Create an autonomous task-handling AI agent with OpenAI and Slack

This workflow creates a self-improving AI agent inside n8n that can understand natural language tasks, plan steps, use tools (HTTP, code, search, …), reflect on results, and continue until the goal is reached — then deliver the final answer.

How it works

1. Webhook or manual trigger receives a task description 2. LLM creates initial plan + first tool call (or finishes immediately) 3. Loop: • Execute chosen tool • Send observation back to LLM • LLM reflects → decides next action or finish 4. When finished → format final answer, save result, send Slack notification

Setup steps

1. Connect OpenAI (or Anthropic/Groq/Gemini) credential 2. (Optional) Connect Slack credential for notifications 3. Replace the placeholder “Other Tools” Code node with real tool nodes (Switch + HTTP Request, Google Sheets, Code node, etc.) 4. Test with simple tasks first: • “What is the current weather in Ahmedabad?” • “Calculate 17×42 and explain the steps” 5. Adjust max iterations (via SplitInBatches or custom counter) to prevent infinite loops 6. Activate the workflow and send POST request to webhook with JSON: json {"task": "your task here"}

Requirements

- LLM API access (gpt-4o-mini works well for testing) - Optional: Slack workspace for alerts

Customization tips