# Pinecone Assistant: n8n quickstart

Create an [n8n](https://docs.n8n.io/choose-n8n/) workflow that that downloads files via HTTP, uploads them to Pinecone Assistant, and enables you to chat with documents using OpenAI.

## 1. Create an assistant

[Create an assistant](https://app.pinecone.io/organizations/-/projects/-/assistant) in the Pinecone console:

- Name your assistant `n8n-assistant`.

## 2. Install the Pinecone Assistant node

In your n8n account, install the Pinecone Assistant node using the nodes panel:

::image-figure{src="../img/site-assets/mintcdn.com/pinecone/dSyzHKKmouI9z41W/images/n8n-quickstart/install-assistant-node-6zb0ng.png" darkSrc="../img/site-assets/mintcdn.com/pinecone/dSyzHKKmouI9z41W/images/n8n-quickstart/install-assistant-node-dark-hesq3o.png" alt="Image"}

:::callout{intent="note"}
Restart your n8n workspace if the Pinecone Assistant node doesn't appear in the nodes panel.
:::

## 3. Create a new workflow

Copy this workflow template URL:

```shell theme={null}
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pinecone-io/n8n-templates/refs/heads/main/assistant-quickstart/assistant-quickstart.json
```

In your n8n account, [create a new workflow](https://docs.n8n.io/workflows/create/) and paste the URL anywhere in the workflow editor. Click **Import** to add the workflow.

## 4. Add credentials

::::steps
:::step{title="Authenticate with Pinecone"}
- Use the **Connect to Pinecone** button in the node to connect to a new or existing Pinecone account:

::image-figure{src="../img/site-assets/mintcdn.com/pinecone/dSyzHKKmouI9z41W/images/n8n-quickstart/connect-to-pinecone-r6uzbw.png" darkSrc="../img/site-assets/mintcdn.com/pinecone/dSyzHKKmouI9z41W/images/n8n-quickstart/connect-to-pinecone-dark-guq9oc.png" alt="Image"}

- If you self-host n8n, add your [Pinecone API key](https://app.pinecone.io/organizations/-/keys) directly.
:::

:::step{title="Add your OpenAI credentials"}
- In the **OpenAI Chat Model** node, select **Credential to connect with > Create new credential** and paste in your OpenAI API key.
:::
::::

## 5. Execute the workflow

By default, the workflow downloads recent Pinecone release notes and uploads them to your assistant. Click **Execute workflow** to start uploading documents.

:::callout{intent="tip"}
You can add your own files to the workflow by changing the URLs in the **Set file urls** node.
:::

## 4. Chat with your docs

Once the documents are uploaded, you can chat with your assistant. In the n8n workflow, use the **Chat input** node to ask questions like:

```
What support does Pinecone have for MCP?
```

## Next steps

- Customize the workflow for your own use case:
  - Change the urls in the **Set file urls** node to use your own files.
  - Customize the system message on the **AI Agent** node to indicate what kind of knowledge is stored in Pinecone Assistant.
  - To help manage token consumption, add the Top K and/or Snippet Size parameters to the **Get context from Assistant** node.
  - Filter the context snippets even further by adding metadata filters to the **Get context from Assistant** node.
- Use n8n, Pinecone Assistant, and OpenAI to [chat with your Google Drive documents](https://n8n.io/workflows/9942-rag-powered-document-chat-with-google-drive-openai-and-pinecone-assistant/).
- Learn more about [Pinecone Assistant](/guides/get-started-assistant-overview).
- Get help in the [Pinecone Discord community](https://discord.gg/tJ8V62S3sH).

## Related pages

- [Pinecone quickstart](./get-started-quickstart.md)
- [Ingest your own files](./get-started-quickstart-ingest-files.md)
- [Bring your own vectors](./get-started-quickstart-bring-your-own-vectors.md)
- [Try full-text search](./get-started-quickstart-full-text-search.md)
- [Pinecone Assistant: SDK quickstart](./get-started-assistant-quickstart-sdk-quickstart.md)

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