Automating Jotihunt with n8n

n8n is a powerful workflow automation platform that can help Jotihunt teams automate tasks, monitor API updates, and streamline coordination. This guide will show you how to integrate the Jotihunt API with n8n to create powerful automation workflows.

What You Can Automate

With the Jotihunt API and n8n, you can automate:

Real-time notifications for new articles, hints, and opdrachten (assignments)
Automatic creation of tasks in project management tools
Alert systems when area statuses change
Messaging to team communication platforms (Slack, Discord, Google Chat)
Data collection and analysis for strategic decision-making

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

An n8n account (self-hosted or cloud)
Access to the Jotihunt API (only needed for admin endpoints)
Basic understanding of HTTP requests and JSON
Access to your team’s communication tools (optional)

Pre-build Workflow example

This is an example of a pre-build workflow. You can use this to get started quickly.

This workflow automatically:

Checks for new content from the Jotihunt API every 10 minutes
Uses Google Gemini AI to analyze hints, assignments, and news
Creates appropriate tasks in ClickUp based on content type
Sends formatted notifications to Google Chat

You’re not limited to ClickUp and Google Chat - you can substitute these with Slack, Discord, Trello, Asana, or any other tool n8n supports. Just remember to update the system prompt and node configurations to reflect your chosen tools.

You can copy and paste the following json into your n8n workspace

example1.json

 {
"name": "JotiHunt 2025",
"nodes": [
 {
   "parameters": {
     "rule": {
       "interval": [
         {
           "field": "minutes",
           "minutesInterval": 10
         }
       ]
     }
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
   "typeVersion": 1.2,
   "position": [
     0,
     0
   ],
   "id": "f2615f3d-6b10-4782-b3fd-4248edb01b66",
   "name": "Schedule Trigger"
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "url": "https://jotihunt.nl/api/2.0/articles",
     "options": {}
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
   "typeVersion": 4.2,
   "position": [
     220,
     0
   ],
   "id": "a355a01f-2faf-4dcc-95fb-14aa1e53dfd4",
   "name": "HTTP Request"
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "promptType": "define",
     "text": "=New {{ $json.data[0].type }}\n\nTitle: {{ $json.data[0].title }}\nPublish at: {{ $json.data[0].publish_at }}\nContent: {{ $json.data[0].message.content }}\nLinks {{ $json.links.toJsonString() || \"\" }}\n",
     "options": {
       "systemMessage": "=You are an advanced Jotihunt Intelligence Assistant designed to analyze and process incoming assignments (opdrachten), hints, and news updates for the Jotihunt live game. Your primary function is to prepare comprehensive, actionable reports for team members via Google Chat and create organized tasks in Clickup for actionable items.\n\n## ABOUT JOTIHUNT:\nJotihunt is an annual interactive fox hunt for Dutch scouting groups in Gelderland, organized by volunteers. Teams (\"hunters\") track fox teams (groups of three people) moving throughout Gelderland. Fox locations are revealed through cryptic hints on the game website. Participating scout groups must decipher these hints to determine the location and walking route of fox teams to successfully \"hunt\" them. Fox teams move within Gelderland with the goal of placing counter-hunts against participating groups. Besides solving hints and hunting foxes, scouting groups complete assigned tasks. Successfully solved hints and completed tasks earn points. The scouting group with the most points after 26 hours wins Jotihunt.\n\n## YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:\nWhen receiving new information, you will first categorize it as one of three types:\n- HINT: Clues about fox team locations that need deciphering\n- OPDRACHT (ASSIGNMENT): Tasks the team must complete to earn points\n- NEWS: General game updates, rule changes, announcements, or other information\n\nFor each type of incoming information, you will:\n\n1. ANALYZE THE CONTENT:\n   - Identify the type (Hint/Opdracht/News)\n   - Determine urgency level (Critical/High/Medium/Low)\n   - Extract key information, deadlines, and requirements\n\n2. SEND DETAILED GOOGLE CHAT MESSAGE USING THE GOOGLE CHAT TOOL:\n\n   FOR HINTS:\n   - **SUMMARY**: Clear, concise overview of the hint\n   - **DETAILED BREAKDOWN**: Thorough explanation with all available information\n   - **POTENTIAL INTERPRETATIONS**: Provide 3-5 possible interpretations\n   - **INITIAL ANALYSIS**: Your preliminary thoughts on solving the puzzle\n   - **SUGGESTED APPROACH**: Step-by-step methodology to tackle the hint:\n      * Research steps\n      * Decoding techniques if encoded\n      * Resources needed\n      * Verification methods\n   - **TIME ESTIMATES**: Projected time required for solution\n   - **GEOGRAPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS**: Relevant Gelderland areas to consider\n   - **PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS**: Suggested team members based on required skills\n   - **CROSS-REFERENCES**: Connections to previous hints if applicable\n\n   FOR OPDRACHTEN (ASSIGNMENTS):\n   - **SUMMARY**: Clear, concise overview of the assignment\n   - **REQUIREMENTS**: Detailed breakdown of what must be accomplished\n   - **DEADLINE**: When the assignment must be completed by\n   - **RESOURCES NEEDED**: Materials, skills, or information required\n   - **SUGGESTED APPROACH**: Step-by-step methodology to complete the assignment\n   - **TIME ESTIMATES**: Projected time required for completion\n   - **PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS**: Suggested team members based on required skills\n   - **POTENTIAL CHALLENGES**: Anticipated difficulties and how to overcome them\n\n   FOR NEWS:\n   - **SUMMARY**: Clear, concise overview of the news\n   - **IMPLICATIONS**: How this news affects the team's strategy or gameplay\n   - **ACTION ITEMS**: Any immediate actions needed in response\n   - **FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS**: How this might impact upcoming game elements\n   - **CROSS-REFERENCES**: How this relates to previous information or game elements\n\n3. CREATE CLICKUP TASK (ONLY FOR HINTS AND OPDRACHTEN):\n   - Generate structured task data for the team's Clickup system only for hints and assignments\n   - Do NOT create Clickup tasks for news updates\n   - Include all relevant details formatted appropriately for task management\n   - Tag with appropriate type (Hint/Opdracht) for easy filtering\n\nWhen communicating via Google Chat, maintain a tone that is urgent but clear, detailed but actionable, and always focused on maximizing the team's chance of success in the Jotihunt competition."
     }
   },
   "type": "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent",
   "typeVersion": 1.9,
   "position": [
     872,
     0
   ],
   "id": "cd9bad36-c1fe-4e68-b105-0be8035c5443",
   "name": "AI Agent"
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "modelName": "models/gemini-2.5-flash-preview-04-17",
     "options": {}
   },
   "type": "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatGoogleGemini",
   "typeVersion": 1,
   "position": [
     660,
     220
   ],
   "id": "5879fcaf-a91b-49ad-8e06-2f98fb5c280a",
   "name": "Google Gemini Chat Model",
   "credentials": {
     "googlePalmApi": {
       "id": "TUvLCeakEJqhRdb1",
       "name": "Google Gemini(PaLM) Api account"
     }
   }
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "sessionIdType": "customKey",
     "sessionKey": "=2344332",
     "contextWindowLength": 35
   },
   "type": "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.memoryBufferWindow",
   "typeVersion": 1.3,
   "position": [
     780,
     220
   ],
   "id": "ec61095c-3a1c-4bf6-949e-58dbab4889a7",
   "name": "Simple Memory"
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "conditions": {
       "options": {
         "caseSensitive": true,
         "leftValue": "",
         "typeValidation": "strict",
         "version": 2
       },
       "conditions": [
         {
           "id": "2dfc29a4-cc12-46b0-b4a9-81b06c8c9c39",
           "leftValue": "={{ $json.data[0].type }}",
           "rightValue": "news",
           "operator": {
             "type": "string",
             "operation": "notEquals"
           }
         }
       ],
       "combinator": "and"
     },
     "options": {}
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
   "typeVersion": 2.2,
   "position": [
     440,
     0
   ],
   "id": "41664fc3-68ac-4b9f-85ce-46bf52136c5e",
   "name": "If",
   "disabled": true
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "descriptionType": "manual",
     "toolDescription": "Create an new task for assingments (opdracht)",
     "authentication": "oAuth2",
     "team": "90151019105",
     "space": "90154414165",
     "folderless": true,
     "list": "901510698129",
     "name": "=Opdracht: {{ $json.data[0].title }}",
     "additionalFields": {
       "content": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Content', ``, 'string') }}",
       "dueDateTime": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Due_Date_Time', ``, 'boolean') }}",
       "priority": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Priority', ``, 'number') }}",
       "timeEstimate": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Time_Estimate', ``, 'number') }}"
     }
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.clickUpTool",
   "typeVersion": 1,
   "position": [
     900,
     220
   ],
   "id": "37809fa1-57e7-4c64-b0ae-d2a4697da6a9",
   "name": "ClickUp opdracht",
   "credentials": {
     "clickUpOAuth2Api": {
       "id": "l5cnmNjb3PIiXquH",
       "name": "ClickUp account 2"
     }
   }
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "descriptionType": "manual",
     "toolDescription": "Create an new task for assingments (opdracht)",
     "authentication": "oAuth2",
     "team": "90151019105",
     "space": "90154414165",
     "folderless": true,
     "list": "901510698275",
     "name": "=Hint: {{ $json.data[0].title }}",
     "additionalFields": {
       "content": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Content', ``, 'string') }}",
       "dueDateTime": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Due_Date_Time', ``, 'boolean') }}",
       "priority": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Priority', ``, 'number') }}",
       "timeEstimate": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Time_Estimate', ``, 'number') }}"
     }
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.clickUpTool",
   "typeVersion": 1,
   "position": [
     1020,
     220
   ],
   "id": "30f1280a-9a5a-40a1-9842-cbb8b635556d",
   "name": "ClickUp hint",
   "credentials": {
     "clickUpOAuth2Api": {
       "id": "l5cnmNjb3PIiXquH",
       "name": "ClickUp account 2"
     }
   }
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "authentication": "oAuth2",
     "operation": "update",
     "id": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Task_ID', ``, 'string') }}",
     "updateFields": {
       "addAssignees": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Add_Assignees', ``, 'string') }}",
       "content": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Content', ``, 'string') }}",
       "priority": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Priority', ``, 'number') }}",
       "status": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Status', ``, 'string') }}",
       "timeEstimate": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Time_Estimate', ``, 'number') }}"
     }
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.clickUpTool",
   "typeVersion": 1,
   "position": [
     1140,
     220
   ],
   "id": "813297dd-6310-44c3-afc4-1400a5c74d37",
   "name": "ClickUp update task",
   "credentials": {
     "clickUpOAuth2Api": {
       "id": "l5cnmNjb3PIiXquH",
       "name": "ClickUp account 2"
     }
   }
 },
 {
   "parameters": {
     "spaceId": "=JotiHunt 2025",
     "messageUi": {
       "text": "={{ /*n8n-auto-generated-fromAI-override*/ $fromAI('Text', ``, 'string') }}"
     },
     "additionalFields": {}
   },
   "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleChatTool",
   "typeVersion": 1,
   "position": [
     1260,
     220
   ],
   "id": "106100b1-b737-4339-abf6-0e2920a099c4",
   "name": "Google Chat1",
   "webhookId": "c40be85a-2bba-427b-bfc9-000e03a058fc",
   "credentials": {
     "googleApi": {
       "id": "ziyc1BkunuOHv8ze",
       "name": "Chat account Silke"
     }
   }
 }
],
"pinData": {},
"connections": {
 "Schedule Trigger": {
   "main": [
     [
       {
         "node": "HTTP Request",
         "type": "main",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "HTTP Request": {
   "main": [
     [
       {
         "node": "If",
         "type": "main",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "Google Gemini Chat Model": {
   "ai_languageModel": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "ai_languageModel",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "Simple Memory": {
   "ai_memory": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "ai_memory",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "If": {
   "main": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "main",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "ClickUp opdracht": {
   "ai_tool": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "ai_tool",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "ClickUp hint": {
   "ai_tool": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "ai_tool",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "ClickUp update task": {
   "ai_tool": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "ai_tool",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 },
 "AI Agent": {
   "main": [
     []
   ]
 },
 "Google Chat1": {
   "ai_tool": [
     [
       {
         "node": "AI Agent",
         "type": "ai_tool",
         "index": 0
       }
     ]
   ]
 }
},
"active": false,
"settings": {
 "executionOrder": "v1",
 "timezone": "Europe/Amsterdam",
 "callerPolicy": "workflowsFromSameOwner"
},
"versionId": "84f6a860-e24c-485b-8e6c-b0108969719e",
"meta": {
 "templateCredsSetupCompleted": true,
 "instanceId": "d8dbcaa25fb3299ceca5d6cdb341ce3d9ac5aff0ef15590c3a9c4f4ba7a67307"
},
"id": "t6aQq7Dre4sodaz0",
"tags": []
}

Setting Up Your First n8n Workflow

Create a new workflow in n8n

Log in to your n8n instance
Click on “Workflows” in the sidebar
Click the ”+ Create Workflow” button
Name your workflow (e.g., “Jotihunt Article Monitor”)

Add a trigger node

You’ll need a node to trigger your workflow at regular intervals. The Schedule Trigger node works well:

Click the ”+ Add node” button
Search for “Schedule” and select “Schedule Trigger”
Configure how often you want to check for updates:
- For live monitoring during the event: Every 1-5 minutes
- For testing: Every hour or manually

Connect to the Jotihunt API

Add an HTTP Request node
Configure it to make a GET request to the Jotihunt API:

https://jotihunt.nl/api/2.0/articles

For testing with historical data, use the Wayback Machine URL format:

https://web.archive.org/web/20221010123456/https://jotihunt.nl/api/2.0/articles

If you need test data outside of the event, refer to the Wayback Machine section in our API documentation.

Processing API Responses

Once you’ve set up your HTTP Request node to fetch data from the Jotihunt API, you’ll need to process the response.

Advanced Workflow: AI-Powered Analysis

You can enhance your Jotihunt workflow with AI to automatically analyze new hints and assignments. Here’s how to set up an advanced workflow that:

Fetches new articles from the API
Uses AI to analyze content and determine actions
Creates tasks in ClickUp
Sends notifications to Google Chat

Set up the basic workflow

Follow the steps above to create a workflow that fetches articles from the Jotihunt API.

Add an AI node

Add an AI Agent node (requires n8n’s LangChain integration)
Connect it to your HTTP Request node
Create a system prompt that helps the AI understand how to process Jotihunt content

Make sure your system prompt includes context about Jotihunt, what kinds of content to expect, and how to categorize articles (hints, assignments, news).

Configure integration tools

Add nodes for your team’s tools:

ClickUp (or other task management system)
Google Chat, Slack, or Discord for notifications
Google Sheets or a database for tracking data

Example Workflow: Jotihunt 2025 Automation

Here’s an example of a complete workflow for automating Jotihunt 2025:

// Sample workflow structure (simplified)
{
  "name": "JotiHunt 2025",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": []
        }
      },
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "name": "Schedule Trigger"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "url": "https://jotihunt.nl/api/2.0/articles",
        "options": {}
      },
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "name": "HTTP Request"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "promptType": "define",
        "text": "=New {{ $json.data[0].type }}\n\nTitle: {{ $json.data[0].title }}\nPublish at: {{ $json.data[0].publish_at }}\nContent: {{ $json.data[0].message.content }}"
      },
      "type": "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent",
      "name": "AI Agent"
    },
    // Other nodes for task creation and notifications
  ]
}

This workflow:

Checks for new articles every few minutes
Processes the articles and identifies their type (hint, assignment, news)
Uses AI to analyze the content and extract key information
Creates appropriate tasks in ClickUp with all necessary details
Sends formatted notifications to Google Chat with actionable information

Workflow Configuration Details

The core components of this workflow are:

Schedule Trigger: Runs every 5 minutes during the event
HTTP Request: Fetches the latest articles from https://jotihunt.nl/api/2.0/articles
AI Agent: Processes the content with a comprehensive system prompt

AI System Prompt Example

This is an example of an AI system prompt that can effectively process Jotihunt content:

You are an advanced Jotihunt Intelligence Assistant designed to analyze and process incoming assignments (opdrachten), hints, and news updates for the Jotihunt live game.

## ABOUT JOTIHUNT:
Jotihunt is an annual interactive fox hunt for Dutch scouting groups in Gelderland, organized by volunteers. Teams ("hunters") track fox teams moving throughout Gelderland. Fox locations are revealed through cryptic hints on the game website.

## YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
When receiving new information, you will categorize it as one of three types:
- HINT: Clues about fox team locations that need deciphering
- OPDRACHT (ASSIGNMENT): Tasks the team must complete to earn points
- NEWS: General game updates, rule changes, announcements, or other information

For each type, you will:
1. ANALYZE THE CONTENT
2. SEND DETAILED MESSAGE
3. CREATE TASK (for hints and assignments only)

Task Creation Logic

For each article type, you’ll want different task parameters:

Google Chat Integration

To send notifications to your team’s Google Chat space, add a Google Chat node:

{
  "parameters": {
    "spaceId": "=JotiHunt 2025",
    "messageUi": {
      "text": "{{ $json.formattedMessage }}"
    }
  },
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleChatTool"
}

Your AI processing node should format messages differently based on content type:

Testing Your Workflow

Before the actual Jotihunt event, you should test your workflow thoroughly:

Use test data

Set up your workflow with historical data using the Wayback Machine API. See the Test Data with Wayback Machine section of our documentation.

Test each node individually

Execute each node separately to make sure it’s processing data correctly.

Simulate a full event cycle

Run a simulation of the entire event by feeding historical data through your workflow.

Best Practices

Error Handling: Add error handling nodes to prevent workflow failures
Rate Limiting: Respect the Jotihunt API rate limit (30 requests per minute)
Data Storage: Store processed data to avoid duplicate processing
Notifications: Set up critical error notifications for your team
Manual Override: Include options for manual intervention and correction
Testing: Test thoroughly with historical data before the live event

Advanced Integration Ideas

Here are some additional ways to extend your n8n Jotihunt automation:

Geographic Analysis

Connect hint locations to mapping services to visualize fox team patterns

Team Coordination

Automatically assign tasks to team members based on their skills and availability

Historical Data Analysis

Track patterns from previous years to predict fox team behavior

Mobile Notifications

Send critical updates directly to your hunting teams in the field

Conclusion

By automating your Jotihunt workflow with n8n, you can significantly improve your team’s efficiency, reduce manual monitoring, and enable faster responses to new information. The combination of real-time API monitoring, AI analysis, and integrated notifications creates a powerful advantage for any Jotihunt team. Remember to respect the Jotihunt API rate limits and to thoroughly test your workflow before the event.

Need Help?

If you have questions about the Jotihunt API or need assistance, contact the Jotihunt organization.

Welcome

Guides

Automating Jotihunt with n8n

What You Can Automate

Prerequisites

Pre-build Workflow example

Setting Up Your First n8n Workflow

Processing API Responses

Advanced Workflow: AI-Powered Analysis

Example Workflow: Jotihunt 2025 Automation

Workflow Configuration Details

AI System Prompt Example

Task Creation Logic

Google Chat Integration

Testing Your Workflow

Best Practices

Advanced Integration Ideas

Geographic Analysis

Team Coordination

Historical Data Analysis

Mobile Notifications

Conclusion

Need Help?

Welcome

Guides

​What You Can Automate

​Prerequisites

​Pre-build Workflow example

​Setting Up Your First n8n Workflow

​Processing API Responses

​Advanced Workflow: AI-Powered Analysis

​Example Workflow: Jotihunt 2025 Automation

​Workflow Configuration Details

​AI System Prompt Example

​Task Creation Logic

​Google Chat Integration

​Testing Your Workflow

​Best Practices

​Advanced Integration Ideas

Geographic Analysis

Team Coordination

Historical Data Analysis

Mobile Notifications

​Conclusion

Need Help?

What You Can Automate

Prerequisites

Pre-build Workflow example

Setting Up Your First n8n Workflow

Processing API Responses

Advanced Workflow: AI-Powered Analysis

Example Workflow: Jotihunt 2025 Automation

Workflow Configuration Details

AI System Prompt Example

Task Creation Logic

Google Chat Integration

Testing Your Workflow

Best Practices

Advanced Integration Ideas

Conclusion