How can I synchronize a daily-updated CSV from Google Drive with Google Contacts using n8n?

Below is one way to design your workflow in n8n. In this example, we combine several core nodes to achieve the following:

1. Check once a day for a new CSV file in Google Drive.
2. Parse the CSV file and iterate over each row (each address).
3. For each entry, look up in Google Contacts using (for example) the email address as an identifier.
4. If a matching contact is found, update that contact; if not, create a new one.

Below is an outline of how your workflow could be structured:

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1. Trigger

• Cron Node
Set the Cron node to trigger once a day (for example, at 8:00 AM).

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2. Retrieve the CSV File

• Google Drive Node (Download or Read File)
Configure the node to download the CSV file from Google Drive. You might use the “Download” operation if you already know the file ID or “Search” if the filename/path is dynamic.

• Read Binary File/Convert to Text
If you’re dealing with a binary file, you may need to convert its contents to a text format before parsing.

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3. Parse the CSV

• CSV Parse Node (or Function Node if needed)
Use the CSV node to convert the CSV text into JSON objects. Each CSV row becomes an item in your workflow.

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4. Loop Through Each Entry

• SplitInBatches Node (or a simple Loop mechanism)
This node lets you go through each CSV entry one by one. For every entry, you will:

• Google Contacts Node (Get a Contact)
  Use the “Get” operation to search for an existing contact by a unique field like an email address.

• IF Node / Switch Node
  Check if a contact was returned.

  • If a contact exists:

  • Google Contacts Node (Update a Contact)
    Update the existing contact with new information.

  • If no contact is found:

  • Google Contacts Node (Create a Contact)
    Create a new contact with the information from the CSV row.

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5. (Optional) Collect and Return Output

• Set or Merge Node
After processing each entry, you can collect responses from these operations.
→ At the end, you can share the output from the last node so you can verify which contacts were updated or created.

Here’s a simplified diagram of the workflow structure:

[ Cron ] 
   │
   ▼
[ Google Drive: Download CSV ]
   │
   ▼
[ Read Binary File / Convert to Text ]
   │
   ▼
[ CSV Parse ]
   │
   ▼
[ SplitInBatches (each CSV row)]
   │
   ├──► [ Google Contacts: Get a Contact ]
   │          │
   │          ▼
   │       [ IF Node ]
   │          ├─ True: [ Google Contacts: Update a Contact ]
   │          └─ False: [ Google Contacts: Create a Contact ]
   │
   ▼
[ (Optional) Collect Output ]

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Additional Notes

• Credentials: Make sure you have properly configured your Google Drive and Google Contacts credentials in n8n.
• Error Handling: You might consider adding error-handling nodes or workflow logic in case the file is missing, credentials fail, or a contact lookup returns an unexpected result.
• Data Mapping: Use expressions to map fields from the CSV (e.g., name, email, address) to the corresponding fields in Google Contacts.
• Rate Limits: When processing a large number of entries, consider rate limits and use batching if needed.

This design uses n8n’s core nodes, so it’s easy to extend and customize further based on your exact CSV layout and Google Contacts field mappings.

Let me know if you have any more questions specific to building this workflow in n8n.