n8n Workflow: Import PDF & TXT Files into Open Notebook

Bulk import your local PDFs and TXT files into Open Notebook—automatically

This self-hosted n8n workflow scans a local folder for .pdf and .txt files, then imports them into a specified Open Notebook notebook. PDFs are uploaded as files, while TXT content is sent as JSON—so your knowledge base stays organized with minimal effort.

What this workflow does

• Runs manually when you start the workflow in n8n.
• Calls the Open Notebook API to list notebooks and selects the notebook ID that matches your configured notebook name.
• Uses a shell command to scan your configured local folder for .pdf and .txt files.
• Creates one processing item per file (including path, title, and file extension).
• Processes files one at a time:
  • PDF files: uploads to Open Notebook’s /sources endpoint using multipart form data.
  • TXT files: reads the text and sends it to Open Notebook’s /sources/json endpoint using a Python requests call.

Use cases

• Import exported research notes (PDF + TXT) into Open Notebook after a discovery or documentation sprint.
• Turn plain-text knowledge dumps into structured Open Notebook sources without manual copy/paste.
• Operational workflows for SaaS teams: refresh your Open Notebook knowledge base from a local “incoming” folder.

Technical details

• n8n type: self-hosted only (this template does not run on n8n Cloud).
• Requires Execute Command node enabled and local filesystem access.
• Host must have curl and python3 installed, plus the Python requests package.
• Integrations/endpoints: Open Notebook API (list notebooks, upload via /sources, upload JSON via /sources/json).
• Nodes used: set, code, sticky note, http request, manual trigger, execute command.