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1d • General Discussion 💬
The Reusable n8n Module Every Document Workflow Needs 🔥
Built 15 document workflows. All needed same error handling.
Copying logic between workflows was tedious. One bug meant updating 15 workflows.
Created reusable error module. Now every workflow more robust with zero duplicated code.
THE MODULE (5 NODES):
Function Node → catches errors from document processing
IF Node → checks error type (parsing/API/validation/timeout)
Switch Node → routes to appropriate recovery
Slack Node → notifies with error details + document context
Google Sheets → logs failed documents for bulk reprocessing
THE ERROR CATEGORIES:
Parsing failures: Document unreadable (corrupted, unsupported format)
→ Manual processing queue, immediate notification
Extraction failures: Low confidence data extraction
→ Human review queue with document preview
API failures: External service timeout (QuickBooks, Airtable)
→ Retry with exponential backoff, queue if still fails
Validation failures: Data fails business rules (negative amounts, future dates)
→ Flag for review with specific errors highlighted
WHY THIS MATTERS:
Before module: Each workflow handled errors differently. Some failed silently. Documents disappeared. Clients complained.
After module: Consistent handling everywhere. Every failure logged. Every error recoverable. Zero lost documents.
THE IMPLEMENTATION:
Built 5-node module once. Saved as workflow snippet. When building new workflow, import module, connect to error output. Done.
Time: 2 hours to build initially. Saves 30 minutes per new workflow.
REAL RECOVERY:
QuickBooks API down 3 hours. 240 invoices failed.
Without module: Manual reprocessing nightmare.
With module: All 240 logged automatically. Slack notified once. When API returned, triggered bulk reprocess. All posted automatically.
THE UNEXPECTED BENEFIT:
Error logs became debugging data. Saw pattern: "80% of reviews are Vendor X invoices."
Investigated. Vendor X uses non-standard format. Added specific handling. Review rate dropped to 5%.
CURRENT STATE:
15 workflows using same module
Consistent behavior across all
Easy debugging
Update module once, benefits all workflows
Template here
THE LESSON:
Don't rebuild same logic 15 times. Build reusable modules. Your future self will thank you when debugging at 11 PM.
Every document workflow needs robust error handling. This module provides it in 5 nodes.
What error handling are you copying between workflows right now?
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The Reusable n8n Module Every Document Workflow Needs 🔥
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