agentic-n8n

Agentic Fleet Monitoring with n8n

When to Use This Skill

• Building automated monitoring that runs on a schedule
• Sending Geotab alerts to Slack, Discord, Teams, or email
• Creating multi-step workflows (detect → decide → act)
• Integrating Geotab with external systems without writing code
• Any "if this happens in Geotab, do that" automation

n8n Basics

n8n is a visual workflow builder. Workflows consist of nodes connected together:

[Trigger] → [Action] → [Action] → [Action]

Common Nodes

Node	Purpose
Schedule Trigger	Run workflow on interval (every 5 min, hourly, etc.)
HTTP Request	Call any API (including Geotab)
IF	Branch based on condition
Filter	Only pass items matching criteria
Slack	Send Slack messages
Discord	Send Discord messages
Send Email	Send email alerts
Code	Custom JavaScript logic

Geotab API Pattern in n8n

Step 1: Authenticate

HTTP Request node: {% raw %}

Method: POST
URL: https://my.geotab.com/apiv1
Body (JSON):
{
  "method": "Authenticate",
  "params": {
    "database": "{{ $vars.GEOTAB_DATABASE }}",
    "userName": "{{ $vars.GEOTAB_USERNAME }}",
    "password": "{{ $vars.GEOTAB_PASSWORD }}"
  }
}

{% endraw %}

Step 2: Fetch Data

HTTP Request node (after Authenticate): {% raw %}

Method: POST
URL: https://my.geotab.com/apiv1
Body (JSON):
{
  "method": "Get",
  "params": {
    "typeName": "Trip",
    "credentials": {{ JSON.stringify($json.result.credentials) }},
    "search": {
      "fromDate": "{{ $now.minus({hours: 1}).toISO() }}",
      "toDate": "{{ $now.toISO() }}"
    }
  }
}

{% endraw %}

Common TypeNames

TypeName	Data
Device	Vehicles
Trip	Completed trips
User	Users and drivers
DeviceStatusInfo	Current location/status
ExceptionEvent	Rule violations (speeding, etc.)
FaultData	Engine fault codes
Zone	Geofences
LogRecord	GPS breadcrumbs

Workflow Patterns

Pattern: Speeding Alerts to Slack

Schedule (15 min)
  → HTTP Request (Authenticate)
  → HTTP Request (Get Trips)
  → Filter (speedingDuration > 30)
  → Slack (Send message)

Filter node condition: {% raw %}

{{ $json.result.speedingDuration > 30 }}

{% endraw %}

Slack message: {% raw %}

🚨 *Speeding Alert*
*Vehicle:* {{ $json.result.device.name }}
*Duration:* {{ $json.result.speedingDuration }} seconds

{% endraw %}

Pattern: Fault Code Alert

Schedule (5 min)
  → HTTP Request (Authenticate)
  → HTTP Request (Get FaultData, last hour)
  → Filter (severity == "Critical")
  → Slack + Email (parallel)

Pattern: Geofence Entry Notification

Schedule (5 min)
  → HTTP Request (Authenticate)
  → HTTP Request (Get ExceptionEvent for zone rules)
  → Filter (new events only)
  → Discord (Send notification)

Pattern: Daily Fleet Summary

Schedule (daily at 8am)
  → HTTP Request (Authenticate)
  → HTTP Request (Get Trips, last 24h)
  → Code (calculate totals)
  → Email (send summary)

Code node for summary:

const trips = $input.all();
const totalDistance = trips.reduce((sum, t) => sum + (t.json.result?.distance || 0), 0);
const totalTrips = trips.length;

return [{
  json: {
    totalTrips,
    totalDistanceKm: (totalDistance / 1000).toFixed(1),
    date: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]
  }
}];

Credential Security

Never hardcode credentials. Use n8n Variables:

1. Go to Settings → Variables
2. Add:
   • GEOTAB_DATABASE
   • GEOTAB_USERNAME
   • GEOTAB_PASSWORD

Reference in nodes: {% raw %}{{ $vars.GEOTAB_DATABASE }}{% endraw %}

Alert Destinations

Slack Webhook

1. Create app at api.slack.com/apps
2. Enable Incoming Webhooks
3. Copy webhook URL
4. Use in Slack node with "Webhook" authentication

Discord Webhook

1. Server Settings → Integrations → Webhooks
2. Create webhook, copy URL
3. Use in Discord node

Email

n8n Cloud includes email sending. Self-hosted needs SMTP config.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Rate Limiting

Don't poll every second. Use 5-15 minute intervals for most cases.

Duplicate Alerts

Track what you've already alerted on. Use a Code node to filter:

// Store last run timestamp in static data
const lastRun = $getWorkflowStaticData('global').lastRun || 0;
$getWorkflowStaticData('global').lastRun = Date.now();

// Filter to only new items
return $input.all().filter(item => {
  const itemTime = new Date(item.json.result?.start).getTime();
  return itemTime > lastRun;
});

Credential Expiry

Geotab sessions expire. Always authenticate at the start of each workflow run.

Testing

1. Build workflow
2. Click "Test Workflow" (or Cmd/Ctrl + Enter)
3. Check each node for errors (red = error)
4. Fix issues, re-test
5. When working, click "Active" to enable

n8n Resources

• n8n Documentation
• HTTP Request Node
• Expressions
• Built-in Variables

Related Skills

• geotab-api-quickstart - Geotab API basics for Python
• geotab-addins - Building MyGeotab Add-Ins