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Parsing workflow
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n8n Workflow: Parsing

This tutorial shows a practical n8n workflow for asynchronous parsing with Anesya.

The goal is to:

  1. Create a parsing
  2. Poll it until completion
  3. Use the parsing output in the next step

This pattern works well for users who do not want to write code and need a reliable visual workflow.

The safest n8n flow is:

  1. Manual Trigger or Webhook
  2. HTTP Request - Create parsing
  3. Wait
  4. HTTP Request - Retrieve parsing
  5. If - Parsing final?
  6. Loop back to Wait if not final
  7. If - Parsing success or partial success?
  8. Next business step

Option A: Start from a public URL

This is the easiest version in n8n because it uses JSON only.

Create parsing node

Node type: HTTP Request

Recommended settings:

  • Method: POST
  • URL: https://api.anesya.app/v0/parsing
  • Authentication: none
  • Send headers: yes
  • Header X-API-Key: your API key
  • Send body: JSON

Body:

{
  "document": "={{$json.document_url}}",
  "model": "PIGALLE",
  "picture_description_enabled": false,
  "table_verification_enabled": false,
  "metadata": {
    "source": "n8n"
  }
}

The previous node must provide document_url.

Option B: Start from a stored document ID

If an earlier step already uploaded the file to Anesya or you already have a document ID, use this payload instead:

{
  "document": "={{$json.document_id}}",
  "model": "PIGALLE"
}

This is usually simpler than sending the file content again.

Option C: Start from a binary file

If n8n already has the document as binary data:

  • use POST https://api.anesya.app/v0/parsing
  • switch the request body to multipart/form-data
  • add a form-data field named document
  • map that field to the binary property that contains your file

Add these extra form fields if needed:

  • model
  • picture_description_enabled
  • table_verification_enabled

Use this only when you really need file upload from n8n. For many workflows, using a public URL or a stored document ID is simpler.

Retrieve parsing node

After the first request, save the returned parsing ID.

Node type: HTTP Request

Recommended settings:

  • Method: GET
  • URL: =https://api.anesya.app/v0/parsing/{{$json.id}}
  • Header X-API-Key: your API key

This node returns the current parsing state.

Important fields:

  • status
  • pages_success
  • pages_failed
  • error

Parsing status branch

Add an If node after Retrieve parsing.

Suggested conditions:

  • If status is IN_QUEUE or IN_PROGRESS: go back to Wait
  • If status is FINISHED: continue to the next step
  • If status is PARTIAL_FINISHED: continue only if partial data is acceptable
  • If status is ERROR: go to an error branch

This branch is important. Do not treat PARTIAL_FINISHED as a generic error unless your use case requires all pages.

A good default wait time

A practical default is a Wait node of about 3 seconds between polling attempts.

You can increase it if your workflows are large or if you want fewer polling calls.

Once the parsing is finished, common next actions are:

  • create an extract
  • store the parsing ID for later use
  • review markdown or OCR output
  • continue with another HTTP call
  • branch on parsing quality before extraction

Common n8n mistakes

These mistakes are common in visual workflows:

  • expecting the first POST call to return the final result
  • polling without a Wait node
  • not branching on ERROR
  • ignoring PARTIAL_FINISHED
  • sending the wrong binary property in multipart mode
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