n8n: Sync Contacts to Autopilot (Step-by-Step)

Consistent, automated contact synchronization is essential for accurate reporting, effective segmentation, and reliable campaign execution. This guide explains how to implement an n8n workflow that interacts with the Autopilot API to create a list, upsert contacts, enrich them with additional properties, and retrieve the resulting contact set for inspection or downstream processing.

The workflow uses native Autopilot nodes in n8n and is designed for automation professionals who want a reusable pattern for syncing leads from any source, such as CRMs, form tools, or custom applications.

Why integrate Autopilot with n8n?

Autopilot is a marketing automation platform that manages customer journeys, email campaigns, and engagement workflows. n8n is an open source workflow automation tool that connects APIs and systems with minimal custom code. Combining the two provides a flexible integration layer between Autopilot and your broader data ecosystem.

Key advantages of automating Autopilot operations with n8n include:

• Automated list management – Create and maintain Autopilot lists programmatically, aligned with campaigns or segments.
• Reliable upsert behavior – Ensure contacts are created or updated as needed, without duplicates, using Autopilot’s upsert capability.
• Centralized observability – Use n8n for logging, monitoring, and error handling across all integrations touching Autopilot.
• Reusable integration patterns – Standardize one workflow and reuse it across teams, brands, or environments with minimal changes.

Use case overview

The example workflow is tailored for scenarios such as onboarding new leads from an external system, validating the resulting list in Autopilot, and enriching contact data. Typical sources include:

• Web forms or landing page tools
• CRMs and sales platforms
• Spreadsheets or CSV imports
• Custom applications via webhooks or APIs

At a high level, the workflow performs four core operations in sequence:

1. Create a new list in Autopilot.
2. Upsert a contact into that list.
3. Upsert the same or another contact with an additional Company property.
4. Retrieve all contacts that belong to the created list.

This pattern can be extended for production use cases, such as campaign-specific lists, periodic syncs from a CRM, or migration projects.

Workflow architecture in n8n

The workflow is built entirely with Autopilot nodes, each configured for a specific resource and operation. Below is a simplified JSON representation of the node configuration to illustrate the structure:

{  "nodes": [  {  "name": "Autopilot",  "type": "autopilot",  "parameters": {  "resource": "list",  "operation": "create"  }  },  {  "name": "Autopilot1",  "type": "autopilot",  "parameters": {  "resource": "contact",  "operation": "upsert",  "additionalFields": {  "autopilotList": "={{$json[\"list_id\"]}}"  }  }  },  {  "name": "Autopilot2",  "type": "autopilot",  "parameters": {  "resource": "contact",  "operation": "upsert",  "additionalFields": {  "Company": "n8n"  }  }  },  {  "name": "Autopilot3",  "type": "autopilot",  "parameters": {  "resource": "contactList",  "operation": "getAll",  "listId": "={{$node[\"Autopilot\"].json[\"list_id\"]}}"  }  }  ]
}

This JSON is illustrative. In practice, you configure each node through the n8n UI, including credentials, parameters, and expressions.

Preparation: Configure Autopilot credentials in n8n

Before assembling the workflow, configure secure access to Autopilot:

• Navigate to Settings → Credentials in n8n.
• Create a new credential of type Autopilot API.
• Provide your Autopilot API key and any additional required account details.
• Use the built-in test option to verify that n8n can successfully authenticate against Autopilot.

Ensure that the same Autopilot credential is selected on every Autopilot node you add to the workflow.

Building the workflow in n8n

1. Create a list in Autopilot

Start by adding the first Autopilot node that will provision a new list:

• Resource: list
• Operation: create
• Fields: specify a list name and optionally a description that reflects its purpose (for example, “New Leads – Website”).

When executed, this node returns a list object that includes a list_id field. This identifier is critical because it is referenced by subsequent nodes. Within n8n expressions, the list identifier is typically accessed using:

{{ $json["list_id"] }}

or, if referenced from another node:

{{$node["Autopilot"].json["list_id"]}}

2. Upsert a contact into the created list

Next, add a second Autopilot node to handle contact upserts. This node is responsible for creating a new contact or updating an existing one based on the email address.

Configure the node as follows:

• Resource: contact
• Operation: upsert
• Email: map from your incoming data (for example, from a previous node such as a webhook or CRM) or define an expression.
• Additional Fields:
  • autopilotList: reference the list created in step 1 using an expression such as:

    {{$json["list_id"]}}

    or, more explicitly:

    {{$node["Autopilot"].json["list_id"]}}

If your source data includes other attributes, map them into the node’s fields, for example FirstName, LastName, and any custom properties that your Autopilot account supports. This ensures the upsert operation enriches the contact record from the outset.

3. Upsert a contact with additional properties (Company)

The third node demonstrates how to perform another upsert while adding or updating a specific property, in this case the Company field. This is useful for data enrichment or when you want to maintain separate steps for basic creation and subsequent enhancement.

Configure the third Autopilot node as follows:

• Resource: contact
• Operation: upsert
• Email: you can reuse the email parameter from the previous node with an expression such as:

  email: ={{$node["Autopilot1"].parameter["email"]}}

• Additional Fields:
  • Company: set a static value like n8n or map from a field in your incoming data.

This step illustrates how to chain updates and maintain consistent identifiers across nodes using expressions, which is a common pattern in more complex n8n automations.

4. Retrieve all contacts from the Autopilot list

The final node in the workflow reads back the contents of the list so you can validate the outcome or pass the data to other systems.

Add a fourth Autopilot node and configure it as follows:

• Resource: contactList
• Operation: getAll
• listId: reference the list from the first node:

  listId: ={{$node["Autopilot"].json["list_id"]}}

• Return All: enable this option if you want to retrieve every contact in the list instead of limiting the number of results.

The resulting contact data can then be forwarded to logging nodes, databases, BI tools, or notification channels for reporting and monitoring.

Best practices for robust n8n – Autopilot workflows

Expression management and data references

• Use the n8n expression editor to construct references to previous node outputs. Referencing $node["NodeName"].json is generally more explicit and reliable than relying on the current item context when a workflow grows.
• Inspect node outputs using the execution panel to confirm the exact JSON structure and property names before finalizing expressions.

Contact identity and data quality

• Ensure the Email field is always present and validated before calling the Autopilot upsert operation. Autopilot relies on email as the unique identifier for contacts.
• Implement validation steps or use an external API to verify email format or enrich data before writing to Autopilot.

Rate limiting and performance

• Review Autopilot API rate limits and design your workflow accordingly, especially if you are processing large datasets or running frequent syncs.
• Use batching or add delay nodes in n8n when necessary to avoid hitting rate limits.

Error handling and observability

• Add a dedicated error handling branch or a Catch Error mechanism in n8n to capture and store failed records.
• Use a Function node to normalize error payloads, then send structured error notifications to your preferred channel (for example, email, Slack, or a ticketing system).
• Test each node individually using Execute Node before running the full workflow to isolate configuration issues early.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Incorrect expressions: Using an expression like {{$node["Autopilot"].json["list_id"]}} in a node that does not have access to that context or where the path is incorrect will result in undefined. Always verify the actual JSON output and adjust the path accordingly.
• Missing credentials: Every Autopilot node in the workflow must explicitly reference the correct Autopilot credential. If a node is left unconfigured or points to a different credential, API calls will fail.
• Empty or invalid emails: Upsert operations may fail or create inconsistent records if the email field is missing, empty, or malformed. Implement validation before the upsert step.

Extending the workflow: advanced patterns

Once the core pattern is in place, you can extend it to support more advanced automation scenarios:

• Dynamic list creation per campaign: Add a webhook or form submission node at the start of the workflow and create lists dynamically based on campaign identifiers or UTM parameters.
• Data enrichment before upsert: Call external APIs for enrichment or validation (for example, geolocation, firmographic data, or email verification) before sending the final payload to Autopilot.
• Journey orchestration: Trigger Autopilot journeys based on list membership or contact updates by invoking Autopilot triggers or configuring webhooks between the platforms.

Conclusion and next steps

Using n8n to integrate with Autopilot provides a controlled, scalable way to manage contact data and marketing lists. The workflow described here – create a list, upsert contacts, enrich records, and retrieve the final contact set – offers a solid foundation that can be adapted to lead capture, CRM synchronization, and migration projects.

To implement this in your environment, import or recreate the nodes in your n8n instance, attach your Autopilot credentials, and run the workflow against a test dataset. From there, refine field mappings to align with your CRM, form platform, or other lead source.

Call to action: Deploy this workflow in your n8n environment and tailor it to your stack. If you share your primary source system (for example, Google Sheets, Typeform, Salesforce), you can easily adapt the pattern to create a source-specific, production-ready flow.