# Email to Asana task n8n template

> An importable n8n workflow that watches a Gmail label, strips quoted history and signatures, and has Claude classify each message and extract a verb-first title, description, requester, due date and priority. Requests become Asana tasks with a link to the email. Replies on a thread that already has a task become comments, using a Google Sheet as the thread map. You need n8n, Gmail, an Anthropic API key, Asana, Google Sheets and Slack.

- Platform: n8n
- Download: https://www.lumeor.studio/templates/n8n/ai-email-to-task-automation.json
- Trigger: New Gmail message with the To task label, polled every minute
- Credentials needed: Gmail OAuth2, Anthropic API, Asana, Google Sheets OAuth2, Slack
- Full guide: https://www.lumeor.studio/guides/ai-email-to-task-automation/
- Last updated: 2026-10-14

## What this workflow does

1. **Gmail: To task label** (Gmail Trigger) picks up new messages carrying your "To task" label, with the full body.
2. **Strip quotes and signatures** (Code) removes quoted replies, reply headers, signatures and legal footers, keeps attachment names, and skips no-reply and auto-submitted senders before any model call.
3. **Classify and extract with Claude** (HTTP Request) returns a category (new request, update, informational, automated, other) plus task fields from a strict JSON schema. Due date and assignee each carry a confidence value, so vague cases are marked rather than guessed.
4. **Parse and route** (Code) handles refusals and truncated output, drops non-requests, maps the sender's domain to an Asana project and named teammates to Asana users, and only sets a due date the sender actually stated.
5. **Route** (Switch) sends tasks onward and errors to Slack.
6. **Look up thread** (Google Sheets) checks whether this thread already has a task.
7. **Task exists for thread?** (If) adds the new message as a comment with any proposed date change, or creates a new task.
8. **Create Asana task**, **Shape mapping row** (Edit Fields) and **Save thread mapping** record thread ID, task ID and link.
9. **Label email as captured** (Gmail) tags the message so the team can see it is tracked.
10. **Post exception to Slack** collects API errors, refusals and Asana failures.

## Before you import

- A Gmail account or shared mailbox, with a "To task" label applied by a filter or by hand, and a "Task captured" label.
- An Anthropic API key. The template uses `claude-opus-5-5` at low effort; `claude-haiku-5-5` is cheaper for high-volume, simple classification.
- An Asana personal access token, a "Needs review" project, and a Google Sheet with a Threads tab.
- A Slack bot in an exceptions channel.

## Setup

1. Import the JSON and connect Gmail, Anthropic, Asana, Google Sheets and Slack credentials.
2. Replace `REPLACE_WITH_TO_TASK_LABEL_ID` on the trigger and `REPLACE_WITH_CAPTURED_LABEL_ID` on the label node with Gmail label IDs (they look like `Label_123`).
3. Create the Threads tab with headers thread_id, task_id, task_url, subject, from_address, created_at, and replace `REPLACE_WITH_SHEET_ID` on both Sheets nodes.
4. In **Parse and route**, fill `DOMAIN_PROJECTS`, `DEFAULT_PROJECT` and `PEOPLE`.
5. Replace `REPLACE_WITH_ASANA_WORKSPACE_ID` and `REPLACE_WITH_SLACK_EXCEPTIONS_CHANNEL_ID`.

## Test it

Label four emails: a clear request with a date, a reply on that same thread changing the date, a newsletter and a thank-you note. The first should create one Asana task with the due date and an email link. The reply should appear as a comment on that task with the proposed date, not as a second task. The newsletter and thank-you should create nothing.

## Make it production-ready

- Before switching it on, label 100 to 200 real emails by hand and measure how many created tasks are real. Favor precision first.
- Keep every task in the Needs review project for two weeks, then route by client domain.
- Log deleted or merged auto-created tasks and add them to your test set.
- Add an n8n error workflow, and watch Asana's rate limits if the mailbox is busy.
- Optionally send the requester a short acknowledgment with the task link once accuracy is proven.

Read the full guide on [turning emails into tasks with AI](/guides/ai-email-to-task-automation/) for classifier testing and deduplication, or [talk to Lumeor](/start/) about Outlook, ClickUp or Jira versions.

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Source: https://www.lumeor.studio/templates/ai-email-to-task-automation/
Published by Lumeor Studio, Newtown, PA. hello@lumeor.studio. Get a written scope: https://www.lumeor.studio/start/