n8n-nodes-emboss

An n8n community node for Emboss — turn flat PDFs into fillable forms and fill them from context.

Operations

• Create Fillable Form — a flat PDF in, a fillable PDF out.
• Fill From PDF + Context — a PDF plus context (text or a file), the filled PDF out.
• Fill Existing Form — fill a form you already created in Emboss, by ID.

Credentials

An Emboss API key (Authorization: Bearer). Create one at https://getemboss.ai/dashboard, then add it as an Emboss API credential in n8n.

Installation

Settings → Community Nodes → Install n8n-nodes-emboss.

How it works

Every operation takes a PDF (and, for the fill operations, some context), runs the job on
Emboss, waits for it to finish, and returns the resulting PDF on the node's binary
output (property data) alongside a small JSON summary. Wire the binary output straight
into a Write Binary File, Google Drive, email, or any node that accepts a file.

The input PDF is read from a binary property of the incoming item (default data), so
put a node that produces a PDF — e.g. HTTP Request (download), Read Binary File, or
a Google Drive download — immediately before the Emboss node.

Usage examples

Example 1 — Fill a form from context (most common)

Operation: Fill From PDF + Context

Configure:

• Input PDF Field: data (the binary property holding your flat PDF)
• Context (Text): the information to fill in, in plain language, e.g.
  Customer is Jane Doe, 412 Oak Street, Fresno CA. Installed a 40-gallon water heater on 2026-06-14. Total $1,240.
• Context File Field: (optional) the name of a binary property holding a supporting
  document (PDF, DOCX, CSV, image, or text) — e.g. a work order to read details from.

Input item: an item whose binary data is the flat PDF (e.g. from a preceding
Read Binary File node).

Output item:

• binary.data — the filled PDF, ready to save or send.
• json:

  {
    "session_id": "a1b2c3d4-…",
    "report": {
      "filled": ["customer_name", "address", "install_date", "amount"],
      "left_blank": ["second_unit_serial"]
    }
  }
  

  report.filled and report.left_blank list the field names Emboss filled and the ones it
  left empty (no matching context), so you can check coverage downstream.

A minimal workflow: Read Binary File (the blank form) → Emboss (Fill From PDF +
Context) → Write Binary File (save the filled PDF).

Example 2 — Turn a flat PDF into a reusable fillable form

Operation: Create Fillable Form

Configure:

• Input PDF Field: data

Output item:

• binary.data — the fillable PDF (now has form fields).
• json:

  { "form_id": "f47ac10b-…", "status": "ready" }
  

Keep the returned form_id to fill the same form repeatedly with the next operation.

Example 3 — Fill a form you already created

Operation: Fill Existing Form

Configure:

• Form: pick it from the list (the node loads your Emboss forms), or switch to By ID
  and paste a form_id (e.g. from Example 2).
• Context (Text) and/or Context File Field: same as Example 1.

Output item: same shape as Example 1 — binary.data is the filled PDF, json carries
the session_id and report.

Notes

• Jobs are polled to completion inside the node, so a single execution returns the finished
  PDF — no separate "wait" step needed. Larger forms take longer (typically seconds to ~a
  minute).
• HTTP errors from the Emboss API surface in the n8n UI with their status and response.
  Enable Continue On Fail to route failures to the error output instead of stopping the
  workflow.