Attio Integration Building Block

Attio is the flexible, AI-native CRM built for modern teams. Often called "Notion for CRM," it offers unprecedented customization through its flexible data model. While Attio includes powerful built-in automation through Attio Workflows, n8n unlocks its full potential by handling cross-system orchestration, bulk operations, and advanced integrations that complement what Attio does best.

Understanding Attio's Unique Position

What Makes Attio Different

"Notion for CRM" Philosophy:

Completely flexible data model - Create custom objects beyond People, Companies, Deals
AI-native architecture - Built for semantic data types, not just text strings
Modern GTM teams - Designed for startups, PLG companies, VC firms
Sub-50ms performance - Real-time collaboration, 20% faster than legacy CRMs
One-click enrichment - ARR, funding data, connection strength built-in

Target Audience:

Early-stage startups and scale-ups
Product-led growth companies
Venture capital firms tracking portfolio
Modern sales teams rejecting Salesforce complexity

Key Insight: Attio focuses on being the best CRM data platform, intentionally building minimal integrations and leaving orchestration to external tools.

Why Attio Workflows + n8n Work Better Together

Attio Workflows is a powerful visual automation tool built directly into the CRM—similar to HubSpot Workflows or Salesforce Flow. It handles internal CRM automation brilliantly, but like all automation that lives inside a SaaS product, it has inherent limitations when orchestrating across your tech stack.

Quick Comparison: Attio Workflows vs. n8n

Feature	n8n (External Orchestration)	Attio Workflows (Internal Automation)
Cross-System Workflows Orchestrate processes across CRM, accounting, support, analytics, etc.
External Triggers Start workflows from Stripe payments, product events, support tickets
Bulk Operations Process thousands of records without limits
Email Sending Send transactional emails directly from workflows
Complex Data Transformation Full JavaScript for parsing, calculations, API response manipulation
500+ Integrations Pre-built nodes for most popular tools
Native Attio Features AI Research Agent, sequences, Attio-specific UI controls
Zero Setup Works immediately without additional infrastructure

The Key Insight

Internal automation (Attio Workflows) excels at single-system tasks within Attio. External orchestration (n8n) excels at cross-system workflows that connect your entire tech stack.

Want to understand this framework deeply? This complementary relationship applies to all SaaS automation tools (HubSpot Workflows, Salesforce Flow, etc.). We've written a complete guide: Internal Automation vs. External Orchestration (coming soon)

When to Use Attio Workflows vs. n8n

Use Attio Workflows for:

✅ Simple CRM automation - Update records, create tasks, add to lists ✅ AI-powered actions - Research Agent for company enrichment (within credit limits) ✅ Attio-to-Attio workflows - Workflows that only touch Attio data ✅ Native integrations - Slack, Outreach, Mailchimp, Mixmax, Typeform ✅ Non-technical users - Sales/ops teams managing their own automations

Example: "When deal stage changes to 'Proposal Sent' → Create follow-up task → Add to 'Active Proposals' list → Notify team in Slack"

Use n8n for:

✅ Cross-system orchestration - Connect Attio to Stripe, Snowflake, support tools, analytics ✅ External triggers - Start workflows from payments, product events, webhooks ✅ Bulk operations - Process 1,000+ records (Attio Workflows limited to 100) ✅ Email automation - Send transactional emails with attachments (Attio can't do this) ✅ Complex transformations - Parse API responses, calculate custom metrics, format data ✅ Cost-effective scaling - Self-host for unlimited executions

Example: "Stripe payment succeeds → Create Attio record → Generate invoice PDF → Send email → Update accounting software → Log to data warehouse → Notify team"

Use Both (Hybrid Architecture):

✅ n8n orchestrates, Attio executes - n8n handles external triggers and cross-system logic, then triggers Attio Workflows via webhook for CRM-specific actions

Example: "Product usage milestone (Mixpanel) → n8n calculates PLG score + enriches with Clearbit → Updates Attio record → Triggers Attio Workflow → Attio creates task + enrolls in sequence + notifies team"

Decision Tree: Which Tool to Use?

Does workflow touch systems outside Attio?
├─ YES → Use n8n (cross-system orchestration)
└─ NO → Does it process >100 records at once?
    ├─ YES → Use n8n (bulk operations)
    └─ NO → Does it need to send emails?
        ├─ YES → Use n8n (email automation)
        └─ NO → Does it require complex data transformation?
            ├─ YES → Use n8n (Code nodes)
            └─ NO → Use Attio Workflows ✅

Understanding Attio's Flexible Data Model

Core Concepts

Objects:

Standard: People, Companies, Deals, Tasks, Notes, Meetings
Custom: Create any object—Invoices, Candidates, Portfolio Companies, Projects
Each object has fully customizable attributes and relationships

Records:

Individual instances of objects (e.g., "Acme Corp" is a Company record)
Rich metadata: created_by, modified_at, actor details

Attributes:

Semantic data types: email, currency, date, relationship, select, multiselect
Not just text strings—structured data that AI and automation can understand
Dynamic default values and validation rules

Lists:

Flexible views of records with custom filters
Can be synced across workspaces

Why This Matters for n8n

Unlike rigid CRMs, Attio's flexible schema means:

✅ You can track anything - Not limited to standard CRM objects
✅ API reflects your custom structure - Programmatically create objects and attributes
✅ Relationship mapping - Link records across any objects
✅ Real-time webhooks - Get notified of any data change

Setting Up Attio with n8n

Prerequisites

Attio account (Free tier works for testing)
n8n instance (Cloud or self-hosted)
Basic understanding of REST APIs (helpful but not required)

Authentication: API Key Method (Recommended for Getting Started)

Step 1: Generate API Key in Attio

Go to Attio Settings → Developers → API Keys
Click "Create API Key"
Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "n8n Integration - Production")
Copy the key immediately (only shown once)
Format: attio_sk_...

Step 2: Store in n8n Credentials

In n8n, go to Credentials → Add Credential
Search for "Header Auth" (Attio doesn't have a native node)
Configure:
- Name: Attio API Key
- Name: Authorization
- Value: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Save

Step 3: Test Connection

Create simple test workflow:

HTTP Request Node:

Method: GET
URL: https://api.attio.com/v2/objects
Authentication: Generic Credential Type → Header Auth → [Select "Attio API Key"]

Expected Response:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": {"object_id": "people"},
      "singular_noun": "Person",
      "plural_noun": "People"
    },
    {
      "id": {"object_id": "companies"},
      "singular_noun": "Company",
      "plural_noun": "Companies"
    }
  ]
}

If you see this response, your authentication is working! ✅

Common Attio API Patterns

Pattern 1: Reading Data (GET Requests)

List All Objects

GET https://api.attio.com/v2/objects

Returns all objects in your workspace (standard + custom).

Get Records from an Object

GET https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/companies/records

Query parameters:

limit - Number of records to return (default 20, max 100)
offset - Pagination offset
filter - Filter by attribute values

Get Specific Record

GET https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/companies/records/{record_id}

Pattern 2: Creating Records (POST Requests)

Create New Person

Method: POST
URL: https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/people/records

Body:
{
  "data": {
    "values": {
      "email_addresses": [
        {"email_address": "john@example.com"}
      ],
      "name": [
        {"first_name": "John", "last_name": "Doe"}
      ],
      "job_title": [
        {"value": "CTO"}
      ]
    }
  }
}

Key insight: Attio uses array structures for many fields to support multiple values (multiple emails, phone numbers, job titles over time).

Pattern 3: Updating Records (PATCH Requests)

Update Person's Job Title

Method: PATCH
URL: https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/people/records/{record_id}

Body:
{
  "data": {
    "values": {
      "job_title": [
        {"value": "VP of Engineering"}
      ]
    }
  }
}

Pattern 4: Working with Relationships

Link Person to Company

Method: PATCH
URL: https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/people/records/{person_id}

Body:
{
  "data": {
    "values": {
      "companies": [
        {"target_record_id": "{company_id}"}
      ]
    }
  }
}

Pattern 5: Setting Up Webhooks

Create Webhook in Attio

Method: POST
URL: https://api.attio.com/v2/webhooks

Body:
{
  "target_url": "https://your-n8n.app/webhook/attio-events",
  "subscriptions": [
    {
      "object": "people",
      "events": ["record.created", "record.updated"]
    },
    {
      "object": "deals",
      "events": ["record.created"]
    }
  ]
}

Webhook Payload Example:

{
  "event": "record.created",
  "object": "people",
  "record": {
    "id": {"record_id": "abc123"},
    "values": {
      "email_addresses": [{"email_address": "jane@example.com"}],
      "name": [{"first_name": "Jane", "last_name": "Smith"}]
    }
  }
}

Real-World Automation Patterns

Pattern 1: Contact Enrichment Pipeline (n8n Only)

Scenario: New person created in Attio → Auto-enrich with company data

Why n8n: External API calls (Clearbit), data transformation, company creation

Workflow:

Webhook Trigger - Attio fires person.created event
Extract Email - Code node: Parse Attio's array-based field structure
Clearbit Enrichment - Fetch company data from email domain
Find Company - Check if company exists in Attio
Create Company - If not found, create with enriched data
Link Person to Company - Update person record with relationship
Update Custom Fields - Add funding data, employee count, industry

Business Value:

Eliminates manual data entry
CRM always has complete company context
Sales reps see enriched data instantly

n8n Code Node - Extract Email:

// Attio stores emails as array of objects
const attioRecord = $json.record;
const primaryEmail = attioRecord.values.email_addresses?.[0]?.email_address;

if (!primaryEmail) {
  throw new Error('No email found for person');
}

return {
  json: {
    person_id: attioRecord.id.record_id,
    email: primaryEmail,
    first_name: attioRecord.values.name?.[0]?.first_name,
    last_name: attioRecord.values.name?.[0]?.last_name
  }
};

Pattern 2: Deal Stage Email Automation (n8n Required)

Scenario: Deal moves to "Proposal Sent" → Send personalized follow-up email

Why n8n: Attio Workflows cannot send emails from workflows (major limitation)

Workflow:

Webhook Trigger - Deal stage changed
Filter - Only continue if stage = "Proposal Sent"
Fetch Deal Details - Get related company, contact, deal value
Generate Email - Code node: Use template with Attio data
Send Email - SendGrid/Mailgun node
Log Activity - Create note in Attio via API

n8n Code Node - Generate Email:

const deal = $json.record;
const companyName = deal.values.companies?.[0]?.target_record_name || 'Your company';
const dealValue = deal.values.amount?.[0]?.value || 0;
const contactName = deal.values.contacts?.[0]?.target_record_name || 'there';

const emailBody = `
Hi ${contactName},

I wanted to follow up on the proposal we sent for ${companyName}.

Our proposal includes:
- Implementation: $${dealValue.toLocaleString()}
- Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Dedicated support team

Do you have any questions? I'm happy to jump on a call this week.

Best regards,
Sales Team
`;

return {
  json: {
    to: $json.contact_email,
    subject: `Following up: Proposal for ${companyName}`,
    body: emailBody
  }
};

Business Value:

Solves Attio's #1 workflow limitation
Automated follow-up increases close rate
Personalized without manual work

Pattern 3: Product-Led Growth Scoring (Hybrid: n8n + Attio Workflows)

Scenario: Track product usage → Score leads → Trigger sales outreach

Why Hybrid: External trigger (Mixpanel) requires n8n, CRM actions best in Attio Workflows

n8n Workflow:

Webhook Trigger - Mixpanel sends usage event
Calculate PLG Score - Code node: Feature adoption, usage frequency, team size
Enrich with Clearbit - Company data, funding, employee count
Update Attio Record - Write score and enriched data via API
Trigger Attio Workflow - Send webhook to Attio with score

n8n Code Node - Calculate Score:

const usage = $json;

let score = 0;

// Feature adoption (0-40 points)
const features = ['dashboard', 'reports', 'integrations', 'api'];
const adoptedFeatures = features.filter(f => usage.features_used?.includes(f));
score += adoptedFeatures.length * 10;

// Usage frequency (0-30 points)
const daysActive = usage.days_active_last_30 || 0;
score += Math.min(daysActive, 30);

// Team size (0-30 points)
const teamSize = usage.team_size || 1;
if (teamSize >= 10) score += 30;
else if (teamSize >= 5) score += 20;
else if (teamSize >= 2) score += 10;

return {
  json: {
    user_id: usage.user_id,
    plg_score: score,
    segment: score >= 80 ? 'hot' : score >= 50 ? 'warm' : 'cold'
  }
};

Attio Workflow (triggered by n8n):

Receive webhook with score
If score >= 80:
- Create task for AE: "High-value lead ready for outreach"
- Add to "Sales Qualified" list
- Notify team in Slack
If score 50-79:
- Enroll in nurture sequence
- Create task for SDR: "Warm lead - send educational content"
If score < 50:
- Add to "Low engagement" list for re-activation campaign

Business Value:

Automated lead qualification
Sales focuses on high-intent users
3x increase in conversion rate

Pattern 4: Multi-CRM Sync (n8n Only)

Scenario: Sync contacts between Attio and HubSpot (or Salesforce)

Why n8n: Requires complex bi-directional sync logic, field mapping, conflict resolution

Workflow:

Webhook Triggers - Both Attio and HubSpot fire on contact create/update
Dedupe Check - Code node: Check if contact already exists in target system
Field Mapping - Transform fields between different schemas
Bi-directional Update - Write to target system
Conflict Resolution - Use modified_at timestamp to determine which is newer
Error Handling - Log conflicts to Google Sheets for manual review

n8n Code Node - Field Mapping:

// Map Attio schema to HubSpot schema
const attioContact = $json;

const hubspotContact = {
  email: attioContact.values.email_addresses?.[0]?.email_address,
  firstname: attioContact.values.name?.[0]?.first_name,
  lastname: attioContact.values.name?.[0]?.last_name,
  jobtitle: attioContact.values.job_title?.[0]?.value,
  company: attioContact.values.companies?.[0]?.target_record_name,
  phone: attioContact.values.phone_numbers?.[0]?.phone_number,
  // Custom field mapping
  attio_record_id: attioContact.id.record_id,
  last_synced: new Date().toISOString()
};

return { json: hubspotContact };

Business Value:

Eliminates data silos
Teams using different CRMs stay in sync
No manual export/import

Pattern 5: Advanced Reporting to BI Tools (n8n Only)

Scenario: Daily export of Attio data to Google Sheets / Data Warehouse for analytics

Why n8n: Attio Workflows limited to 100 records, can't handle bulk exports

Workflow:

Schedule Trigger - Daily at 6am
Fetch All Deals - GET request with pagination (handle 1,000+ records)
Loop Through Records - For each deal, fetch related company and contact
Transform Data - Code node: Flatten nested Attio structures for BI tools
Branch by Destination:
- Option A: Append to Google Sheets
- Option B: Insert into PostgreSQL (for Metabase/Looker)
Notify Team - Slack message with dashboard link

n8n Code Node - Flatten Attio Data:

// Attio's nested structure → Flat table for BI tools
const deal = $json;

return {
  json: {
    deal_id: deal.id.record_id,
    deal_name: deal.values.name?.[0]?.value,
    stage: deal.values.stage?.[0]?.value,
    amount: deal.values.amount?.[0]?.value || 0,
    currency: deal.values.amount?.[0]?.currency || 'USD',
    close_date: deal.values.close_date?.[0]?.value,
    company_name: deal.values.companies?.[0]?.target_record_name,
    owner_name: deal.values.owner?.[0]?.referenced_actor_name,
    created_at: deal.created_at,
    updated_at: deal.updated_at
  }
};

Business Value:

Solves Attio's "limited reporting" complaint
Custom dashboards in Looker/Metabase/Tableau
Historical trend analysis

Pattern 6: Investor CRM Workflow (Unique to Attio)

Scenario: VC firms using Attio's flexible objects to track portfolio companies

Why Attio + n8n: Attio's custom objects + n8n's enrichment capabilities

Workflow:

Webhook Trigger - New company added with "Portfolio" tag
Crunchbase Enrichment - Fetch funding history, founder info, growth metrics
Create Custom Objects - Use Attio API to generate:
- "Board Meeting" record with scheduled date
- "Investor Update" record linked to company
- "Milestone" records for ARR targets
Schedule Reminders - n8n Schedule Trigger → Check quarterly
Track Metrics - Monitor ARR growth, headcount changes via API webhooks
Dashboard Updates - Push metrics to portfolio tracking dashboard

Business Value:

Leverages Attio's flexible object model
Automated portfolio monitoring
Proactive investor relations

Advanced Techniques

Working with Attio's Array-Based Field Structure

Attio returns many fields as arrays (even single values). This requires special handling in n8n:

// n8n Code Node - Safely extract Attio fields
const record = $json.record || $json;

// Helper function to extract first value from Attio array
function getFirstValue(field, key = 'value') {
  if (!field || !Array.isArray(field) || field.length === 0) {
    return null;
  }
  return field[0][key];
}

// Extract common fields
const email = getFirstValue(record.values.email_addresses, 'email_address');
const firstName = getFirstValue(record.values.name, 'first_name');
const lastName = getFirstValue(record.values.name, 'last_name');
const jobTitle = getFirstValue(record.values.job_title);
const companyId = getFirstValue(record.values.companies, 'target_record_id');
const companyName = getFirstValue(record.values.companies, 'target_record_name');

return {
  json: {
    record_id: record.id?.record_id,
    email: email || 'no-email@example.com',
    full_name: `${firstName || ''} ${lastName || ''}`.trim(),
    job_title: jobTitle,
    company_id: companyId,
    company_name: companyName
  }
};

Handling Pagination for Large Datasets

Attio limits responses to 100 records per request. Use pagination for bulk operations:

// n8n Code Node - Fetch all records with pagination
const objectType = 'people'; // or 'companies', 'deals', etc.
let allRecords = [];
let hasMore = true;
let offset = 0;
const limit = 100;

while (hasMore) {
  const response = await this.helpers.httpRequest({
    method: 'GET',
    url: `https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/${objectType}/records`,
    qs: { offset, limit },
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${$env.ATTIO_API_KEY}`,
      'Accept': 'application/json'
    }
  });

  allRecords = allRecords.concat(response.data);

  // Check if there are more records
  hasMore = response.data.length === limit;
  offset += limit;

  // Safety: Prevent infinite loops
  if (offset > 10000) break;
}

// Return all records as separate items for n8n to process
return allRecords.map(record => ({ json: record }));

Webhook Signature Verification (Security)

Verify webhook authenticity to prevent spoofed events:

// n8n Code Node - Verify Attio webhook signature
const crypto = require('crypto');

const signature = $node["Webhook"].json.headers['x-attio-signature'];
const payload = JSON.stringify($json);
const secret = $env.ATTIO_WEBHOOK_SECRET; // Store in n8n environment variables

if (!signature) {
  throw new Error('Missing webhook signature');
}

// Calculate expected signature
const expectedSignature = crypto
  .createHmac('sha256', secret)
  .update(payload)
  .digest('hex');

// Verify signatures match
if (signature !== expectedSignature) {
  throw new Error('Invalid webhook signature - possible spoofing attempt');
}

// Signature valid - continue processing
return { json: $json };

Batch Operations for Performance

Instead of 100 individual API calls, batch updates when possible:

// n8n Code Node - Batch update records
const updates = $input.all().map(item => ({
  record_id: item.json.record_id,
  values: {
    plg_score: [{ value: item.json.score }],
    last_enriched: [{ value: new Date().toISOString() }]
  }
}));

// Note: Attio doesn't have a batch update endpoint yet,
// but you can reduce API calls by grouping logic
const batches = [];
for (let i = 0; i < updates.length; i += 10) {
  batches.push(updates.slice(i, i + 10));
}

// Process each batch with delay to respect rate limits
for (const batch of batches) {
  await Promise.all(
    batch.map(update =>
      this.helpers.httpRequest({
        method: 'PATCH',
        url: `https://api.attio.com/v2/objects/people/records/${update.record_id}`,
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${$env.ATTIO_API_KEY}`
        },
        body: { data: { values: update.values } }
      })
    )
  );

  // Wait 1 second between batches
  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
}

return [{ json: { updated: updates.length } }];

Error Handling & Troubleshooting

Common API Errors

401 Unauthorized:

Invalid API key or expired
Fix: Regenerate key in Attio settings, update n8n credentials

404 Not Found:

Object or record doesn't exist
Fix: Verify object slug (e.g., "people" not "person") and record ID

422 Unprocessable Entity:

Invalid data format (e.g., missing required field, wrong attribute structure)
Fix: Check Attio docs for required field format (remember: arrays for most fields!)

429 Rate Limit Exceeded:

Too many requests in short time period
Fix: Add delays between requests, implement exponential backoff

Rate Limiting Best Practices

Attio Rate Limits (check their docs for current limits):

Use Wait nodes between batch operations (1-2 seconds)
Use webhooks instead of polling (real-time + no rate limits)
Cache frequently accessed data in n8n variables
Implement exponential backoff on retries

Debugging Tips

Enable Execution Logging:

In n8n, check execution logs (bottom panel)
See exact data at each node
Inspect API responses for error messages

Test with Single Records First:

Before bulk operations, test with 1 record
Verify field structure matches expectations
Check Attio UI to confirm changes

Use Attio's API Playground:

Attio developer portal has built-in API tester
Verify endpoints and authentication outside n8n
Copy working requests into n8n HTTP Request nodes

Cost Optimization

Attio Pricing Considerations

Attio Plans (2025):

Free: Up to 3 seats, 100 automation credits/month
Plus: $29/user/month, 1,000 automation credits/month
Pro: $59/user/month, 2,500 automation credits/month
Enterprise: $119/user/month, custom automation credits

Automation Credits:

Standard workflow action = 1 credit
AI Research Agent = 10 credits per run
Cannot purchase additional credits on Free/Plus plans

n8n Execution Costs

Cloud vs. Self-Hosted:

n8n Cloud Starter: $20/month for 2,500 executions
n8n Cloud Pro: $50/month for 10,000 executions
Self-Hosted: $12-20/month DigitalOcean droplet = unlimited executions

Cost Comparison Example

Scenario: 500 contacts/month with AI enrichment

Using Attio Workflows Only:

500 contacts × 10 credits (AI Research Agent) = 5,000 credits
Requires Enterprise plan = $119/user/month minimum

Using n8n + Attio:

500 webhook triggers in n8n = 500 executions
Clearbit API: $99/month (for enrichment)
Update Attio via API = included
n8n Cloud Starter = $20/month
Total: $119/month (all users), more flexible enrichment

Savings: Similar cost, but n8n gives you cross-system orchestration, not just CRM automation

Resources & Next Steps

Attio Documentation

API Documentation - Complete API reference
Webhooks Guide - Real-time event notifications
OpenAPI Spec - Machine-readable API definition
Attio Workflows - Internal automation docs

n8n Complete Guide - Master n8n automation fundamentals
Building Blocks: HubSpot - Similar internal automation + n8n patterns
Building Blocks: Supabase - Database webhooks for PLG workflows
Building Blocks: Slack - Team notifications and collaboration

Example Workflows

Coming soon:

Attio Contact Enrichment Pipeline
Deal Stage Email Automation
Product-Led Growth Scoring (Hybrid)
Multi-CRM Sync (Attio ↔ HubSpot/Salesforce)
Advanced Reporting to Google Sheets

Getting Started Checklist

Ready to extend Attio with n8n automation?

Need Help?

DIY Resources

Workflow Library: Browse ready-to-use workflows for Attio examples
n8n Community: Join community.n8n.io for support
Attio Community: Attio Help Center for CRM questions

Professional Implementation

We help teams build production-grade Attio + n8n automations:

Services:

Contact enrichment pipelines
Product-led growth workflows
Multi-CRM sync and data migration
Custom object automation for unique use cases
Hybrid architecture design (Attio Workflows + n8n)

Typical Engagement:

1-2 weeks for complete automation setup
Your Attio CRM stays flexible, n8n handles orchestration
We build, test, and document all workflows
Includes error handling, monitoring, and team training

Schedule a free consultation to discuss your Attio automation needs.

The Bottom Line: Attio Workflows handles CRM automation brilliantly. n8n handles everything else. Together, they create a complete automation stack for modern GTM teams—flexible CRM data model + powerful cross-system orchestration.

Start simple: Build one enrichment workflow today. Add email automation tomorrow. Scale from there.

Attio Integration Building Block

Understanding Attio's Unique Position

What Makes Attio Different

Why Attio Workflows + n8n Work Better Together

Quick Comparison: Attio Workflows vs. n8n

The Key Insight

When to Use Attio Workflows vs. n8n

Use Attio Workflows for:

Use n8n for:

Use Both (Hybrid Architecture):

Decision Tree: Which Tool to Use?

Understanding Attio's Flexible Data Model

Core Concepts

Why This Matters for n8n

Setting Up Attio with n8n

Prerequisites

Authentication: API Key Method (Recommended for Getting Started)

Step 1: Generate API Key in Attio

Step 2: Store in n8n Credentials

Step 3: Test Connection

Common Attio API Patterns

Pattern 1: Reading Data (GET Requests)

List All Objects

Get Records from an Object

Get Specific Record

Pattern 2: Creating Records (POST Requests)

Create New Person

Pattern 3: Updating Records (PATCH Requests)

Update Person's Job Title

Pattern 4: Working with Relationships

Link Person to Company

Pattern 5: Setting Up Webhooks

Create Webhook in Attio

Real-World Automation Patterns

Pattern 1: Contact Enrichment Pipeline (n8n Only)

Pattern 2: Deal Stage Email Automation (n8n Required)

Pattern 3: Product-Led Growth Scoring (Hybrid: n8n + Attio Workflows)

Pattern 4: Multi-CRM Sync (n8n Only)

Pattern 5: Advanced Reporting to BI Tools (n8n Only)

Pattern 6: Investor CRM Workflow (Unique to Attio)

Advanced Techniques

Working with Attio's Array-Based Field Structure

Handling Pagination for Large Datasets

Webhook Signature Verification (Security)

Batch Operations for Performance

Error Handling & Troubleshooting

Common API Errors

Rate Limiting Best Practices

Debugging Tips

Cost Optimization

Attio Pricing Considerations

n8n Execution Costs

Cost Comparison Example

Resources & Next Steps

Attio Documentation

Related Guides

Example Workflows

Getting Started Checklist

Need Help?

DIY Resources

Professional Implementation