Chat with OpenAI Assistant (with Memory)

This workflow overcomes the limitation of OpenAI Assistants not automatically remembering past conversation messages. It uses n8n's memory management to store and retrieve chat history based on a session ID, passing the full context to the Assistant on each interaction. This creates a seamless, stateful chatbot experience.

Key components include a chat trigger (like 'When chat message received'), a Simple Memory node (Memory Buffer Window) to handle context with a configurable window length, and an OpenAI node to query the Assistant with the enriched history. Sticky notes guide setup, including credential configuration and testing by chatting (e.g., sharing your name then asking it back).

Benefits include cost-effective persistent conversations without custom vector stores, easy integration into apps or webhooks, and scalability for production chatbots. Ideal use cases: customer support bots, personal AI companions, mobile app integrations, or any scenario needing conversational memory. Requires n8n 1.28.0+ and an OpenAI Assistant.