message content.
• Matches the sender to exactly one active project in the Projects sheet, then retrieves that project’s approved statement of work from Google Docs.
• Calls Gemini to extract individual requests and suggest one of: IN_SCOPE, CHANGE_REQUEST_REQUIRED, or NEEDS_HUMAN_REVIEW.
• Code verifies cited text exists in the approved scope; unsupported classifications are escalated for human review.
• Writes the overall decision, request details, supporting quotes, and processing status to Google Sheets; if drafts are enabled, creates an unsent Gmail draft when review is needed.
• Supports audit-style behavior when inputs are missing or provider handling errors occur (including attempts to record a NOT_ASSESSED status).

Use cases

• Agencies/Freelancers quickly triaging “can you also…” emails against the approved SOW.
• Reducing manual effort by routing only ambiguous or non-matching requests to human reviewers.
• Maintaining an auditable trail in Google Sheets for scope decisions and supporting quotes.

Technical details

• n8n nodes/integrations: gmail, google docs, set, if, switch, code, and logic to work with Google Sheets.
• Core behavior: label-driven Gmail polling, message-ID deduplication, Gemini-assisted scope classification, scope-text verification, and unsent Gmail drafts when human review is required.