n8n Webhook Route SMS Conflict Commands Case Reports

Turn SMS-style conflict commands into webhook-driven case replies (with safety-aware routing)

This n8n demo workflow acts like a simple SMS conflict-management “case system.” It receives incoming POST requests via a webhook, verifies the sender against a single approved demo number, parses the first command word (NEW, UPDATE, SUMMARY, STATUS, HELP), and returns a plain-text response that demonstrates realistic case-management behavior.

What this workflow does

• Receives SMS-like instructions through an n8n Webhook trigger using two fields: phone and smsText.
• Checks authorization by verifying the sender matches the single allowed demo number. If not, the workflow rejects the request with a 403 response.
• Parses and routes commands by reading the first word of smsText:
  • NEW → returns a demo confirmation message.
  • URGENT (when indicated in the message) → responds with immediate safety guidance instead of case details.
  • UPDATE → acknowledges that an existing case would be updated in a real implementation.
  • SUMMARY or STATUS → returns demo text stating a real workflow would fetch a minimal, permission-checked response from a protected case register.
  • HELP or unknown commands → returns command-format instructions or an error prompting the sender to request HELP.

Use cases

• Testing an SMS-to-workflow pattern using an HTTP webhook before connecting to real messaging providers.
• Demonstrating secure command handling and 403 sender rejection for unauthorized numbers.
• Showing how automation engineers can implement command routing and URGENT safety responses in n8n.

Technical details (n8n nodes)

• Webhook (receives POST requests)
• if (sender verification)
• switch (routes NEW/UPDATE/SUMMARY/STATUS/HELP/unknown)
• sticky note (workflow documentation)
• respond to webhook (returns plain-text responses, including 403 for unauthorized senders)