TaskAGI News Digest Automation Setup Guide

What This Agent Does

This powerful workflow automates your daily news curation and distribution process, transforming raw news data into polished, multilingual digests delivered directly to your Slack channels. The agent fetches relevant articles based on your chosen keywords, intelligently filters out low-quality content using AI, selects the top 3 most important stories, and delivers them in both English and Japanese formats. Additionally, it generates comprehensive weekly trend reports by analyzing all collected articles, saving you hours of manual research and content curation time.

Key benefits include:

• Automated daily news delivery at 8 AM, eliminating manual article hunting
• AI-powered quality filtering that removes irrelevant or low-quality sources
• Multilingual support with automatic translation to Japanese for diverse teams
• Persistent record-keeping with automatic Google Sheets integration for future reference
• Weekly trend analysis that identifies patterns and emerging topics across your industry
• Flexible triggering via webhook for on-demand execution or scheduled automation

This workflow is ideal for teams that need to stay informed about industry developments, competitive intelligence, market trends, or specific topic areas without dedicating hours to manual research.

Who Is It For

This agent is perfect for:

• Marketing and Communications teams monitoring brand mentions and industry news
• Product managers tracking competitor updates and market trends
• Research teams collecting and analyzing news in specific domains
• Executive leadership receiving curated daily briefings on key topics
• Content creators sourcing story ideas and trend information
• Business intelligence professionals building competitive intelligence databases

Whether you're a startup tracking your competitive landscape or an enterprise managing multiple news feeds, this workflow scales to your needs.

Required Integrations

Anthropic (Claude AI)

Why it's needed: Claude powers the intelligent filtering, ranking, formatting, and translation of your news articles. The AI evaluates article quality, selects the most important stories, structures content for Slack readability, and translates digests into Japanese—all with human-like understanding and nuance.

Setup steps:

1. Visit Anthropic's console and sign in or create an account
2. Navigate to the API Keys section in your account settings
3. Click Create Key and give it a descriptive name (e.g., "TaskAGI News Agent")
4. Copy the generated API key immediately—you won't see it again
5. In TaskAGI, go to Integrations → Add Integration → Anthropic
6. Paste your API key in the authentication field
7. Click Test Connection to verify the integration works
8. Save and enable the integration

Model selection: This workflow uses claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929, Anthropic's latest fast and capable model. It balances speed and intelligence perfectly for news processing tasks.

Cost consideration: Monitor your API usage in the Anthropic console. News filtering typically costs $0.01-0.05 per workflow execution depending on article volume.

Google Sheets

Why it's needed: Google Sheets serves as your persistent database, storing every article processed by the workflow. This creates an auditable archive for compliance, enables trend analysis across weeks, and allows you to reference past articles without relying on external systems.

Setup steps:

1. Ensure you have a Google account with Google Sheets access
2. Create a new Google Sheet or use an existing one for this workflow
3. Set up column headers in your sheet:
   • Column A: Date
   • Column B: Title
   • Column C: Source
   • Column D: URL
   • Column E: Summary
   • Column F: Category
4. In TaskAGI, go to Integrations → Add Integration → Google Sheets
5. Click Authorize with Google and follow the OAuth flow
6. Grant TaskAGI permission to access your Google Sheets
7. Return to TaskAGI and complete the integration setup
8. Copy your Google Sheet's URL (from the address bar)
9. In the workflow configuration, paste this URL into the sheet_url parameter for both the append and read nodes

Important: Ensure the Google account you authorize has edit access to the target sheet. Share the sheet with the service account email if using a team account.

Slack

Why it's needed: Slack is your delivery channel, ensuring news digests reach your team instantly in their primary communication platform. The workflow sends formatted messages to designated channels, keeping everyone informed without requiring them to check external tools.

Setup steps:

1. Go to Slack API Dashboard and click Create New App
2. Choose From scratch and name your app (e.g., "TaskAGI News Agent")
3. Select your workspace and click Create App
4. In the left sidebar, click OAuth & Permissions
5. Under Scopes, add these bot token scopes:
   • chat:write (send messages)
   • channels:read (view channel information)
6. Scroll to OAuth Tokens for Your Workspace and click Install to Workspace
7. Authorize the app when prompted
8. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)
9. In TaskAGI, go to Integrations → Add Integration → Slack
10. Paste your bot token in the authentication field
11. Test the connection and save

Channel configuration: In the workflow nodes that send messages to Slack, specify your target channel names (e.g., #news-digest, #weekly-trends). Ensure your Slack bot has been invited to these channels.

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Configure the Webhook Trigger

The webhook trigger allows you to manually execute the workflow on-demand.

• Location: First node in the workflow
• Configuration: No parameters needed—TaskAGI generates a unique webhook URL automatically
• Usage: Copy the webhook URL and use it to trigger the workflow from external systems, or simply click "Test" in TaskAGI to execute manually
• Benefit: Enables real-time news fetching when you need it, complementing the scheduled runs

Step 2: Configure the Daily Schedule Trigger

This trigger automatically runs the entire workflow every day at 8 AM.

• Location: Second trigger node
• Time setting: Set to 08:00 (8 AM) in your preferred timezone
• Timezone: Select your local timezone to ensure consistent scheduling
• Frequency: Runs daily, Monday through Sunday
• Tip: Adjust the time based on when your team typically starts work

Step 3: Set News Keyword

This node stores your search keyword for the NewsAPI request.

• Parameter: keyword (e.g., "artificial intelligence", "climate change", "cryptocurrency")
• Example value: "machine learning"
• How to use: Edit this node to change your news topic without modifying the entire workflow
• Pro tip: Use specific keywords for targeted results; avoid overly broad terms like "technology"

Step 4: Fetch News from NewsAPI

This node queries the NewsAPI service for articles matching your keyword.

• API endpoint: https://newsapi.org/v2/everything
• Required parameters:
  • q: Your keyword (from Step 3)
  • sortBy: publishedAt (most recent first)
  • language: en (English articles)
  • pageSize: 20 (fetch 20 articles for filtering)
• Authentication: You'll need a free NewsAPI key from newsapi.org
• Expected output: JSON array of articles with title, description, URL, and source

Step 5: AI Filter Low-Quality Articles

Claude evaluates each article for relevance and quality.

• Prompt context: The AI receives all 20 articles and filters based on:
  • Relevance to your keyword
  • Source credibility
  • Content depth and substance
  • Recency and timeliness
• Output: Filtered list of high-quality articles (typically 5-10 articles)
• Customization: Edit the prompt to adjust filtering criteria (e.g., "exclude opinion pieces" or "prioritize academic sources")

Step 6: AI Structure Top 3 Articles

Claude selects and ranks the three most important articles.

• Input: Filtered articles from Step 5
• Selection criteria: Importance, relevance, and potential impact
• Output: Structured data with title, source, URL, and brief summary for each article
• Format: JSON array with consistent field names for downstream processing

Step 7: Loop Through Articles

This node iterates through the top 3 articles for individual processing.

• Loop variable: Each article object
• Iterations: Exactly 3 (one per top article)
• Purpose: Enables per-article operations like saving to Google Sheets

Step 8: Save Article to Google Sheets

For each article in the loop, this node appends a row to your Google Sheet.

• Sheet URL: Paste your Google Sheet URL here (obtained during integration setup)
• Row data: Title, source, URL, summary, and timestamp
• Result: Creates an auditable archive of all processed articles
• Verification: Check your Google Sheet after execution to confirm rows were added

Step 9: AI Format for Slack

Claude transforms the top 3 articles into a beautifully formatted Slack message.

• Input: Top 3 articles with full details
• Formatting: Includes emoji, bold text, links, and clear hierarchy
• Output: Slack-ready markdown text
• Customization: Edit the prompt to match your brand voice (e.g., "Add a witty intro" or "Include emoji for each category")

Step 10: Send English Digest to Slack

Delivers the formatted English digest to your designated Slack channel.

• Channel: Specify your target channel (e.g., #news-digest)
• Message type: Rich formatted text with links
• Timing: Executes immediately after formatting
• Notification: Team members receive a notification based on their Slack settings

Step 11: AI Translate to Japanese

Claude translates the entire Slack digest into Japanese.

• Input: Formatted English digest from Step 9
• Output: Natural, fluent Japanese translation
• Quality: Maintains formatting and link structure
• Use case: Supports multilingual teams or Japanese-speaking stakeholders

Step 12: Send Japanese Digest to Slack

Delivers the Japanese translation to the same or different Slack channel.

• Channel: Can be #news-digest-jp or another channel for Japanese-speaking team members
• Timing: Sends immediately after translation
• Benefit: Ensures no team member is left out due to language barriers

Step 13: Weekly Schedule Trigger

Runs every Monday at 9 AM to generate trend reports.

• Day: Monday
• Time: 09:00 (9 AM)
• Purpose: Analyzes the week's accumulated articles for trends
• Frequency: Once per week

Step 14: Read Weekly Articles from Google Sheets

Retrieves all articles from the past week for trend analysis.

• Sheet URL: Same Google Sheet URL as Step 8
• Date range: Automatically filters articles from the past 7 days
• Output: Complete dataset for trend analysis

Step 15: AI Generate Weekly Trend Report

Claude analyzes the week's articles to identify patterns and trends.

• Analysis includes:
  • Most frequently mentioned topics
  • Emerging trends and developments
  • Key insights and implications
  • Recommended focus areas
• Output: Executive-ready trend report in markdown format
• Customization: Edit the prompt to emphasize specific aspects (e.g., "Focus on competitive threats" or "Highlight opportunities")

Step 16: Send Weekly Summary to Slack

Delivers the trend report to your Slack channel.

• Channel: #weekly-trends or your preferred channel
• Timing: Every Monday morning
• Audience: Executives, managers, and strategic planners

Testing Your Agent

Pre-Launch Checklist

Before running your first workflow execution, verify:

• ✅ All three integrations (Anthropic, Google Sheets, Slack) are connected and tested
• ✅ Google Sheet URL is correctly pasted in nodes 8 and 14
• ✅ Slack bot is invited to target channels
• ✅ Your news keyword is set in Step 3
• ✅ NewsAPI key is configured in the HTTP request node

Test Execution Steps

1. Run a manual test via webhook:

• Click the Test button on the webhook trigger node
• Monitor the execution in real-time using TaskAGI's execution logs
• Expected duration: 30-60 seconds

2. Verify each processing stage:

• After Step 4: Check that 20 articles were fetched (visible in logs)
• After Step 5: Confirm articles were filtered (should see 5-10 remaining)
• After Step 6: Verify top 3 articles were selected and ranked
• After Step 8: Open your Google Sheet and confirm 3 new rows were added
• After Step 9: Check that English digest was formatted with proper markdown

3. Confirm Slack delivery:

• Check your designated Slack channel for the English digest message
• Verify the message includes article titles, sources, and links
• Check for the Japanese translation in the appropriate channel
• Ensure formatting is clean and readable

4. Validate data persistence:

• Open your Google Sheet and review the new rows
• Confirm all columns (Date, Title, Source, URL, Summary) are populated
• Check that timestamps are accurate

Expected Results

Successful execution indicators:

• ✅ 3 articles appear in your Slack channel with proper formatting
• ✅ Japanese translation is fluent and maintains structure
• ✅ Google Sheet has 3 new rows with complete data
• ✅ No error messages in TaskAGI execution logs
• ✅ Execution completes in under 2 minutes

Common issues and solutions:

Monitoring and Optimization

After your first week of automated runs:

1. Review article quality: Are the filtered articles relevant and high-quality?
2. Adjust keyword: If results are off-target, refine your search term
3. Optimize timing: Move the 8 AM trigger if your team prefers a different time
4. Analyze trends: Review the weekly report for actionable insights
5. Gather feedback: Ask team members if the digest meets their needs

Congratulations! You've successfully set up a powerful, AI-driven news automation system. Your team will now receive curated, multilingual news digests automatically, freeing up hours each week for more strategic work. Happy automating! 🚀