n8n Integration

Parse PDFs in n8n workflows

Convert PDFs to clean Markdown inside any n8n workflow. Built for RAG pipelines, LLM context, and document automation.

Open source · MIT license · Published with npm provenance

What it does

The Parsebridge node turns any PDF into clean Markdown from inside n8n. It is the simplest n8n PDF to markdown path: drop the node into your workflow, point it at a PDF, and pass the Markdown downstream. Two operations, no configuration beyond your API key.

Parse from URL

Point at a PDF link, get Markdown back.

Parse from File

Pass binary PDF data through, get Markdown back.

Output is clean Markdown, ready for chunking, embedding, or LLM context.

Get started in 3 steps

Install the node

In n8n: Settings → Community Nodes → Install → search n8n-nodes-parsebridge.

Add your API key

Get a free key at parsebridge.com/signup. Free tier: 50 pages, no credit card.

Drop the node into any workflow

Use Parse from URL or Parse from File alongside any of n8n's 1000+ integrations.

Workflow demo coming soon

Example workflows

Common patterns to copy and adapt.

Coming soon

Gmail PDF attachment → Parsebridge → Notion page

Watch an inbox for PDF attachments, parse them to Markdown, and write the result to a Notion database.

Coming soon

Google Drive watcher → Parsebridge → Pinecone vector DB

A simple n8n PDF to markdown ingestion pipeline for n8n RAG: pick up new PDFs, parse, embed, and upsert to Pinecone.

Coming soon

Slack PDF upload → Parsebridge → AI summary back to channel

When a PDF lands in a Slack channel, parse it and post an LLM-generated summary back as a reply.

Why use Parsebridge in n8n

Built on Docling

Parsebridge runs Docling, the open-source document parser from IBM Research. The same parsing engine, exposed as a hosted HTTP API your n8n Docling workflows can call.

No infrastructure to manage

Works with both n8n Cloud and self-hosted n8n. No Python runtime, no GPU, no model downloads.

Verified n8n community node

Verification pending

Published on the n8n marketplace as a community node.

Two simple operations. No bloat.

Parse from URL or Parse from File. That is the whole surface area of the n8n PDF parser.

Frequently asked questions

What is n8n?

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform. Self-host it or use n8n Cloud. The Parsebridge node works with both.

How is this different from running Docling myself in n8n?

Docling needs Python, GPU drivers, model weights, and 2-4GB of dependencies. Parsebridge runs Docling on our infrastructure, so n8n calls it as a normal HTTP API. Useful for n8n Cloud (no Python execution) and lighter self-hosted setups.

Does it work with n8n Cloud?

Yes, the node installs the same way on n8n Cloud and self-hosted instances.

What about data privacy?

Files are processed and immediately discarded. Nothing is stored. For full self-hosted control, run Docling directly. See /docling-api for tradeoffs.

Can I use this with the free Parsebridge tier?

Yes, 50 pages/month free, no credit card required.

Ship PDF parsing in your next n8n workflow

Install the n8n PDF parser and start converting documents to Markdown in minutes.

Install on n8n

Or get an API key first. Free tier, no credit card.