1. Opening Problem Statement
Meet Jana, a busy Berlin resident who always finds herself scrambling each morning to check the weather before leaving home. Despite her best efforts, she often forgets, leading to wardrobe misjudgments or missed opportunities to plan her day. This daily hassle not only wastes her time but sometimes leaves her unprepared for sudden weather changes, costing her comfort and productivity.
Imagine if Jana could automate her morning weather check, receiving a timely push notification with the exact temperature without lifting a finger. This is where the power of automation with n8n, OpenWeatherMap, and Spontit comes in—a workflow designed to eliminate the morning weather-check burden by sending daily weather updates via push notifications precisely at 9 AM.
2. What This Automation Does
This workflow kicks off every day at 9 AM and performs the following tasks automatically:
- Triggers a timed event using the Cron node to initiate the workflow each morning.
- Fetches real-time weather data for Berlin using the OpenWeatherMap node.
- Extracts the current temperature from the weather data.
- Sends a personalized push notification through Spontit to your device, featuring the current temperature with a catchy title “Today’s Weather Update.”
- Ensures reliability by running automatically every day without manual intervention.
- Saves valuable time—no more manual weather checks or app distractions in the morning routine.
By automating this simple yet essential task, Jana can start her day informed and prepared, improving her overall daily experience.
3. Prerequisites ⚙️
- n8n Account: You need an active n8n account to create and manage workflows.
- OpenWeatherMap API Key 📊: Sign up on OpenWeatherMap to get your free API key for accessing weather data.
- Spontit Account and API Key 💬: Create an account on Spontit and obtain your API credentials to send push notifications.
- Basic Scheduling Knowledge ⏱️: Understand how scheduled tasks work in automation (handled by Cron).
Optional: If you prefer hosting your own automation platform, consider self-hosting n8n for full control and customization.
4. Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Create a New Workflow
Log in to your n8n dashboard. Click “New Workflow” in the main menu. You’ll be taken to a blank workflow canvas where you will build this automation.
Step 2: Add and Configure the Cron Node
Click on the plus (+) button to add a new node. Search for “Cron” and select n8n-nodes-base.cron.
In the Cron node parameters, set the trigger time:
- Click “Add Trigger Time”.
- In the dropdown, choose Hour and set it to 9 (represents 9 AM).
You should see the Cron node output “success” with a next execution time.
Common mistake: Forgetting to set the hour correctly or AM/PM confusion.
Step 3: Add the OpenWeatherMap Node
Add another node by clicking the plus (+) button and searching for “OpenWeatherMap” (n8n-nodes-base.openWeatherMap).
In the parameters, enter berlin as the city name.
Under credentials, click “Create New” and add your OpenWeatherMap API key.
You should see the node connected to Cron, waiting to fetch weather data on trigger.
Common mistake: Omitting your API key or entering an incorrect city name will cause the node to error out.
Step 4: Connect Cron to OpenWeatherMap
Drag from the cron node’s output dot to connect it to the OpenWeatherMap node input. This triggers weather data retrieval every day at 9 AM.
Step 5: Add and Configure the Spontit Node
Add one more node, searching for “Spontit” (n8n-nodes-base.spontit).
Configure the node parameters:
- Set the Content field to:
=Hey! The temperature outside is {{$node["OpenWeatherMap"].json["main"]["temp"]}}°C. - Expand Additional Fields and add a Push Title with the text:
Today's Weather Update.
Under credentials, add your Spontit API key similarly.
The Spontit node will send a push notification with the temperature fetched from the previous node.
Common mistake: Forgetting to add the curly braces or misspelling the JSON path will break the message template.
Step 6: Connect OpenWeatherMap to Spontit
Connect the output of the OpenWeatherMap node to the input of Spontit. This ensures the temperature data flows correctly to generate the notification.
Step 7: Activate Your Workflow
Save your workflow with a clear name like “Daily Weather Update Notification.” Toggle the activation switch in the top right corner to turn the workflow on.
Your automation is now live and will run every day at 9 AM sending weather updates.
5. Customizations ✏️
- Change City: In the OpenWeatherMap node, replace “berlin” with any city name you want weather updates for, e.g., “Paris” or “New York.”
- Modify Notification Format: Adjust the Spontit node’s content field to include more details like humidity or weather description using JSON paths, e.g.,
{{$node["OpenWeatherMap"].json["weather"][0]["description"]}}. - Schedule Time Change: In the Cron node, set a different trigger hour, for example, 7 AM, to receive notifications earlier.
- Add Temperature Units: Modify the OpenWeatherMap node parameters to request temperature in Fahrenheit or Kelvin by adjusting the API options or adding conversion logic in Spontit content.
- Send To Multiple Recipients: Use Spontit’s configuration to send push notifications to multiple devices/accounts if supported.
6. Troubleshooting 🔧
Problem: Workflow does not trigger at 9 AM.
Cause: Cron node time zone mismatch or not activated.
Solution: Verify the Cron node’s settings, ensure your n8n instance time zone is correct, and activate the workflow.
Problem: OpenWeatherMap node returns an error.
Cause: Invalid API key or incorrect city name.
Solution: Double-check API credentials, ensure correct capitalization and spelling of the city, and test the API key independently.
Problem: Spontit push notification not sending.
Cause: Incorrect API credential configuration or JSON path errors in message template.
Solution: Verify Spontit credentials, ensure correct usage of expression syntax like {{$node["OpenWeatherMap"].json["main"]["temp"]}} in the content field.
7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅
- Confirm that the OpenWeatherMap API key is active and authorized.
- Test sending a manual push notification with Spontit outside the workflow to verify credentials.
- Run the workflow manually to ensure data fetch and notification send are successful.
- Check n8n system time and time zone settings aligned with expected trigger time.
- Backup workflow export for rollback if needed.
8. Deployment Guide
Once tested, activate this workflow by toggling the switch in the top-right corner of the workflow editor. Confirm it is set to run daily at 9 AM by viewing the Cron node configuration. Monitor initial runs via n8n’s executions panel to ensure smooth operation. Set up alerting or logging for failures if using advanced n8n setups.
10. Conclusion
You’ve built an automation that sends daily, accurate weather temperature updates right to your device using n8n, OpenWeatherMap, and Spontit. This saves you time and keeps you prepared every morning. Imagine no more last-minute weather checks or surprises outside the door—just peace of mind with automated updates.
Next, consider extending this workflow to include weather forecasts, or incorporate calendar events for day planning. You might also set alerts for extreme weather conditions to stay extra safe. Happy automating!