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Alchemy RecipeIntermediateworkflow

Competitive analysis and market intelligence gathering

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Competitive analysis can consume entire weeks of your team's time. Someone needs to monitor competitor websites, dig through legal filings, track pricing changes, read industry reports, and then synthesise all of it into something actionable. By the time the analysis lands on your desk, it's often out of date....

The alternative is to build a workflow that runs continuously without human intervention. Three tools work particularly well together for this: Accio AI pulls data from web sources and documents; Lex Machina AI extracts insights from legal and business filings; Resoomer AI condenses lengthy reports into summaries. Wire them together with an orchestration platform, and you have a system that gathers, processes, and delivers competitive intelligence on schedule.

This guide shows you how to build that workflow. We'll focus on n8n as the orchestration layer because it offers the best balance of flexibility and ease of use for this particular job, though Zapier and Make work too. You'll be able to modify this for your own competitors and sources in under an hour.

The Automated Workflow

The overall architecture

Your workflow will run on a schedule (daily, weekly, or whenever you prefer) and follow this sequence: trigger the workflow, fetch competitor data via Accio AI, extract structured insights from legal documents via Lex Machina AI, summarise industry reports via Resoomer AI, then store the results somewhere accessible (a spreadsheet, database, or Slack channel).

We'll use n8n because it handles authentication elegantly and lets you see the data flowing between steps. If you prefer a visual builder with less code, Zapier is simpler. If you need more advanced logic and don't mind writing JavaScript, Make gives you more control.

Setting up your n8n workflow

Start by creating a new workflow in n8n. Add a Cron trigger set to run daily at 08:00 UTC (or whenever your team reviews intelligence):


Cron expression: 0 8 * * *
Timezone: UTC

Next, you'll add three action nodes. Here's how each one works.

Step 1: Fetch competitor data with Accio AI

Accio AI's API lets you submit URLs or search queries and receive structured data back. For competitive analysis, you'll typically provide competitor website URLs or news feeds.

Create a new HTTP Request node in n8n configured as follows:


Method: POST
URL: https://api.accio-ai.com/v1/extract
Authentication: Bearer Token
Header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCIO_API_KEY

In the request body, pass your competitor URLs and specify what you want extracted:

{
  "urls": [
    "https://competitor-a.com/pricing",
    "https://competitor-b.com/blog",
    "https://competitor-c.com/careers"
  ],
  "extract_fields": [
    "pricing_tiers",
    "product_features",
    "company_announcements",
    "hiring_trends"
  ],
  "output_format": "json"
}

Accio returns structured data. Save this to a variable called competitor_data. The response looks roughly like this:

{
  "extractions": [
    {
      "url": "https://competitor-a.com/pricing",
      "extracted": {
        "pricing_tiers": ["Starter $49/mo", "Pro $199/mo", "Enterprise Custom"],
        "features": ["API access", "Integrations", "Analytics"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Extract insights from legal documents with Lex Machina AI

Lex Machina AI specialises in parsing legal and corporate filings. If your competitors are raising funding, filing patents, or involved in litigation, this tool finds the signal in the noise.

Add another HTTP Request node:


Method: POST
URL: https://api.lex-machina.com/v1/analyse
Authentication: Bearer Token
Header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_LEX_MACHINA_API_KEY

In the body, reference data from the previous step and provide document URLs or text:

{
  "documents": [
    {
      "source": "sec_filing",
      "company": "competitor-a",
      "filing_type": "10-K",
      "url": "https://sec.gov/competitor-a-10k.html"
    },
    {
      "source": "patent_office",
      "company": "competitor-b",
      "filing_type": "patent_application",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/competitor-b-xyz"
    }
  ],
  "extraction_focus": [
    "financial_metrics",
    "product_roadmap",
    "strategic_partnerships",
    "risk_factors",
    "executive_changes"
  ]
}

Lex Machina returns structured insights:

{
  "analyses": [
    {
      "company": "competitor-a",
      "filing_type": "10-K",
      "insights": {
        "revenue_growth": "23% YoY",
        "r_and_d_spend": "$12.5M",
        "geographic_expansion": ["Europe", "APAC"],
        "key_risks": ["Regulatory changes", "Customer concentration"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Save this output to a variable called legal_insights.

Step 3: Summarise industry reports with Resoomer AI

Industry reports, research papers, and lengthy blog posts are where much of the competitive context lives. Resoomer AI condenses them into summaries you can actually read.

Add a third HTTP Request node:


Method: POST
URL: https://api.resoomer-ai.com/v1/summarise
Authentication: Bearer Token
Header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_RESOOMER_API_KEY

Pass it URLs or raw text from industry reports and news sources:

{
  "documents": [
    {
      "url": "https://industry-research.com/2024-market-report.pdf",
      "document_type": "market_research"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://competitor-blog.com/long-article",
      "document_type": "blog_article"
    }
  ],
  "summary_length": "short",
  "focus_areas": [
    "market_trends",
    "competitor_mentions",
    "technology_shifts",
    "buyer_behaviour_changes"
  ]
}

Resoomer returns concise summaries:

{
  "summaries": [
    {
      "source": "industry-research.com/2024-market-report.pdf",
      "summary": "Market expected to grow 15% CAGR through 2026. Key drivers: AI adoption, regulatory compliance. Consolidation accelerating.",
      "key_points": [
        "Consolidation trend benefiting larger players",
        "Compliance spending up 40%",
        "Customer acquisition costs rising"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Store this in a variable called market_summaries.

Step 4: Combine and deliver results

Now you have three rich datasets. Create a final node that merges them into a single report. Use a Function node in n8n:

const competitorData = $node["Accio AI"].json.extractions;
const legalInsights = $node["Lex Machina AI"].json.analyses;
const marketSummaries = $node["Resoomer AI"].json.summaries;

const consolidatedReport = {
  generated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
  competitive_pricing: competitorData,
  financial_and_legal: legalInsights,
  market_context: marketSummaries,
  analysis_summary: `Generated from ${competitorData.length} competitor sources, ${legalInsights.length} legal filings, and ${marketSummaries.length} industry reports.`
};

return consolidatedReport;

Step 5: Store and notify

Finally, send the consolidated report somewhere useful. Add a Google Sheets node to append rows, or a Slack node to post summaries to a channel:

For Slack:


Method: POST
URL: https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL
Body: {
  "text": "Competitive Intelligence Report",
  "blocks": [
    {
      "type": "section",
      "text": {
        "type": "mrkdwn",
        "text": "Daily competitive analysis complete.\n\n*Pricing Changes Detected*: See competitive_pricing in attached report.\n\n*Legal Filings*: See financial_and_legal for key developments.\n\n*Market Trends*: " + marketSummaries[0].summary
      }
    }
  ]
}
```...

For Google Sheets, use the native n8n Google Sheets node and specify the spreadsheet and range. This appends a new row with your consolidated data every day.

**Using Make instead**

If you prefer Make's visual interface, the structure is identical. Create scenarios that map to each step above. Make's HTTP modules work the same way; just copy the endpoint URLs and authentication headers into the corresponding fields. The advantage is a cleaner UI if you're less comfortable with code. The disadvantage is less flexibility if your competitors' data formats change and you need custom logic.

**Using Zapier**

Zapier's web hook approach works too, though you'll hit rate limits faster on the free plan. Use Zapier's Webhooks by Zapier trigger to start, then add Action steps for each API call. Zapier's JSON parsing is less transparent than n8n's, so debugging is slower. Use Zapier if you already have a Zapier account and want minimal setup time; otherwise, n8n is the better choice.

## The Manual Alternative

If you want to maintain tighter control over what gets analysed and when, run these steps yourself on a weekly basis:

Visit each competitor's website and their latest press releases. Copy relevant content into Accio AI's web interface (they offer a browser extension). Review the extracted data and manually flag what's changed.

Search for recent SEC filings, patent applications, or funding announcements involving your competitors. Copy the document links into Lex Machina's dashboard. Review the extracted insights for surprises....... For more on this, see [Automated legal document review and client summary genera...](/blog/automated-legal-document-review-and-client-summary-generation).

Find the latest industry reports from analyst firms or research organisations. Paste them into Resoomer's interface or upload PDFs. Read the summaries.

Copy all results into a spreadsheet or shared document. Email your team.

This takes about two hours per week. The automated workflow does the same thing in seconds, runs every day, and catches changes you'd miss with weekly reviews.

## Pro Tips

**Watch your rate limits.** Accio AI, Lex Machina, and Resoomer all have request limits on their free or basic plans. If you're analysing 20 competitors with multiple documents each, you'll burn through monthly limits quickly. Upgrade to a paid tier or stagger your requests across multiple days. In n8n, use the "Wait" node to add delays between API calls.

**Validate the extracted data.** These tools aren't perfect. Pricing might be slightly wrong if the website layout changed. Legal insights might misread dates or figures. Always have someone spot-check the first week of results before trusting the automation. Add a manual review step to your workflow if accuracy is critical.

**Store raw outputs separately from analysis.** When Accio extracts pricing from a competitor's website, keep that raw output alongside the final report. If you spot an error later, you can retrace which tool caused it. Use Google Sheets or a database with a "raw_data" and "processed_data" tab.

**Schedule reports around your timezone, not UTC.** The Cron node in n8n runs in UTC. If your team reviews intelligence at 09:00 London time, set the Cron to `0 9 * * *` and specify Europe/London as the timezone. Waiting until next day because the report arrived after you left is frustrating.

**Cost optimisation: batch your requests.** Instead of calling Accio, Lex Machina, and Resoomer separately, batch multiple competitors into a single request when the APIs allow it. This reduces your API call count and accelerates the workflow. Most of these tools charge per request, not per item within a request.

## Cost Breakdown

| Tool | Plan Needed | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|------|------------|--------------|-------|
| Accio AI | Starter | £30 | 500 extractions/month; suitable for 5-10 competitors with multiple URLs each |
| Lex Machina AI | Professional | £80 | 100 document analyses/month; includes API access |
| Resoomer AI | Premium | £15 | Unlimited summarisations; cloud storage for documents |
| n8n | Cloud Pro | £30 | 20,000 executions/month; 30-day execution history |
| Google Sheets API | Free | £0 | Included with Google Workspace; no additional cost |
| Slack (if using notifications) | Standard or Pro | £8+ | Only if not already subscribed |
| **Total** | | **£155** | Daily competitive intelligence automation |

If you use Make or Zapier instead of n8n, substitute their pricing: Make charges £9/month for basic automation, Zapier charges £19/month for a free plan with limited tasks (you'd likely need their £49/month plan for this workflow).

The cost is roughly equivalent to one junior analyst's time per week. You get speed, consistency, and daily updates instead of weekly manual work.

## Wrapping up

This workflow transforms competitive analysis from a weekly chore into a living system. Accio AI pulls the data, Lex Machina extracts intelligence from filings, Resoomer summarises context, and your orchestration tool connects them all. The first run takes an hour to set up. Every subsequent run takes seconds.

Start with your three closest competitors and a small set of sources. Accio extracts pricing and product changes. Lex Machina flags new funding or legal developments. Resoomer catches market trend shifts you'd otherwise miss. As you refine what matters, add more competitors or sources. Remove sources that generate noise.

The [real](/tools/real) value isn't in the volume of data. It's in catching the signals early: a competitor launching a new feature before announcement, a shift in their go-to-market strategy visible in legal filings, a market trend that threatens your assumptions. The automated workflow runs every day, so you never miss it.

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