Building Ezra – An AI Executive‑Assistant Agent in n8n

Who is this for? Founders, operators, and no‑/low‑code builders who want a proven, Slack‑native executive‑assistant agent—no fluff, just the JSON and the playbook.

What is it? Ezra is a Slack-native AI executive assistant that synthesizes CRM, email, and calendar data to deliver high-context, actionable insights. It doesn’t just deliver strategic briefings - it helps you think, plan, and act with precision so that you make the most out of your day.

Why are we sharing it? After our roundtable, dozens asked for the exact blueprint. Open‑sourcing Ezra lets anyone push the autonomous‑business frontier forward (and keeps us honest about our own principles).

What you’ll get: • A ready‑to‑import workflow (ezra‑workflow.json) • Step‑by‑step Slack setup + dual‑trigger pattern • A breakdown of every tool and how to swap in your own data • The design principles we actually use in production

High‑Level Workflow Map

flowchart TD
    subgraph Entry_Points
        S[Slack Trigger WF] --> PV
        Cn[Cron Daily Prep WF] --> PV
    end
    PV[prepVars]
    PV --> AG[🧠 LangChain Agent]
    AG -->|THINK| AG
    AG -->|CRM / Calendar / Email / Research / LinkedIn| TP[Tool Calls]
    TP --> SP[Structured Parser]
    SP --> CH{type == schedule}
    CH -->|Yes| CS[Channel Schedule Message]
    CH -->|No| TR[Thread Reply]

4. Prerequisites

• n8n (self‑hosted, desktop, or cloud).
• Slack App — we’ll create it below.
• LLM key (Claude, GPT‑4o, etc.).
• Optional Postgres / Neon if you later upgrade memory.

5. Step‑by‑Step Build (Slack Setup & Dual Triggers)

5.1 — Import Ezra

Settings ▸ Import Workflow ▸ ezra-workflow.json.

5.2 — Wire Credentials

• Slack Bot Token (copied after app install).
• LLM secret.
• Data‑source creds for helper workflows (crmTool, etc.).