How to Auto-create contacts from emails with Pipedream

Dashboard > New Workflow

Create new Pipedream workflow

Sign into Pipedream and start a new workflow. You'll build a trigger that watches for Gmail emails, then add steps to check HubSpot and create contacts. The workflow runs in real-time when emails arrive.

1. 1Click 'New Workflow'
2. 2Select 'Start from scratch'
3. 3Name it 'Gmail to HubSpot Contacts'

Triggers > Gmail > New Email Received

Add Gmail trigger

Choose the Gmail 'New Email Received' trigger. This creates a webhook that fires instantly when emails arrive in your inbox. You can filter by specific labels or folders if needed. The trigger captures sender details, subject, and body content.

1. 1Click 'Select a trigger'
2. 2Search for 'Gmail'
3. 3Choose 'New Email Received'

Gmail Auth > Grant Permissions

Connect Gmail account

Authorize Pipedream to access your Gmail account. Grant permissions for reading emails and basic profile information. The connection persists across all your workflows. Test the trigger by sending yourself an email to confirm it fires.

1. 1Click 'Connect Gmail'
2. 2Select your Google account
3. 3Click 'Allow' for all permissions
4. 4Click 'Test trigger'

Steps > Add Step > HubSpot > Search Contacts

Add HubSpot search step

Add a HubSpot 'Search Contacts' action to check if the email sender already exists. Configure it to search by email address using the Gmail trigger's 'from' field. This prevents creating duplicate contacts for existing people.

1. 1Click '+ Add Step'
2. 2Search for 'HubSpot'
3. 3Select 'Search Contacts'
4. 4Map 'Email' to Gmail sender email

HubSpot Auth > Private App Token

Connect HubSpot account

Link your HubSpot account using either a private app token or OAuth connection. Private app tokens work better for single-account setups. Make sure the token has contacts read and write permissions enabled in your HubSpot settings.

1. 1Click 'Connect HubSpot'
2. 2Choose 'Private App Token'
3. 3Paste your HubSpot token
4. 4Click 'Connect'

Steps > Code > Node.js

Add conditional logic step

Insert a Node.js code step to check if HubSpot found any existing contacts. If the search returned results, the workflow should stop. If no contacts exist, continue to create a new one. This prevents duplicate contact creation.

1. 1Click '+ Add Step'
2. 2Select 'Code'
3. 3Choose 'Run Node.js code'
4. 4Add conditional logic code

Steps > Code > Node.js

Parse sender information

Add another code step to extract the sender's name and company from their email address and signature. Split the email address to get first/last names, and scan the email body for company mentions or signature lines. Store these in workflow variables.

1. 1Click '+ Add Step'
2. 2Select 'Code'
3. 3Add email parsing logic
4. 4Set name and company variables

Steps > HubSpot > Create Contact

Add HubSpot create contact action

Insert a 'Create Contact' action from HubSpot. Map the parsed first name, last name, email address, and company to the corresponding HubSpot contact properties. Set a lead source to track that these came from email automation.

1. 1Click '+ Add Step'
2. 2Search for 'HubSpot Create Contact'
3. 3Map firstName to parsed name
4. 4Map email to sender email
5. 5Map company to parsed company

Steps > Code > Error Handling

Add error handling

Wrap the contact creation in a try-catch block using a code step. Log any API errors to Pipedream's built-in logging system. Send yourself a Slack or email notification when contact creation fails so you can investigate.

1. 1Click '+ Add Step'
2. 2Select 'Code'
3. 3Add try-catch around HubSpot call
4. 4Configure error notifications

Workflow > Test > View Logs

Test the complete workflow

Send a test email from an address not in HubSpot to trigger the workflow. Watch the execution logs to verify each step completes successfully. Check HubSpot to confirm the new contact appears with correct information. Test with an existing contact to verify duplicate prevention works.

1. 1Click 'Test Workflow'
2. 2Send test email
3. 3Monitor execution logs
4. 4Check HubSpot for new contact
5. 5Verify duplicate prevention

This Node.js code extracts company names from email signatures and domains, handling common formatting variations. Paste it into the company parsing code step.

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const email = steps.trigger.event.from;

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const email = steps.trigger.event.from;
    const body = steps.trigger.event.body || '';
    const domain = email.split('@')[1];
    
    // Extract company from signature patterns
    const signaturePatterns = [
      /(?:at|@)\s+([A-Z][^\n,]+(?:Corp|Inc|LLC|Ltd|Company))/gi,
      /([A-Z][^\n,]+(?:Corp|Inc|LLC|Ltd|Company))/gi,
      /Company:\s*([^\n]+)/gi
    ];
    
    let company = null;
    for (const pattern of signaturePatterns) {
      const match = body.match(pattern);
      if (match && match[1]) {
        company = match[1].trim();
        break;
      }
    }
    
    // Fallback to domain-based company name
    if (!company && domain) {
      company = domain.split('.')[0]
        .replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, ' ')
        .replace(/\b\w/g, l => l.toUpperCase());
    }
    
    return { company: company || 'Unknown' };
  }
});