Unify multiple triggers into a single workflow

Stop duplicating your work! This template demonstrates a powerful design pattern to handle multiple triggers (e.g., Form, Webhook, Sub-workflow) within a single, unified workflow.

By using a "normalize and consolidate" technique, your core logic becomes independent of the trigger that started it, making your automations cleaner, more scalable, and far easier to maintain.

Who is this for?

n8n developers & architects:** Build robust, enterprise-grade workflows that are easy to maintain. Automation specialists:** Integrate the same core process with multiple external systems without repeating yourself. Anyone who values clean design:** Apply the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle to your automations.

What problem does this solve?

Reduces duplication:** Avoids creating near-identical workflows for each trigger source. Simplifies maintenance:** Update your core logic in one place, not across multiple workflows. Improves scalability:** Easily add new triggers without altering the core processing logic. Enhances readability:** A clear separation of data intake from core logic makes workflows easier to understand.

How it works (The "Normalize & Consolidate" Pattern)

Trigger: The workflow starts from one of several possible entry points, each with a unique data structure. Normalize: Each trigger path immediately flows into a dedicated Set node. This node acts as an adapter, reformatting the unique data into a standardized schema with consistent key names (e.g., mapping body.feedback to feedback). Consolidate: All "normalize" nodes connect to a single Set node. This node uses the generic {{ $json.key_name }} expression to accept the standardized data from any branch. From here, the workflow is a single, unified path.

Setup

This template is a blueprint. To adapt it:

Replace the triggers with your own. Normalize your data: After each trigger, use a Set node to map its unique output to your common schema. Connect to the consolidator: Link all your "normalize" nodes to the Consolidate trigger data node. Build your core logic after the consolidation point, referencing the unified data.

Taking it further

Merge any branches:** Use this pattern to merge any parallel branches in a workflow, not just triggers. Create robust error handling:** Unify "success" and "error" paths before a final notification step to report on the outcome.