n8n-nodes-rapidpro

Community node for n8n providing full integration with RapidPro - the open-source messaging platform used by UNICEF, WHO, and Ministries of Health to run SMS, WhatsApp, and conversational flow campaigns at national scale.

Features

Contact Management

• Register and update contacts with custom fields, language, and group membership
• Look up contacts by UUID or phone number
• Paginated bulk retrieval with filters by group, phone, and date range

Group Management

• Create targeting groups dynamically from any n8n workflow
• List and filter existing groups for broadcast or flow targeting

Flow Automation

• Start conversational flows for individual contacts or entire groups
• Inject extra variables into flows - appointment dates, clinic names, district codes
• List all available flows for discovery and selection

Messaging

• Send direct SMS or WhatsApp messages to contacts, groups, or phone numbers
• Retrieve message history with filters by direction, contact, and date range

Broadcast

• Send one message to thousands of contacts or groups in a single operation
• List past broadcasts and delivery status

Developer-Friendly

• Automatic phone number normalization (+250788xxx → tel:+250788xxx)
• Cursor-based pagination handled automatically on all list operations
• Works as an AI Agent tool (usableAsTool)
• Built-in error handling with continue-on-fail support

Installation

Community Nodes (Recommended)

1. Open n8n
2. Go to Settings → Community Nodes
3. Click Install a community node
4. Enter: n8n-nodes-rapidpro
5. Click Install

Manual Installation

npm install n8n-nodes-rapidpro

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/monfortbrian/n8n-nodes-rapidpro.git
cd n8n-nodes-rapidpro
npm install
npm run build
npm link

Credentials

1. In n8n, go to Credentials → New
2. Search for RapidPro API
3. Configure:
   • Server URL: Your RapidPro instance URL (e.g. https://rapidpro.io or self-hosted)
   • API Token: Found under Account Settings → API Token in RapidPro

The credential test verifies connectivity by calling the /api/v2/org.json endpoint.

Hosted: Use https://rapidpro.io for the UNICEF-hosted version. Self-hosted: Use your own server URL - e.g. https://rapidpro.yourdomain.org.

Usage

Supported Resources

| Resource | Description | Use Cases | | ------------- | ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | Contact | Citizens, patients, health workers | Registration, profile updates, sync from EMR | | Group | Contact targeting groups | Segment by district, program, role | | Flow | Automated conversation sequences | Surveys, triage, reminders, advisories | | Message | Direct SMS or WhatsApp messages | One-off alerts, appointment reminders | | Broadcast | Mass messaging to groups | Outbreak alerts, campaign announcements |

Operations

| Resource | Operations | | ------------- | ------------------------------------- | | Contact | Create, Update, Get, Get Many, Delete | | Group | Create, Get Many | | Flow | Get Many, Start | | Message | Send, Get Many | | Broadcast | Create, Get Many |

Examples

Example 1: Register a New Health Worker

1. Add RapidPro node
2. Resource: Contact → Create
3. Phone Number: +250788123456
4. Name: Alice Uwimana
5. Language: kin
6. Custom Fields:
   - district: Nyagatare
   - role: community_health_worker
7. Execute

Output: Full contact object with UUID, URN, and all fields.

Example 2: Send an Appointment Reminder

1. Add RapidPro node
2. Resource: Message → Send
3. Message Text: Hello @contact.name, your ANC appointment is tomorrow at Kigali HC.
4. Send To: Phone Numbers (URNs)
5. Phone Numbers: tel:+250788123456
6. Execute

Output: Broadcast object with status and recipient count.

Example 3: Start a Maternal Health Flow

1. Add RapidPro node
2. Resource: Flow → Start
3. Flow UUID: <your-flow-uuid>
4. Start Contacts By: Group
5. Group UUID: <pregnant-mothers-group-uuid>
6. Extra Variables:
   - week: 28
   - clinic_name: Butaro Hospital
7. Execute

The flow receives @extra.week and @extra.clinic_name as context - no hardcoding needed.

Example 4: Disease Outbreak Broadcast (MoH)

1. Add RapidPro node
2. Resource: Broadcast → Create
3. Message: Cholera alert in your district. Activate response protocol immediately.
4. Target Type: Groups
5. Group UUIDs: <district-health-officers-uuid>
6. Execute

Output: Broadcast dispatched to all district health officers simultaneously.

Example 5: OpenMRS → RapidPro Maternal Reminder Pipeline

Combine with n8n-nodes-openmrs:

[Schedule: Daily 7AM]
→ [OpenMRS: Get ANC appointments for tomorrow]
→ [Code: Format patient list]
→ [Loop: For each patient]
   → [RapidPro: Send Message]
      "Hello @contact.name, reminder: ANC visit tomorrow at @extra.clinic."

Example 6: DHIS2 + RapidPro Outbreak Alert System

Combine with n8n-nodes-dhis2:

[Schedule: Every 6 hours]
→ [DHIS2: Query analytics - cholera cases by district]
→ [Code: Filter districts above threshold]
→ [RapidPro: Broadcast to Group "District Response Teams"]
   "Case threshold exceeded in {district}. Begin surge response."
→ [DHIS2: Post event to IDSR tracker]

Use Cases

Public Health & Ministries of Health

• National disease outbreak early warning systems
• Maternal and child health reminder programs
• Vaccine campaign mobilization and follow-up
• Community health worker coordination

NGOs & Global Health Programs

• Nutrition survey data collection via conversational flows
• Medicine stockout alerts to facility managers
• Treatment adherence reminders for HIV/TB programs
• Beneficiary registration and case management

Agriculture & Rural Development

• Weather and flood alerts to farming communities
• Market price advisories via SMS
• Extension worker reporting and field coordination

Local Government & Communities

• Citizen feedback and complaint intake via SMS
• School attendance and dropout alerts
• Emergency warnings for remote and off-grid areas

Compatibility

• n8n version: 1.0.0 or higher
• RapidPro version: Any (API v2)
• Node.js: 22.0.0 or higher

API Endpoints

This node uses the following RapidPro API v2 endpoints:

POST   /api/v2/contacts.json
GET    /api/v2/contacts.json
PATCH  /api/v2/contacts.json
DELETE /api/v2/contacts.json

GET    /api/v2/groups.json
POST   /api/v2/groups.json

GET    /api/v2/flows.json
POST   /api/v2/flow_starts.json

GET    /api/v2/messages.json
POST   /api/v2/broadcasts.json

GET    /api/v2/broadcasts.json

Full API documentation: https://rapidpro.io/api/v2/

Roadmap

| Version | Feature | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | v1.0.0 | Contacts, Groups, Flows, Messages, Broadcasts | | v1.2.0 | Trigger node - incoming message, flow completed, contact created | | v1.3.0 | Flow Runs resource - extract and route survey responses | | v2.0.0 | WhatsApp template messages, bulk contact import from CSV |

Resources

• RapidPro Documentation
• n8n Community Nodes
• n8n-nodes-openmrs - Clinical data integration
• n8n-nodes-dhis2 - Health information systems

Contact

For questions, support, or contributions:

• npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/n8n-nodes-dhis2
• email: [email protected]

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Monfort Brian N.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• n8n Community: n8n Community Forum

Made with ❤️ for the global health community