Gmail SLA Tracker: OpenAI + Sheets + Slack n8n Workflow

Never miss a client reply: Gmail SLA Tracker automates overdue detection, OpenAI triage, and Slack reminders

This n8n workflow monitors your Gmail inbox for client threads awaiting your response, uses OpenAI to decide whether a reply is needed and summarizes what matters, logs SLA timing in Google Sheets, and posts timely reminders and escalations to Slack.

What this workflow does

• Runs hourly on a scheduled schedule to keep response SLAs on track.
• Reads Gmail Inbox + Sent messages, matches them by thread, and identifies which client email threads are still waiting for your reply.
• Compares live waiting threads against a Google Sheets tab called “Reply Log” to detect:
  • newly due threads (not yet logged),
  • threads that have become overdue, and
  • threads you have already replied to.
• Uses OpenAI for triage on newly-due or overdue, unlogged threads: it reviews the email preview, determines whether a reply is needed, assigns a priority, and generates a short summary.
• Logs and alerts: appends each new evaluation to Google Sheets and posts a formatted alert to Slack only when OpenAI indicates a reply is needed.
• Escalates at 2× target: if a still-unanswered thread crosses 2× the reply target, the workflow updates the row as overdue and posts an escalation message to Slack.
• Closes the loop: when a reply is detected for an open thread, it updates the sheet with replied time and calculated response hours.

Use cases

• SaaS operators who need SLA visibility across inbound client emails
• Automation engineers building reliable customer communication follow-ups
• Teams that want Slack alerts only for threads OpenAI deems actionable

Technical details

• Integrations: Gmail, Google Sheets, OpenAI, Slack
• n8n node logic: if, set, code, no op, gmail, slack
• Required setup: create a Google Sheets tab named “Reply Log” with the fields the workflow writes (including inbound_message_id, thread_id, client_email, subject, summary, priority, stage, and replied timing fields).