Resources · Make integration

XML Make integrationAutomate XML with Make.

Got XML coming out of one tool and a spreadsheet or CRM waiting for the data? The XML Make integration is a built-in app with 5 modules that read, query and create XML. This guide shows what each one does and walks you through a first scenario.

Try the XML integration on MakeSee the 5 modules

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What you can automate

What can the XML Make integration do for you?

The XML Make integration is a set of built-in tools inside Make that turn XML into data other modules can use, and turn data back into XML. It is not an outside account: you do not need to connect anything, you just add the modules to a scenario, the automation you build in Make.

Read an XML export. A supplier feed or an export from an older system often arrives as XML. Drop Parse XML after the module that fetches it, and each value becomes something you can map into a sheet or a CRM record.

Pick out only what matters. When a document is long and you need a handful of values, Perform XPath Query searches inside it and returns only the matching items as bundles, one item per bundle, ready for the next step.

Send XML to a tool that expects it. Some partners still ask for XML. Create XML builds the document from data gathered earlier in the scenario, so the last module can send or store it.

What this app does not do: it has no trigger, so it never starts a scenario by itself, and it has no Make an API Call module. The same format also has a page on the XML n8n integration, and the n8n vs Make comparison lays out both tools side by side. If you are new to the editor, the Make training covers the basics.

Connect

How do you set up XML in Make?

  1. 01

    Add an XML module

    In your scenario, click the + after the module that holds your data, type XML in the search box and pick the module you need, for example Parse XML. Make adds it to the chain right away.

  2. 02

    Skip the connection screen

    Unlike most apps, XML asks for no account and no key. The Make documentation says it plainly: no connection is needed. There is no Create a connection button to click, so you go straight to the settings.

  3. 03

    Map the data in

    Fill the module fields by mapping values from the earlier module: click inside a field and pick the item Make shows from the previous step. Then click Run once to check what comes out.

First scenario

Your first scenario with XML

GoalWhen another app hands over an XML document, Make parses it and passes each value to the next step.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the +. Start with the module of the app that gives you the XML, such as a file storage or an email tool.

  2. 02

    Add Parse XML

    Click the + on the right of that first module, search for XML and choose Parse XML. Map the XML content from the first module into its field.

  3. 03

    Narrow it with a query

    Add Perform XPath Query next when you only want some values. It is a search module, so it can return zero, one or several bundles.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once. Make runs the scenario one time, and you can open each module to read the bundles it received and confirm the values look right.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch on

    Open the clock on the first module to set the schedule, every 15 minutes by default, then switch the scenario on. Each module run on a bundle counts as one operation on your plan.

Modules

What each XML module does

XML gives you 5 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

XML1

Perform XPath Query

Search

Perform XPath Query saves you from handling a whole document when you want a few values: it searches the XML and hands back the matching items. Like any search module, it can return zero, one or several bundles.

When to use it
a long export where you only care about part of the content, such as the lines you plan to copy into a sheet.
Watch out
an empty result means no bundle goes forward, so the rest of the chain does not run for that item.
XML2

Create XML

Transformer

Create XML gives you a ready document built from data the scenario already collected. It is a transformer: it reshapes data rather than talking to an outside service, so it needs no connection.

When to use it
the final tool in your chain only accepts XML, and the values you need come from earlier modules.
Watch out
the output is only as good as what you map in, so run the scenario once and read the result before switching it on.
XML3

Parse XML

Transformer

With Parse XML, a block of XML turns into values you can click and map in the next modules. It usually goes right after the step that fetches the document.

When to use it
an app or a file gives you raw XML and you want to push its content into a sheet, a CRM or an email.
Watch out
if the next modules show nothing to map, open the bundle of the previous step after Run once and check that it really carried XML content.
XML4

Searches

ActionIn the docs only

Searches appears in the XML app listing as its own entry, marked as an action, and the Make documentation gives no description for it. In Make, an action module works on one item at a time.

When to use it
open it in the editor next to Perform XPath Query and compare what it offers before you build around it.
Watch out
nothing more is documented, so test it with Run once before relying on it.
XML5

Transformers

ActionIn the docs only

Transformers is listed next to Create XML and Parse XML as a separate entry of type action, with no official description. What is known: an action module processes one item, one bundle, per run.

When to use it
check it in the module list when Parse XML or Create XML does not match your case.
Watch out
since the documentation is silent on it, read the bundles after a test run before you count on the output.
Need help

Need help automating XML with Make?

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FAQ

XML and Make: common questions

01Is the XML Make integration free?
Yes. XML is a standard built-in app, available from the Free plan. The Free plan lets you keep 2 active scenarios, runs scheduled scenarios at most every 15 minutes, and stops a run after 5 minutes. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise) bring the interval down to 1 minute, remove the cap on active scenarios and allow runs of up to 40 minutes. Usage is counted in operations per month: one module running on one bundle is one operation, so a Parse XML step on each incoming document adds up across a busy scenario.
02What do you need to connect XML to Make?
Nothing beyond a Make account. The Make documentation states that the XML app needs no connection: there is no account to link, no key to paste and no authorization window. You add the module to your scenario and fill its fields straight away. The data it works on comes from the module placed before it, so what you really need is another step that supplies the XML, such as a file storage app, an email tool or a form. Once that step exists, you map its content into Parse XML or Perform XPath Query.
03Can the XML Make integration start a scenario on its own?
No. XML has no trigger module, so it cannot launch a scenario. Two options work instead. First, put a trigger from another app at the start: a scheduled one, which Make checks on the scenario schedule, or an instant one, which that app calls through a webhook as soon as something happens. Second, start the scenario on a plain schedule set on the clock of the first module, every 15 minutes by default. In both cases the XML modules come after, and they process whatever the first step hands them.
04What if the XML module you need is missing in Make?
It depends on what you are missing. The XML app has 5 modules and no Make an API Call module, so there is no generic request to fall back on inside this app. If Parse XML, Create XML or Perform XPath Query do not fit, look at the module of the app that produces or receives the document, since it may handle the format directly. For a setup that stays stuck, the Make troubleshooting guide and the agency team can help you find a working route for your case.
05Should you use Make or n8n for XML?
Either can work, since XML also has a page on the n8n side. The choice depends on your whole workflow, not on XML alone. In Make, XML is a built-in app with 5 modules that need no connection, and you add them between the steps that bring in and send out the data. If the rest of your automations already live in one of the two tools, keeping the XML step there avoids splitting your setup. The comparison page linked above lays out the differences between both tools in more detail.
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