Automate Daily Digests with n8n: RSS, Gmail & Todoist Integration

What This Automation Does

This workflow pulls main daily updates from news, emails, and task apps automatically.

It solves the problem of wasting time checking multiple sources every morning.

The result is one clear email with top news, recent emails, and upcoming tasks.

Tools and Services Used

• Times of India RSS Feed: Fetches the latest top 5 news articles daily.
• Gmail: Gets the 5 newest emails for review and also sends the digest email.
• Todoist: Retrieves the next 5 tasks from the user’s task list.
• n8n: Automation platform that runs the workflow and merges the data.

How This Workflow Works

Inputs

• Times of India RSS feed URL provides latest news articles.
• Gmail API inputs recent email messages.
• Todoist API inputs upcoming or due tasks.

Processing Steps

1. Schedule Trigger starts workflow daily at a set time.
2. RSS Feed Read node fetches latest news articles.
3. Gmail node fetches recent emails using OAuth2 credentials.
4. Todoist node gets tasks from the user’s task list using API key.
5. Merge node combines data from all sources into one stream.
6. Code node runs custom JavaScript to select top 5 items and build styled HTML email content.
7. Gmail node sends the formatted email digest to the user.

Outputs

• An HTML formatted email containing top 5 news items, recent 5 emails, and 5 upcoming tasks.
• Email subject includes counts of tasks and news updates for quick glance.
• Automated delivery ensures the user gets this digest daily without manual work.

Who Should Use This Workflow

People who spend many minutes every morning checking news, emails, and tasks will benefit.

Users who want to save time and get a daily overview in a simple email find it helpful.

Beginners and busy professionals liking automation but wanting an easy start can use it.

Beginner Step-by-Step: How to Use This Workflow in n8n

Step 1: Import Workflow

1. Click the Download button to save the workflow file locally.
2. Open n8n editor and choose Import from File option.
3. Select the downloaded workflow file to import into n8n.

Step 2: Configure Credentials and Settings

1. Add Gmail OAuth2 credentials for both fetching emails and sending email.
2. Add Todoist API Key for fetching tasks.
3. Check the RSS Feed URL in the RSS Feed node is correct and accessible.
4. Update recipient email address in the Gmail Send Email node if you want to change who gets the digest.
5. Make sure node names in the Code node match exactly to the nodes in the workflow.

Step 3: Test and Activate

1. Run the workflow manually once using the Schedule Trigger node to check data flow.
2. Check the output in the Code node to confirm email content looks right.
3. If all tests pass, activate the workflow to run automatically every day.

For users using self-host n8n, confirm setup is stable before activation.

Customization Ideas

• Replace Times of India RSS URL in RSS Feed node to any other favorite news source for personalized news.
• Change Todoist node “Limit” setting to show more or less tasks.
• Edit inline CSS in the Code node’s HTML template to adjust email colors or fonts.
• Add more data sources like calendar events or social media updates before the Merge node.
• Change Schedule Trigger timing or frequency for more or fewer digest emails per day.

Common Issues and Fixes

• Gmail Authentication Error: OAuth2 token may be expired or incorrect scopes given. Fix by reauthorizing credentials in n8n.
• Empty RSS Feed Data: RSS URL may be wrong or feed down. Check URL in browser and replace if needed.
• Code Node Reference Error: Node names in JavaScript must exactly match node names in workflow. Double-check spelling and case.
• No Tasks in Todoist: Empty task list returns no data. Add tasks for testing.

Pre-Production Checklist

• Confirm Gmail OAuth2 credentials have full access to read and send emails.
• Verify RSS Feed URL returns latest news data.
• Make sure Todoist API Key is valid and tasks are present.
• Run manual tests to see data passing through each node correctly.
• Check the final email output in the Code node looks correct before enabling sending.

Code Node Example: Format Digest

This Code node script merges and formats data into the daily digest email.

const newsItems = $input.all().map(item => item.json);
const emails = $("Gmail: Fetch Emails").all().map(item => item.json);
const tasks = $("TodoList: Fetch Tasks").all().map(item => item.json);

// Select top 5 items from each
const topNews = newsItems.slice(0, 5).map(item => ({
  title: item.title,
  link: item.link
}));

const latestEmails = emails.slice(0, 5).map(item => ({
  subject: item.Subject,
  snippet: item.snippet
}));

const topTasks = tasks.slice(0, 5).map(task => ({
  content: task.content,
  url: task.url,
  emoji: task.emoji || '🔴',
  due: task.due
}));

// Create final JSON object with formatted HTML
const result = {
  meta: {
    generated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
    time_emoji: "🌞"
  },
  email: {
    subject: `🌞 Daily Digest • 📋 ${topTasks.length} Tasks ⚠️ • 📰 ${topNews.length} News Updates`,
    body: ` ...styled HTML content... `
  },
  tasks: topTasks,
  news: topNews,
  emails: latestEmails
};

return [{ json: result }];

Summary and Benefits

✓ Save up to an hour each morning by skipping manual checks.

✓ Get top 5 news, recent 5 emails, and 5 tasks in one email.

✓ Start day with clear, easy-to-read daily overview.

→ Automated workflow runs daily with no manual effort.

→ Works for users who want simple, no tech skills required setup.