🚀 New Community Node: Markdown to Google Docs - Advanced Document Automation

gik986 · July 21, 2025, 6:07am

Hi everyone!

I’m excited to share my first community node with the n8n community - n8n-nodes-md-to-docs - a powerful tool for converting Markdown content into beautifully formatted Google Docs documents.

What does it do?

This node automates the tedious process of converting Markdown to Google Docs, eliminating manual copy-paste workflows. Perfect for:

Documentation workflows - Auto-generate project docs from Markdown files
Content publishing - Convert blog posts, articles, and reports
AI-powered document generation - Transform AI-generated Markdown into professional docs
Team collaboration - Streamline document creation processes

Key Features

Advanced formatting support: Headers, bold/italic, links, lists, code blocks, tables, checkboxes
Smart table conversion: Headers are automatically styled (bold + centered) with full cell formatting
Deep list nesting: Unlimited levels of nested lists with proper Google Docs bullet handling
Image embedding: Direct URL-based image insertion with optional sizing
Checkbox lists: Native Google Docs checkboxes for task management
AI Agent compatible: Works seamlessly with usableAsTool: true
Two operation modes: Direct document creation OR API request generation for HTTP Request node

Installation

npm install n8n-nodes-md-to-docs

Then restart your n8n instance. The node will appear in your nodes panel with a package icon.

Quick Example

Input Markdown:

# Project Report

## Features Completed ✅
1. **Advanced Table Support** - Complete table conversion
2. **Nested Formatting** - **Bold** and *italic* combinations
   - Sub-feature A
   - Sub-feature B

| Feature | Status |
|---------|--------|
| **Bold** | ✅ |
| *Italic* | ✅ |

> Important: This creates beautiful Google Docs!

Result: A professionally formatted Google Docs document with proper styling, nested lists, and structured tables.

Setup Requirements

Google Cloud Account (free tier works)
Enable Google Docs API + Google Drive API
OAuth2 credentials (recommended)
n8n version 1.0.0+

The node includes a Test Credentials operation to verify your setup quickly.

Why I built this

I was frustrated with manually formatting documents after converting Markdown content. Existing solutions were either too basic or required complex HTTP Request node configurations. This node handles all the Google Docs API complexity behind the scenes while providing advanced formatting capabilities.

What’s special about it

Unlike basic converters, this node handles:

Mixed formatting: Bold links inside italic text inside table cells
Precise positioning: Accurate text range calculations for Google Docs API
Complex tables: Header styling with cell-level formatting
Image integration: Direct embedding from public URLs

Links

GitHub: GitHub - GiK986/n8n-nodes-md-to-docs: Markdown to Google Docs node for n8n – workflow automation, community node, Google Docs integration
NPM: n8n-nodes-md-to-docs
License: MIT

Feedback welcome!

This is my first contribution to the n8n community, and I’d love to hear your thoughts! Have you tried it? Any feature requests or issues?

I’m particularly interested in hearing about use cases I haven’t considered yet.

Thanks for being such an awesome community!

Made with for the n8n community

Nick_ud · July 22, 2025, 8:28am

Will this be available on the cloud version of n8n?

gik986 · July 22, 2025, 6:58pm

Thank you for your interest! At the moment, this node is available only for the self-hosted version of n8n. I will suggest adding it to the cloud version as well, but there are still a few small details I want to refine first. I hope the proposal will be accepted and that it will be available there soon!

Chantal_EdouardBetsy · July 25, 2025, 9:53am

This is so awesome … So this works perfectly when creating a new doc … but if we have a template with a header and footer and we just want the content to be replaced by the markdown - how do we achieve this? Perhaps if we could have a “create from template” option that works the same as the create doc?

gik986 · July 28, 2025, 5:00pm

That’s a great idea—thank you for the suggestion! I will definitely look into adding an option to create documents from a template, so you can easily use your own headers and footers with Markdown content. I’ll experiment with this feature and update the community as soon as I have something to share.

gik986 · July 28, 2025, 8:16pm

Thanks for the great idea! I’ve now added a template selection option—you can choose a folder with templates and pick a specific document to use as the base. The template’s content is replaced with your Markdown, while the header and footer are preserved. I’d love your feedback if you try out the updated version 0.2.0!

Chantal_EdouardBetsy · July 29, 2025, 7:51am

Tested and works brilliantly @gik986 - THANK YOU.

I don’t need it for this workflow - but next suggestion is for it to support “placeholders” - so in the template it can be designed with placeholders like {{Name}} for example and then the ability to pass through content to those placeholders would be awesome

Stella942 · July 31, 2025, 7:24am

Yes, please bring it to the cloud version!

gik986 · July 31, 2025, 7:51am

Thank you so much for your feedback and for testing the node! I really appreciate your suggestion about supporting placeholders like {{Name}} in templates. I’m already working on adding this feature, so you’ll be able to design your templates with placeholders and pass content directly to them. I’ll update the community as soon as it’s available!

gik986 · July 31, 2025, 7:53am

Thank you for your interest! I’m planning to propose this node for the cloud version of n8n soon. I’ll share updates with the community as soon as there’s progress on making it available in the cloud!

gik986 · August 2, 2025, 5:44pm

n8n-nodes-md-to-docs v0.3.0 released!

This update brings major improvements to template handling and introduces powerful placeholder support. Please read carefully—there are breaking changes that may require action on your existing workflows.

Breaking Changes

Template UI Overhaul:
- The template system has been completely redesigned for better flexibility and ease of use.
- The useTemplate toggle has been removed. To use templates, simply add “Template Settings” from the new Additional Options menu.
- The templateFolderId and templateDocumentId fields are now inside the “Template Settings” group.
- Action Required: If you use templates in existing workflows, you must reconfigure them to use the new Additional Options structure.

New Features

Text Placeholder Support:
- You can now use placeholders like {{key}} anywhere in your template (header, footer, or body).
- Provide key-value pairs in the new placeholderData field to automatically replace placeholders with dynamic content.
- Supports n8n expressions for even more flexibility.
Conditional Markdown Injection:
- A new useMarkdownInput toggle lets you control whether Markdown content is injected into the document.
- You can now specify a mainContentPlaceholder (e.g., {{MainContent}}) to inject Markdown at a specific location in your template.
UI Enhancements:
- Added a warning notice if markdownInput is empty but required.
- Improved hints and examples throughout the node for a smoother user experience.

Changes

All optional features (Templates, Placeholders, etc.) are now grouped under a single, cleaner Additional Options collection.
This declutters the main UI and makes advanced features easier to discover and configure.

Node Settings

Google Docs Template demo

Generated Document

Upgrade now to take advantage of these new capabilities!
As always, feedback and suggestions are welcome!

xoxot · August 5, 2025, 7:10am

This is exactly the custom node I wanted. Thank you so much.

I have a question: If I’m using a template and the various placeholders are in Markdown format, how should I use them?

gik986 · August 5, 2025, 8:49am

Hi! Only the “Main Content Placeholder” (e.g. {{MainContent}}) can be used to inject and format Markdown Input in your template. The other placeholders you define in “Placeholder Data (JSON)” will only replace plain text—they don’t support Markdown formatting. If you want Markdown content to be converted and formatted, make sure to use the main content placeholder for that part of your template.

gik986 · August 7, 2025, 7:12am

n8n-nodes-md-to-docs - New Stable Release 0.3.5 with Major Improvements!

Hello everyone!

I’m excited to share that I’ve published a new stable version of n8n-nodes-md-to-docs - a community node for converting Markdown to Google Docs documents.

Key Improvements in Version 0.3.5

Performance & Optimizations

Migration from jsdom to cheerio - significantly faster HTML processing and smaller package size
Enhanced formatting for lists and blockquotes - using paragraph styles instead of manual newlines for cleaner appearance
TypeScript type safety - added proper types for safer and more reliable code

Critical Fixes

Resolved installation issues - fixed “Class could not be found” errors in self-hosted n8n installations
Proper TypeScript exports - using named exports for n8n loader compatibility
Stable runtime dependencies - cheerio and marked added as dependencies for self-hosted environments

Important Installation/Update Notes

Versions 0.3.1-0.3.4 are deprecated due to technical issues
Having update errors? Restart your n8n server and try updating to 0.3.5 again
For new installations: n8n server restart required after installation

Next Steps

I’m planning to reapply for inclusion in n8n Cloud. Previous attempts had dependency issues, but I now have a better understanding of the cloud environment requirements.

Installation

npm install [email protected]

Having update issues?

Restart your n8n server
Try updating to version 0.3.5 again
Restart the server once more for good measure

Acknowledgments

Thanks to everyone who tested previous versions and shared feedback!

Hope the version 0.3.5 serves you well! If you have questions or suggestions, please share them here.

Nick_ud · August 22, 2025, 7:28am

Hi @gik986 , thank you very much for this.. it’s almost perfect

I’m getting this error sometimes, but i can’t figure really out why. I just use some sample markdown to test your node out. When i input this:

# My Document Title
This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. 

## Features List

1. First feature
2. Second feature
   - Sub-feature A
   - Sub-feature B

## TEST 123
This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*. This is a **bold statement** with *italic emphasis*.

I get the following error:

Error log

Error details

From Markdown to Google Docs

Full message

Request failed with status code 400

Error data

{ "error": { "code": 400, "message": "Invalid requests[63].insertText: Index 1362 must be less than the end index of the referenced segment, 1361.", "status": "INVALID_ARGUMENT" } }

Other info

Item Index

0

Node type

n8n-nodes-md-to-docs.markdownToGoogleDocs

Node version

1 (Latest)

n8n version

1.107.4 (Self Hosted)

Time

22-8-2025, 09:25:34

Stack trace

NodeOperationError: Bad request - please check your parameters at Function.createGoogleDocsDocumentWithAPI (/home/node/.n8n/nodes/node_modules/n8n-nodes-md-to-docs/nodes/MarkdownToGoogleDocs/google-docs-api.ts:231:10) at processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5) at ExecuteContext.execute (/home/node/.n8n/nodes/node_modules/n8n-nodes-md-to-docs/nodes/MarkdownToGoogleDocs/MarkdownToGoogleDocs.node.ts:158:16) at WorkflowExecute.runNode (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-core@file+packages+core_@[email protected]_@[email protected]_0c275070fd0434c00ffd62213b2bcae4/node_modules/n8n-core/src/execution-engine/workflow-execute.ts:1212:9) at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-core@file+packages+core_@[email protected]_@[email protected]_0c275070fd0434c00ffd62213b2bcae4/node_modules/n8n-core/src/execution-engine/workflow-execute.ts:1582:27 at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-core@file+packages+core_@[email protected]_@[email protected]_0c275070fd0434c00ffd62213b2bcae4/node_modules/n8n-core/src/execution-engine/workflow-execute.ts:2158:11

Parameters

Settings

Docs

Credential to connect with

Operation

Drive

Folder

Document Title

Markdown Input

Additional Options

No properties

I wish this node would…

Do you have an idea what’s going wrong here?

gik986 · August 23, 2025, 8:20am

Thank you very much for your feedback and for sharing a detailed example! This really helped me identify the issue. I have already published a new version of the node, which should resolve the error when generating the Google Docs document. I would appreciate it if you could let me know if everything works correctly for you with the latest version!

gik986 · August 24, 2025, 6:26am

New Feature: Google Docs Export Operation in Version 0.4.0!

Hey everyone!

Excited to announce version 0.4.0 with a major new feature - Google Docs Export Operation!

What’s New: Export Existing Google Docs to Multiple Formats

The new exportGoogleDoc operation lets you export any existing Google Doc to:

Markdown (.md) - Perfect for documentation workflows
PDF (.pdf) - For sharing and printing
Plain Text (.txt) - For data processing

Key Features

Smart Output Handling: Automatic content mode for text formats, binary mode for PDFs
Google Drive Integration: Optional save to Drive with folder selection
Flexible Document Selection: Choose docs by list, URL, or direct ID
Custom Filenames: Full Unicode support for international characters
Binary Data Support: Proper PDF handling for n8n workflows

What You Can Build Now

Documentation Sync: Export specific Google Docs to Markdown → commit to Git repos
Report Automation: Convert meeting notes/reports to PDF → email to stakeholders
Content Processing: Extract plain text from docs → feed to AI nodes for analysis
Multi-Format Publishing: Same doc → export to PDF for print + Markdown for web

Plus Bug Fixes

Also fixed checkbox formatting issues - bold text in - [x] **task** format now renders perfectly!

Update Now

npm update n8n-nodes-md-to-docs

This opens up so many reverse-workflow possibilities! Now you can not only create Google Docs from Markdown, but also export them back to various formats.

What export workflows are you planning to build?

Nick_ud · August 26, 2025, 8:16am

I encountered two new bugs, this node so far is exactly what i need. Only a few more things to sort out before i can use this in PROD!

What i’m encountering is:

No support for pagebreaks. What i want to do is, after every H2, start a new page. This somehow doesn’t work.

Also, but i think this is a permission thing… i can’t access shared drives with my Google Cloud API key. If someone knows how to fix this one that would be appreciated!