How Can I Create a Conditional Email Flow with Gmail and Google Sheets?

Below is one approach to implementing your conditional flow in n8n:

1. Separate Sending and Waiting
   n8n workflows run in a stateless manner, so waiting for an external response (like an email reply) is best handled by splitting your flow into two workflows:

   • One workflow sends the cold email.
   • A second workflow is triggered when a reply is received.

2. Workflow 1 – Send Cold Email

   • Start with your Google Sheet and use the Gmail node (with the Send operation) to dispatch your email.
   • Record any information needed to correlate the outgoing email with a potential reply (for example, the prospect’s email address, a unique subject line, or thread ID).
   • Optionally, store these details back in your Google Sheet or a database.

3. Workflow 2 – Wait for and Process the Response

   • Use the Gmail Trigger node to listen for incoming emails.
   • Configure filters in the trigger (such as filtering by sender, subject, or even using Gmail search) so that only responses from the intended prospect trigger the workflow.
   • Once a reply is detected, use an If node (or other conditional nodes) to decide which branch of your flow to execute (e.g., action X if there is a reply).

4. Handling No Response
   If you want to take an action after a set amount of time with no reply, you could:

   • In Workflow 1, schedule a follow‐up check after a delay (using a Wait node or a Scheduled Trigger).
   • Have that follow-up workflow check whether a reply was recorded (for example, by checking your Google Sheet or database) and then proceed with action Y if no reply is found.

Key Considerations

• Stateless Workflow Execution
  Since n8n doesn’t “pause” a workflow waiting for an external event, splitting the process allows you to handle asynchronous events like email replies.

• Correlating Email Threads
  Ensure that the cold email has a unique identifier or subject so that you can accurately match responses in the Gmail Trigger workflow.

• Timeout or Follow-Up
  Consider adding a scheduled workflow or Wait node (with a follow-up check) when expecting a reply within a certain timeframe.

Example Overview

MERMAIDCopied
flowchart TD
    A[Google Sheet with Prospect Data] --> B[Workflow 1: Send Cold Email]
    B --> C[Store Email Details]
    C --> D[Workflow 2: Gmail Trigger waits for reply]
    D -- Reply Detected --> E[Proceed with Action X]
    D -- No Reply after timeout --> F[Proceed with Action Y]

By separating the sending and response handling into distinct workflows (and using scheduling or a delayed trigger for timeouts), you can achieve the conditional flow you require.

This approach leverages the Gmail node’s sending capabilities and the Gmail Trigger node for capturing replies, ensuring that each part of the process is managed within n8n’s event-driven architecture.