n8n community node for PDFs and images: install the thirds.ai node

You make branded PDFs and images in n8n with the thirds.ai community node, @thirds-ai/n8n-nodes-thirds. Its two operations, Make a PDF and Make an Image, fill a design you saved on thirds.ai with the data from each workflow run. thirds.ai is a web app where you pick a designer-made template or make your own, add your logo, colours, and fonts, and send out a beautiful PDF or image. You make and edit the design on thirds.ai, and n8n only fills it in. So each new event in your sheet can get a speaker card that looks like your brand. The thirds.ai n8n page shows the kinds of files the node makes before you install it. Each finished file costs one credit, and a verified free account gets 50 credits a month.

The node runs on a self-hosted n8n, version 1.0 or newer. n8n's community node guide says unverified community nodes aren't available on n8n Cloud (checked 30 September 2026), so on n8n Cloud you use the HTTP Request node from the API workflow guide instead.

Make your speaker card design on thirds.ai first

You make the design on thirds.ai first, because the n8n node can only fill a design you already saved. It takes three steps in the editor, and you need a free thirds.ai account. The Speaker card template suits a workflow that announces each talk, since every speaker then gets the same polished card.

1. Open the Speaker card template and click Use this template. Sign in and verify your account first if you need to.
2. Make the card yours. Open the Data tab to see each detail that n8n will fill in, such as the speaker's name, the talk title, and the date. Click Preview with data above the canvas to check the card. The preview is free.
3. Click Export, then Save and export PNG, and download your first card.

Saving puts the design in your saved templates, where the n8n node finds it. When you change the design later and save it again, your next workflow run uses the new version.

What the thirds.ai n8n node can and can't do

The thirds.ai n8n node can fill one of your saved designs and give you a PDF or image, but it can't make or change a design. It makes one file for each item that reaches it. It has two operations and no trigger, so another node, such as a schedule, a form, or a new sheet row, starts the workflow. The node sees only the designs and files in the thirds.ai account that owns your API key.

The node can:

• List your saved designs, or take a design ID that starts with tpl_.
• Show one box for each detail your design takes, or take all the details as JSON.
• Make a PDF, or a PNG, JPEG, or WebP image, with a clear background for PNG and WebP.
• Use your newest saved version, or one version you name.
• Use another brand kit's logo, colours, and fonts through Brand Kit ID.
• Put the finished file in the item's binary data, so the next node can email it, upload it, or post it.

The node can't:

• Make or change a design. You do that on thirds.ai.
• Make AI pictures or use the AI chat.
• Send email, post to social networks, or store your files for good. Other n8n nodes do those steps.
• Edit a PDF you already have.

Install the thirds.ai node in n8n

You install the thirds.ai node from n8n's settings in five steps, and you need the Owner or Admin role on a self-hosted n8n. n8n's community node install guide says only those roles can install nodes from npm (checked 30 September 2026).

1. In n8n, open Settings, then Community Nodes.
2. Click Install.
3. Type @thirds-ai/n8n-nodes-thirds as the npm package name.
4. Check I understand the risks of installing unverified code from a public source.
5. Click Install.

If your n8n can't install from its settings, run npm install @thirds-ai/n8n-nodes-thirds in your n8n nodes folder, which is usually ~/.n8n/nodes, and restart n8n. The node's source code is public in the thirds.ai n8n node repository under the MIT license.

Connect your thirds.ai account

You connect the node to your thirds.ai account with an API key in four steps. You need a thirds.ai account with a verified email address.

1. On thirds.ai, open API keys, make a key named n8n, and copy it. The key starts with thirds_sk_, and you see the whole key only once.
2. In n8n, add a thirds.ai API credential.
3. Paste the key into API Key.
4. Click Save. n8n checks the key by reading one saved design, and the check spends no credits.

Give each workflow tool its own key, and keep the key out of workflow notes and shared data. If the key leaks, delete it on the API keys page and make a new one.

Make a PDF or image in a workflow

You make a file in a workflow by picking your saved design and dragging in values from earlier nodes. It takes four steps, and you need the credential and one saved design.

1. Add the thirds.ai node and choose Make a PDF or Make an Image.
2. In Template, pick your design From List, or choose By ID and paste its ID.
3. Under Data, choose Fill In Each Field and drag a value into each detail, such as the speaker's name from your sheet. If your design doesn't list its details, choose Use JSON and type them as one object.
4. Run the step. The node waits for your file and adds it to the item under data, ready for the next node.

For Make an Image, pick PNG, JPEG, or WebP in Image Format. Don't add Width (Pixels) or Height (Pixels), and the image uses your design's own size, so a square post stays square. Add them under Options only when you want another size.

Options holds the rest of the settings:

Each item also gets the file's facts: its ID in your thirds.ai history, the exact design version it used, its type and size, the date thirds.ai deletes its copy, and the credit it cost. When a retry gets back a file made earlier, replayed is true.

n8n retries never charge you twice

An n8n retry never charges you twice, because the thirds.ai node sends a retry key with each file. When you leave Retry Key empty, the node makes a key for each item in each run. When n8n retries the step in the same run, for example with Retry On Fail turned on, it sends the same key again. thirds.ai then hands back the file it already made. You pay once, and a file that fails costs nothing.

A new run of the workflow gets new keys. So set your own Retry Key when one record should get one file across runs, such as invoice-INV-1042-v1. A retry key lasts 24 hours, and each new file needs a new key. If a file isn't ready before Wait Up To (Seconds) ends, the step stops with "Your file isn't ready yet." Retry the step in the same run, or run it again with your own Retry Key, and you pick up the same file without a second charge.

If your data doesn't fit the design, the error names each detail to fix. Turn on Continue On Fail in the node settings to keep the workflow going and get the error as data. The retry and download guide explains retry keys in more depth, and the error list explains each error code.

How long thirds.ai keeps your files

How long thirds.ai keeps each finished file depends on your plan, and the pricing page shows the time for each plan. The file's facts on each item tell you the date thirds.ai deletes its copy. To keep a copy for longer, add a node that saves the file to your own storage.

Privacy, terms, and help

Our privacy policy, Terms of Service, and support page all cover the thirds.ai n8n node, including files you make through n8n. The node sends thirds.ai only the design you pick and the data you map, and thirds.ai deletes that data when your file is done. The privacy policy says what we keep and for how long. For help with the node, a key, or a failed step, contact support.