Automating a monthly report with AI and n8n

What this automation does

Every month, a finance team exports data, builds a summary and writes commentary. This article shows how a workflow tool called n8n can do the repeat steps on a schedule. It produces a draft. A person reviews and approves it before anyone else sees it.

n8n is a workflow tool that connects apps. It runs steps in order, and you can pause it for human approval.

The workflow at a glance

Step-by-step set-up

1. Create a free n8n account or install n8n on your own computer, following the official guide at n8n.io.
2. Add a Schedule Trigger node and set it to run on the first working day of each month.
3. Add a step that reads your monthly data file (for example, a CSV export from your accounting system).
4. Add an AI step. Give it the same role, task, context and format rules you would use by hand.
5. Add a step that saves the draft to a folder or document, marked 'DRAFT - NOT APPROVED'.
6. Send yourself a notification to review it. Do not send the report to anyone automatically.
7. Test the whole flow using last month's data before you switch it on.

Practical example: the AI instruction

You are a management accountant. Using only the figures in the attached data, draft commentary on the month's revenue, costs and margin. Compare with last month. Write in plain English, under 250 words. List any figure you could not find as [MISSING]. Do not give reasons for changes unless the data states them.

Quality controls to keep

1. Check the totals in the draft against the source file.
2. Keep a record of which data was used and when the draft was made.
3. Never let the workflow publish, email or file a report without approval.
4. Review the instructions every quarter, as your reporting needs change.

Where to be careful

Automation makes mistakes faster as well as more efficiently. Start with one report, run it alongside your normal process for two or three months, and only then decide whether to rely on it.