Automate Form Data in n8n: Typeform to Airtable & Slack

1. Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a marketing coordinator juggling multiple client surveys collected via Typeform. Every day, she spends hours manually extracting responses from Typeform, entering them into Airtable for organized tracking, and then informing her team on Slack about new submissions. This repetitive manual task is not only time-consuming—consuming nearly 3 hours daily—but also prone to human errors like typos or missed entries, causing delays in following up with clients and impacting campaign timelines.

Sarah needs a reliable, automated way to handle incoming Typeform data and share key details with her team instantly to save time and reduce errors.

2. What This Automation Does

This n8n workflow automates Sarah’s entire submission process with the following specific outcomes:

• Automatically trigger on every new Typeform submission without manual checks.
• Extract the respondent’s name and email accurately using the Set node for easy access.
• Append the clean data into an Airtable base, creating a structured and searchable client database.
• Send a formatted notification message in a Slack channel that immediately alerts team members to new submissions.
• Reduce manual data entry errors and save approximately 3 hours daily.
• Enable prompt team responses and coordination by providing up-to-date submission info in Slack.

3. Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n account with access to workflow creation and webhook configuration.
• Typeform account with a form ready to collect submissions and an API access token for n8n integration.
• Airtable account with a base and table set up to store form responses, plus API credentials.
• Slack workspace and bot credentials allowing API posting to your desired channel.
• Basic understanding of n8n nodes and creating workflows.

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create Your Typeform and Get Form ID

Log into your Typeform account and open the desired form. Copy its Form ID (in this example, it’s dpr2kxSL).

This Form ID will connect Typeform submissions to your workflow.

Common mistake: Using the incorrect Form ID or forgetting to update credentials will prevent the workflow from triggering.

Step 2: Add Typeform Trigger Node

In n8n, click + Add Node, search for Typeform Trigger, and add it.

Enter the copied Form ID into the formId field.

Set up the credentials by linking your Typeform API token under Credentials → Typeform Access Token.

You should see the webhook URL generated after saving; this URL will be used by Typeform to send submission data.

Step 3: Configure Set Node to Extract Name and Email

Add a Set node next in line.

In the Set node, under Values → String, add two key fields:

• Name with value set as ={{$json["Let's start with your name."]}}
• Email with value set as ={{$json["What's your email address?"]}}

This extracts the corresponding answers from the Typeform JSON payload.

Common mistake: The question text in the JSON path must exactly match your Typeform questions; a mismatch results in empty fields.

Step 4: Append Data to Airtable

Add an Airtable node.

Choose append operation and select the table where you’d like to save the data (in this example, “Table 1”).

Link your Airtable API credentials.

Map the fields from the Set node to the Airtable fields (typically name and email fields).

Save and test to make sure data is appended perfectly.

Common mistake: Incorrect API credentials or table names prevent successful appending.

Step 5: Send Slack Notification

Add a Slack node.

Set the channel to general (or your preferred channel).

Enter the notification text using expression syntax to pull Name and Email from the Set node:

=*New Submission* 🙌
Name: {{$node["Set"].json["Name"]}}
Email: {{$node["Set"].json["Email"]}}

Link your Slack Bot credentials.

When the node executes, your team will see a message in Slack about the new submission.

Common mistake: Missing or incorrect Slack credentials will fail the notification.

Step 6: Connect All Nodes and Test Workflow

Connect the nodes in this order: Typeform Trigger → Set → Airtable → Slack.

Activate the workflow and submit a test form entry on Typeform.

Verify the data appears correctly in Airtable and the notification is delivered in Slack.

5. Customizations ✏️

• Add More Fields from Typeform: In the Set node, add more key-value pairs keyed exactly by your Typeform questions to capture additional data.
• Change Airtable Table or Fields: Modify the Airtable node’s table name or column mappings to match your own database schema.
• Customize Slack Message: Include emojis, links, or formatting by editing the Slack node’s text field to better suit your team’s style.

6. Troubleshooting 🔧

• Problem: “No data received in Set node”
  Cause: Mismatched question names in expressions.
  Solution: Verify exact question wording in Typeform’s JSON and update the Set node expressions accordingly.
• Problem: “Airtable append failed with Unauthorized error”
  Cause: API key issues or permission problems.
  Solution: Re-check Airtable API key, ensure proper read/write permissions, and update credentials in n8n.
• Problem: “Slack message not sent”
  Cause: Invalid Slack Bot token or channel.
  Solution: Verify Slack credentials and channel name. Test with a simple message first.

7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Confirm Typeform form ID matches the one in the workflow.
• Check all API credentials for Typeform, Airtable, and Slack are valid and active.
• Test each node individually to confirm data flows correctly.
• Submit multiple test entries to ensure stable workflow operation.
• Backup your Airtable data prior to deployment if data integrity is critical.

8. Deployment Guide

Turn on your workflow by switching it to active in n8n.

Monitor the workflow execution logs for errors periodically.

Keep an eye on Slack notifications and Airtable entries for completeness and accuracy, especially in the first days after deployment.

Adjust settings or credentials if any issues emerge.

9. FAQs

• Q: Can I use Google Sheets instead of Airtable?
  A: Yes, but you’ll need to replace the Airtable node with a Google Sheets node and adjust the field mappings accordingly.
• Q: Does this consume my Typeform API quota?
  A: Yes, every submission triggers an API call. Monitor your Typeform plan limits to avoid hitting quota.
• Q: Is my data secure with Slack notifications?
  A: Slack messages go through their API securely; however, only share sensitive data if you trust the channel.

10. Conclusion

By building this n8n workflow, you’ve automated the tedious task of managing Typeform submissions and distributing them to Airtable and Slack. You’ve saved hours of manual effort, reduced errors, and enabled your team to respond faster to new data.

Next steps could include automating follow-up emails via Gmail, integrating CRM updates, or enriching data with additional API calls.

Happy automating! With this workflow, handling form responses just got a lot easier.