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Free n8n template · AI Agents & Research

n8n AI company research agent: a sourced brief for every new lead

This n8n workflow turns a new lead into a ready-to-read research brief. An AI agent searches the web and reads the company's own website, then returns a structured brief covering what the company does, locations, size signals, recent news, likely priorities and questions to ask, with a source link for each key fact. The brief is saved as a note on the HubSpot contact and emailed to the account owner.

Difficulty
Intermediate
Setup time
About 45 minutes
Nodes
11
Checked against
n8n 2.41
  • n8n
  • Webhook or HubSpot
  • OpenAI or Anthropic
  • SerpApi
  • HubSpot
  • Gmail

Last reviewed October 2026

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Free. No credentials included. Works with n8n Cloud and self-hosted n8n.

What this workflow does

Good salespeople research a prospect before the first call, but it takes time to read a website, search for news and work out how your offer might fit. When lead volume rises, that research is the first thing to be skipped, and first calls turn into generic discovery conversations that could have been sharper.

This template is for business development reps, account managers and founders in Australian B2B companies who want a consistent research brief waiting in the CRM before they pick up the phone. It suits professional services, SaaS, IT managed services, recruitment and wholesale businesses where each lead is worth a few minutes of preparation.

Who it's for

  • →Sales reps who want context before every first call
  • →Founders who handle inbound leads themselves
  • →Account managers preparing for discovery meetings
  • →RevOps teams adding enrichment without buying another data tool

How it works, step by step

  1. 1

    New lead webhook

    A form, another n8n workflow such as the speed-to-lead template, or a HubSpot workflow webhook posts the lead's name, email, company, website and the account owner's email.

  2. 2

    Research settings

    A Set node stores a description of your business and a default owner email, and fills in the company website from the email domain if it was not supplied.

  3. 3

    Research agent

    An AI Agent with a chat model and two tools: SerpApi web search tuned to Australian results, and an HTTP Request tool that reads public web pages. It decides which searches to run and which pages to read.

  4. 4

    Research brief format

    A structured output parser forces the agent to return fixed fields: overview, industry, locations, size signals, recent news, likely priorities, questions to ask, fit summary and source URLs.

  5. 5

    Format brief

    A Set node turns the structured brief into clean HTML with headings and bullet lists, plus a footer that says it was AI-generated from public sources.

  6. 6

    Find or create HubSpot contact

    The HubSpot node upserts the contact by email and returns its record ID, so the note attaches to the right person even if the lead is new.

  7. 7

    Save brief as HubSpot note

    An HTTP Request node calls the HubSpot notes API with your private app credential and associates the note with the contact, so it appears on the contact timeline.

  8. 8

    Email brief to account owner

    Gmail emails the same brief to the account owner, so it is in their inbox before the first call. This email only goes to your own team.

What you need

n8n

n8n Cloud or self-hosted, version 1.x or 2.x with the AI Agent node.

OpenAI or Anthropic API key

For the chat model that plans the research and writes the brief.

SerpApi account

For Google search results. Perplexity, Tavily or Jina AI can be swapped in as the search tool.

HubSpot private app token

With contacts read and write and notes scopes.

Gmail account

To send the brief to the account owner.

Set it up in n8n

  1. 1

    Import the workflow and copy the Production URL from the New lead webhook node.

  2. 2

    Send leads to the webhook as JSON with email, firstName, lastName, company, website and ownerEmail. If you use the speed-to-lead template, add an HTTP Request node at its end that posts to this URL.

  3. 3

    Edit Research settings with a clear description of what your business sells and to whom. The agent uses it to suggest fit and questions.

  4. 4

    Add your OpenAI credential to Chat model, or swap in the Anthropic Chat Model node and connect it to Research agent.

  5. 5

    Create a SerpApi key and add it to the Web search tool. The tool is set to Australian Google results; change the country options if you sell overseas.

  6. 6

    Create a HubSpot private app with contacts and notes scopes and add the token to both HubSpot nodes.

  7. 7

    Connect Gmail to Email brief to account owner and set the default owner address.

  8. 8

    Test with three companies you know well. Check every fact against its source before you trust the output, then activate.

Get the workflow

Ways to customise it

  • +Add a LinkedIn company page reader or a company data API such as Apollo or Clay as extra tools for richer firmographics.
  • +Look up the company's ABN on the Australian Business Register with an HTTP Request tool to confirm the legal entity name and state.
  • +Post a short version of the brief to the deal's Slack channel as well as HubSpot.
  • +Run the agent only for leads above a score threshold to keep model and search usage in check.
  • +Write the brief to a Google Doc or Notion page when your team prefers longer account plans.

For Australian businesses

Research public company information, not individuals. The Privacy Act 1988 covers personal information you collect from any source, so do not add tools that pull a contact's personal social media or home details. The lead's name and email are sent to an AI provider and a search API, usually in the United States, which is a cross-border disclosure under APP 8; say so in your privacy policy. Australian results are favoured by setting the search tool to google.com.au. For Australian businesses, the free ABN Lookup web services can confirm a company's legal name and registered state. If you self-host n8n, an Australian cloud region keeps the stored briefs onshore.

Tools in this workflow

  • n8n

    Free plan + paid

    Automation

    A workflow automation platform that combines a visual node editor with code when you need it. It connects hundreds of apps and APIs and includes AI agent nodes that can call language models, tools and memory. Teams can self-host the free Community Edition on their own servers or use n8n's hosted cloud.

    Best for: Australian organisations that need automation data to stay onshore

    n8n review →

  • HubSpot Breeze and Agent Hub

    Paid

    Marketing/Sales

    The AI layer inside HubSpot's CRM. Breeze Assistant answers questions using your CRM data, Breeze Intelligence enriches contact and company records, and pre-built agents for prospecting, data enrichment and customer service now sit in Agent Hub, which replaced the Breeze Agents name in 2026.

    Best for: Businesses already running sales, marketing or service on HubSpot

    HubSpot Breeze and Agent Hub review →

  • Perplexity

    Free plan + paid

    Search & Research

    An AI search engine that answers questions with a written summary and numbered citations to its sources, instead of a list of links. Follow-up questions keep the context of the search, and the company also offers the Comet browser and an agent for multi-step tasks.

    Best for: Analysts and consultants doing frequent desk research with sources

    Perplexity review →

  • ChatGPT (OpenAI)

    Free plan + paid

    General Assistant

    OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant. It handles writing, coding, file and image analysis, data analysis and web research through a chat interface, with an API for building it into your own systems.

    Best for: Small and mid-sized teams wanting one general assistant for everyday writing and analysis

    ChatGPT review →

  • Clay

    Free plan + paid

    Sales Data

    A go-to-market data platform that builds prospect lists and enriches them by querying many data providers in sequence. Its AI research agent, Claygent, gathers custom details from the web, and workflows can sync to your CRM, ad audiences or an email sequencer.

    Best for: Growth and revenue operations teams building custom prospect lists

    Clay review →

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are the research briefs?

The agent only reports what it found and lists source URLs, and it is told to write 'Not found' rather than guess. Web pages can be outdated or wrong, so treat the brief as preparation and confirm key facts in the call.

Can I trigger it from HubSpot directly?

Yes. Replace the webhook with the HubSpot Trigger node on contact creation, which needs a HubSpot developer app, or use a HubSpot workflow 'send a webhook' action if your HubSpot plan includes it.

Why use an AI agent instead of a fixed set of searches?

Companies differ. The agent can choose to read the services page for one company and search for news on another, then stop when it has enough. The output parser keeps the final brief in the same format every time.

Can I use a different search tool?

Yes. Remove the SerpApi tool and connect another tool to the agent, such as the Perplexity node, a Tavily or Jina AI HTTP Request tool, or an MCP client tool. Update the system message if the tool behaves differently.

Will it slow down my lead handling?

No. The webhook responds immediately and the research runs in the background. The note and email arrive once the agent finishes its searches and page reads.

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