Send a daily cybersecurity briefing email with OpenAI

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IT managers and MSPs need a curated security digest every morning but have no time to read seven different news sites. This AI automation pulls from the top threat intelligence feeds, filters out noise, and delivers a clean branded briefing to any inbox on a daily schedule.

What This Automation Does

Aggregates headlines from up to seven security and tech RSS sources including CISA, BleepingComputer, and Krebs on Security, then strips out duplicate stories automatically
Filters articles to only the last 24 hours so the briefing never surfaces stale news
Uses OpenAI to rewrite raw headlines into a structured digest with named sections and a plain-English ‘Why it matters' summary for each story
Delivers a formatted HTML email to any Gmail inbox on a daily schedule without any manual effort after initial setup

Tools Used

n8n
OpenAI
Gmail

Where to Get Hired for This Skill

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Source: Contra freelancer search · refreshed 30 May 2026

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How To Build It

Configure daily schedule and RSS sources

Set a recurring daily trigger at the client's preferred send time and timezone, then connect each RSS feed URL as a separate data source so all feeds run in parallel and their outputs are combined into one unified list.

Remove duplicate and stale articles

De-duplicate the combined feed by comparing article URLs so the same story appearing across multiple sources only appears once, then apply a 24-hour freshness filter so only articles published since the last run are passed forward, capped at a fixed maximum per send.

Write the briefing with OpenAI

Pass the filtered article list to OpenAI with a prompt that instructs the model to produce a structured JSON object containing a subject line and an HTML email body, organised into named topic sections each with a concise ‘Why it matters' explanation written for a non-technical manager audience.

Render and send the HTML email via Gmail

Extract the subject and HTML body from OpenAI's JSON response and pass them directly into Gmail's send action so the client receives a fully formatted, branded digest in their inbox at the scheduled time each day.

Swap and test RSS feeds per client vertical

Replace or add RSS URLs to match the client's industry focus, whether that is OT security, cloud threats, or compliance news, then trigger a manual test run to confirm deduplication, freshness filtering, and email rendering all behave correctly before handing the workflow over.

Pitfalls

OpenAI token limits can cause the summarisation step to fail silently if too many articles are passed in a single prompt. Always cap the item count before the AI step and test with a full 24-hour batch to confirm the payload stays within limits.
Gmail OAuth tokens expire and are not always refreshed automatically, which means the workflow runs successfully through every step but the email never sends. Audit OAuth credential expiry dates proactively and include a fallback error notification so you know when a client's delivery has failed.
RSS feed URLs change or go offline without notice, especially for government sources like CISA. If a feed silently returns zero items the briefing looks thin, so build a minimum-item check that alerts you before the email goes out so you can investigate the source rather than letting the client see an empty digest.

FAQ

Can I build this without coding?

Almost entirely. The RSS aggregation, deduplication, date filtering, and email delivery are all configured through visual settings with no code required. The only optional code is a lightweight date comparison expression for the freshness filter, which is a single line that beginners can copy directly from n8n's documentation.

How long does it take?

Most freelancers complete the initial build in 10 to 15 minutes. Allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes for the first client delivery to test feed reliability, tune the OpenAI prompt tone to match the client's brand voice, and confirm Gmail authentication is stable.

What can I charge?

Pricing is your call based on your market and positioning. Because this workflow delivers recurring daily value and runs without client involvement, a monthly retainer model is typically easier to justify than a one-off project fee. Factor in your setup time, any ongoing prompt tuning, and the cost of OpenAI tokens when quoting.

Which tool is required vs optional?

OpenAI is required because the summarisation and formatting step depends on GPT-4o. Gmail is the default email delivery method but can be swapped for any SMTP provider if the client uses Outlook or a custom mail server. The RSS sources themselves are fully interchangeable and cost nothing.

This is original DigiNo analysis. The underlying automation pattern is a community workflow template – view the original on n8n.