/// INTEGRATION

PDF workflows in n8n.

The HTTP Request node plus one Header Auth credential gives every n8n workflow — cloud or self-hosted — the full 30-tool document API.

Works today with n8n's built-in HTTP Request node — nothing to install

Prerequisites

Test the key before building anything:

curl https://www.ashdocs.com/api/v1/me -H "X-API-Key: ash_live_..."

Setup, step by step

  1. 1

    Create a reusable credential

    Credentials → New → “Header Auth”. Name: exactly “X-API-Key”. Value: your key. Every ASHDOCS node in every workflow can now reuse it.

  2. 2

    Add the HTTP Request node

    Method: POST. URL: the tool endpoint. Authentication: Generic Credential Type → Header Auth → the credential from step 1.

    https://www.ashdocs.com/api/v1/tools/pdf-to-markdown
  3. 3

    Send a file in

    Body Content Type: “Form-Data”. Add a parameter with type “n8n Binary File”, name exactly “files”, and Input Data Field Name set to your incoming binary property (usually “data”).

  4. 4

    Send JSON instead

    For html-to-pdf, url-to-pdf and the generation tools, set Body Content Type to JSON and write the payload. Any file tool also accepts a file_url string in a JSON body when a link is easier than bytes.

    {"html": "<h1>Report</h1>", "options": {"format": "A4"}}
  5. 5

    Get the file out

    The response is JSON with signed download URLs — not raw bytes. Add a second HTTP Request node with URL set to {{$json.output_files[0].url}} (or add "output": "url" to options and use {{$json.file_url}}) and Response Format: “File”. Its binary output feeds Google Drive, Write Binary File or email nodes directly.

Files in

Form-Data with a parameter of type “n8n Binary File” named “files”, reading from your workflow's binary property. Or send a JSON body with “file_url” when an upstream node already holds a downloadable link.

Files out

Responses are JSON with signed 60-minute URLs. Chain a second HTTP Request node with Response Format “File” on the URL to produce a binary property for downstream nodes. Self-hosted n8n behaves identically — flat-cost automation for high volume.

Three ready-made recipes

Webhook receives HTML → PDF → Google Drive

  1. Webhook node receives a POST with an html field.
  2. HTTP Request: POST https://www.ashdocs.com/api/v1/tools/html-to-pdf, JSON body {"html": "{{$json.body.html}}", "options": {"output": "url"}}.
  3. HTTP Request: GET {{$json.file_url}}, Response Format: File.
  4. Google Drive node: upload the binary.

Email attachment → bank statement → spreadsheet rows

  1. Email Trigger (IMAP) with “Download Attachments” enabled.
  2. HTTP Request: POST https://www.ashdocs.com/api/v1/tools/bank-statement-to-csv, Form-Data, n8n Binary File parameter “files” reading attachment_0.
  3. HTTP Request: GET the output CSV URL from output_files[0].url, Response Format: File.
  4. Spreadsheet File node parses the CSV → Google Sheets node appends the rows.

Async: start a workflow when any job completesasync / webhook

  1. Add a Webhook node and copy its production URL.
  2. Register it once with the ASHDOCS webhook API:
  3. curl -X POST https://www.ashdocs.com/api/webhooks \
  -H "X-API-Key: ash_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://your-n8n.example.com/webhook/ashdocs", "events": ["job.completed"]}'
  4. The signed job.completed payload (job_id, tool, outputs[].url) starts the workflow the moment a document is ready.

Popular recipes

Importable workflow JSONs. After import, attach your own Header Auth credential and reconnect accounts.

Webhook → HTML to PDF → Google Drive

~10 min setup

POST html to a webhook and the rendered PDF lands in your Drive.

HTML to PDF API
Download JSON

Import: Workflow → Import from File, or paste the copied JSON straight onto the canvas.

Email statement → CSV rows in a Sheet

~15 min setup

Bank-statement PDFs arriving by email are parsed into transaction rows appended to Google Sheets.

Bank Statement to CSV API
Download JSON

Import: Workflow → Import from File, or paste the copied JSON straight onto the canvas.

Form upload → extracted fields → Airtable

~10 min setup

A form posts a file link; schema-driven extraction turns it into a structured Airtable record.

PDF to JSON API
Download JSON

Import: Workflow → Import from File, or paste the copied JSON straight onto the canvas.

Troubleshooting

SymptomFix
PDF is corrupted downstreamYou mapped the JSON envelope instead of the file. Download output_files[0].url (or file_url) with a second HTTP Request node set to Response Format: File.
401 UnauthorizedThe Header Auth credential name must be exactly X-API-Key.
Multipart errors / “Files required”The body parameter type must be “n8n Binary File”, named exactly “files”, with the Input Data Field Name pointing at a real binary property.
Self-hosted n8n behind a proxy can't reach the APIOutbound HTTPS to https://www.ashdocs.com must be allowed by your egress rules — the API is HTTPS-only.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a dedicated ASHDOCS node for n8n?

The HTTP Request node is the supported path today — it covers every endpoint with one reusable Header Auth credential, and this page documents the exact field names. Nothing to install.

Any differences between n8n Cloud and self-hosted?

None for this API. Both call the same HTTPS endpoints with the same credential; self-hosted just needs outbound HTTPS allowed. Self-hosting makes high-volume document automation flat-cost.

How do sandbox keys work in n8n?

Create a second Header Auth credential holding an ash_test_ key. Workflows run end-to-end — real files, real responses — without consuming credits. Swap credentials when you go live.

Can one workflow chain several tools?

Yes — pass each response's output URL into the next tool as file_url, no intermediate downloads needed. For fixed sequences, ASHDOCS pipelines run the whole chain server-side in one call.

Tools used on this page

HTML to PDF APIBank Statement to CSV APIPDF to Markdown API
All 30 toolsAPI docsPricing