How to handle image uploads in n8n chat? (binary data missing)

Questions
1

I’m trying to upload an image to a chat in n8n, but when the image is uploaded, it appears as JSON instead of containing binary data. Because of this, I am unable to process the image further.

My goal is to:
1. Upload an image to the chat.
2. Perform some actions on the image (e.g., modify, analyze, or process it).
3. Return the processed image back to the chat.

However, since the uploaded image does not include any binary data, I cannot pass it through any image-processing nodes.

How can I properly handle image uploads in n8n so that the image retains its binary data? Are there specific nodes or settings I need to use to achieve this? How do I return it back to chat?

Share the output returned by the last node

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version: 1.80.5
  • Database (default: SQLite):
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
  • Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): web app
  • Operating system: macos sequoia 15.0
2

I think you have to activate this option “Include Other Input Fields” in the “Set” node to get the binary attachments from Chat node to deal with it

image
image719×407 28.4 KB

Here is a working example to upload a file from the chat to google drive:

2 Likes
3

Thank you so much! it worked!

1 Like
4

urw, don’t forget to mark the reply above as the Solution

5

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