SharePoint to Confluence: Zero-Touch SOP Documentation Pipeline
8-step n8n workflow that takes a single SOP name as input, navigates SharePoint via Microsoft Graph API, filters screenshots by filename pattern, and publishes a structured Confluence page with all images inserted in correct sequence — 90 minutes per SOP to under 2 minutes.
The Problem
Technical teams capture Greenshot screenshots during implementation (e.g., PROXMOX setup, AnythingML installation) and store them in SharePoint folders. Converting those screenshots into formal Confluence SOPs required 1–2 hours manual work per document: download each PNG individually, create the Confluence page, insert images in order, write step descriptions, maintain formatting. Documentation was permanently deprioritised. Tribal knowledge stayed locked in image files. Compliance requirements weren't being met promptly. Each team member had different formatting — no consistency across SOPs.
The Solution
8-node n8n workflow. User enters SOP name (e.g., 'PROXMOX') plus config: `{domain, folderName: 'Greenshot', year: '2025', confluenceDomain}`. Auth via Microsoft Entra ID OAuth2. (1) SharePoint Discovery: Get Site Info → List Drives → Navigate to Greenshot/2025 folder → List all PNG files with metadata. (2) Intelligent Filtering: filters files containing SOP name in filename (e.g., 'PROXMOX'), extracts date from filename pattern YYYY-MM-DD-XXXXXX-SOPNAME.png, validates download URLs. Example: 2 PROXMOX files from 6 total pass through. (3) Batch Download: Microsoft Graph API downloads each filtered PNG. (4) Metadata Extraction: JavaScript parses filenames into `{pageTitle: 'DRAFTSOP - 2025-02-23 - PROXMOX', date, projectName, totalFiles, filenames[]}`. (5) Confluence Page Creation: creates structured page with H1 project name, date + file count metadata, 3-column SOP table (Step # 100px | Description from filename 400px | Screenshot placeholder 300px). (6) Image Upload Loop: for each screenshot — upload to Confluence as attachment, retrieve current page HTML + version number, replace `[placeholder]` with `<ac:image><ri:attachment ri:filename='filename.png' /></ac:image>` macro, increment version and save. (7) Final publication: all images inserted in sequential order, page version finalised in Confluence.
Tech Stack
Results
- SOP creation time: 90 minutes manual → under 2 minutes automated — 96–98% reduction per document
- 100% formatting consistency across every SOP — identical 3-column table structure, correct image sequence, no variation between team members
- Screenshots converted to searchable, versioned Confluence documentation immediately after capture — zero backlog
- Example: PROXMOX setup SOP (2 steps) fully documented in under 2 minutes; AnythingML installation (4 steps) published as self-service onboarding resource
- Audit trail maintained automatically — Confluence version history incremented correctly on every image insertion
- Technical staff freed from documentation overhead — implementation work captured at the moment it happens, not days later from memory