{"slug": "i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-here-s-how-it-works", "title": "I built a free, open-source AI B2B outreach system on N8N — here's how it works", "summary": "A developer built outreach-os, a free, open-source B2B outreach automation pipeline on N8N that finds leads via Google Places API, scores them, generates AI cold emails, and tracks replies. The system uses GLM-4 or GPT-4o-mini for email generation and is designed for indie builders and small teams to replace costly SaaS tools like Apollo and Lemlist.", "body_md": "B2B cold outreach is broken for indie builders and small teams.\n\nMost SaaS tools (Apollo, Instantly, Lemlist) charge $100–$400/month. And even then, you're stitching together:\n\nI wanted one system that does all of this — free, self-hosted, and open source.\n\nSo I built **outreach-os**.\n\noutreach-os is an open-source B2B outreach automation pipeline built entirely on N8N (no backend required). It automates the full cycle:\n\n**Find leads → Score them → Send AI cold emails → Track replies → Auto follow-up**\n\nGitHub: [https://github.com/hitb1099/outreach-os](https://github.com/hitb1099/outreach-os)\n\nnpm: `npm i outreach-os`\n\nThe first workflow connects to the **Google Places API** and searches for businesses by city + industry keyword (e.g., \"restaurants in Bangalore\").\n\nEach lead gets scored 0–100 using a custom algorithm:\n\nLeads are automatically split into two Google Sheets tabs:\n\nFor each HOT lead, the second workflow:\n\nThe email isn't a template — it's fully dynamic based on the business type, name, and context.\n\nA daily scheduled workflow runs at 9AM and:\n\nFull status tracking: `Pending → Emailed → Replied`\n\nor `Emailed → FollowedUp`\n\n| Tool | Purpose |\n|---|---|\n| N8N | Workflow engine (self-hosted) |\n| Google Places API | Lead discovery |\n| Google Sheets | Lead database |\n| GLM-4 / GPT-4o-mini | Email generation |\n| Pollinations.ai | AI banner image generation (free) |\n| Gmail | Email sending & reply tracking |\n\n```\nnpm i outreach-os\n```\n\nOr just clone the GitHub repo and import the JSON workflow files directly into your N8N instance. Add your API keys (Google Places, OpenAI/GLM-4, Gmail) and you're live.\n\nFull setup guide is in the `/docs`\n\nfolder.\n\nI built this because I needed it myself for a restaurant marketing side project. After getting it working, I figured others would benefit from it too — especially indie hackers and small agencies who can't justify $300/month SaaS tools.\n\nThe entire project is MIT licensed. Contributions are welcome via GitHub.\n\n**GitHub: https://github.com/hitb1099/outreach-os**\n\nIf this was useful, a star would mean a lot. And drop any questions or feedback in the comments!", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-here-s-how-it-works", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/hitb1099/i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-heres-how-it-works-2385", "published_at": "2026-07-16 20:24:44+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-16 21:05:42.907047+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "large-language-models", "developer-tools", "ai-tools", "ai-agents"], "entities": ["outreach-os", "N8N", "Google Places API", "GLM-4", "GPT-4o-mini", "Pollinations.ai", "Gmail", "Apollo"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-here-s-how-it-works", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-here-s-how-it-works.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-here-s-how-it-works.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/i-built-a-free-open-source-ai-b2b-outreach-system-on-n8n-here-s-how-it-works.jsonld"}}