Your first n8n workflow: weather forecast via Telegram

Preface

In the previous post we set up n8n locally with Docker Compose. The instance is running, but an automation tool without a workflow is just an empty canvas.

In this post we will build a small, practical workflow: a scheduled job that fetches the current weather from the OpenWeatherMap API and sends you a summary via Telegram. It covers three core n8n concepts, HTTP requests, and third-party integrations, so you will have a solid foundation to create more complex automations on your own.

Your first workflow: weather forecast via Telegram

Now that n8n is running, let’s build something useful a workflow that checks the weather and sends you a message on Telegram. It takes about five minutes.

What you need first

1. A Telegram bot : open Telegram, search for @BotFather, send /newbot, follow the prompts. You will get an API token like 123456:ABC-DEF1234. Save it.
2. Your Telegram chat ID : send any message to your new bot, then open https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getUpdates in a browser. Look for "chat":{"id":123456789} : that number is your chat ID.
3. An OpenWeatherMap API key : sign up at openweathermap.org, the free tier is enough. You will get an API key from your account dashboard.

Build the workflow step by step

Open n8n at http://localhost:5678 and click Add workflow. Then add nodes one by one:

1. Schedule Trigger

This starts the workflow automatically. Click the canvas, search for Schedule Trigger and add it. Set it to run once a day (or every hour whatever you prefer).

2. HTTP Request : get the weather

Add an HTTP Request node and connect it to the trigger. Configure it like this:

Replace Vienna with your city and YOUR_API_KEY with the key from OpenWeatherMap.

Click Test step to make sure you get a JSON response with temperature, description, etc.

3. Telegram : send the message

Add a Telegram node and connect it to the HTTP Request node.

First, set up the credentials:

• Click Credential to connect with → Create New
• Paste your bot token from BotFather

Then fill in the fields:

For the Text field, click the expression editor (the little = icon) and paste:

🌤 Weather in {{ $json.name }}:
🌡 Temperature: {{ $json.main.temp }}°C (feels like {{ $json.main.feels_like }}°C)
💧 Humidity: {{ $json.main.humidity }}%
📝 {{ $json.weather[0].description }}

4. Test and activate

Click Test workflow to run it once. You should receive a Telegram message within a few seconds. If it works, toggle the Active switch in the top-right corner so n8n runs it on schedule.

That’s it! You now have an automated daily weather report on Telegram, built entirely on your local machine.

Import the workflow instead

If you prefer to skip the manual setup, download the ready-made workflow JSON and import it:

1. Download weather-forecast-telegram.json.
2. In n8n, go to Workflows → Import from File and select the JSON.
3. Open the Get Weather node and replace YOUR_API_KEY with your OpenWeatherMap key (you can also change the city from Vienna to your own).
4. Open the Send Telegram Message node, set your Chat ID, and create a Telegram credential with your bot token.
5. Click Test workflow to verify, then toggle Active.

Summary

The weather-to-Telegram workflow shows how easy it is to wire up APIs visually from here you can connect anything: notifications, databases, webhooks, CI/CD events, and more.