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Hi everyone,

I'm trying to automate a workflow where emails I receive are analyzed automatically using ChatGPT. Many of these emails include PDF-attachments, and I want those attachments to be uploaded to OpenAI so that they can also be processed by ChatGPT.

The workflow is set up like this:
The trigger is a new email in my inbox. I then take the attachment directly from the email and upload it to ChatGPT using the Upload File action.

 

 

In the next step, I try to access the uploaded file in a new conversation with ChatGPT. I use the File Search model and pass the File ID from the Upload File step.

 

However, I receive an error stating that the PDF file cannot be accessed. I'm not sure what the issue is, and I’d really appreciate any help. Could it be because the file always shows as "exists but not shown"? Or is there another way this should be handled?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Hi ​@eca12345 

Help links for using the ChatGPT/OpenAI Zap app: https://zapier.com/apps/chatgpt/integrations#help

 

Issue might be because the email file attachments are put into a ZIP file.

Supported file formats: https://platform.openai.com/docs/assistants/tools/file-search/supported-files#supported-files

 

 

Hey ​@Troy Tessalone thanks a lot for the quick reply and the helpful links!

In my case, the file is not a ZIP it’s a regular PDF attachment.
I’ve also already gone through the ChatGPT Zapier integration docs, but unfortunately, that didn’t solve the issue.

I get this error code, but the file uploaded is definetly a PDF file!

 

Failed to create a conversation in ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Non-PDF files (downloaded_file.txt) require Code Interpreter tool to be enabled. Please enable Code Interpreter or use PDF files only.

 

Do you have any idea what else could be causing this?

One thing I noticed is that after the file is uploaded, it says “exists but not shown” next to the PDF – what does that mean exactly?
Does it mean the file was uploaded but can’t be linked to the current session or tool?

I also tried using the AI by Zapier action – the flow ran successfully, but the PDF still wasn’t read or processed.

Any further ideas would be really appreciated!

Thanks again 🙏

​@eca12345 

What app is being used in Zap step 1?

While the email attachment may be a PDF, the integration may still be converting the email file(s) into a Zip.

Often any images (e.g. signatures) on an email can be treated as a file, and thus resulting in a Zip file.

 

For us to have more context, post screenshots showing the DATA OUT from Zap step 1 related to the Files fields.

 

 

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