Want to add something impressive to your GRC portfolio? Build this.

This isn't just a tutorial - it's a hands-on project that will teach you n8n workflow automation, API integration, AI prompt engineering, and how to conduct a NIST-aligned risk assessment on your own tooling. By the time you're done, you'll have a working system and portfolio-ready artifacts that demonstrate real GRC skills.

It's called GRC News Assistant 3.0.

Version 1 came from Dr. Gerald Auger in August 2024, then I collaborated with him about a year ago for version 2 doing some vibe coding with Cline.

GRCnewsAssistant.py: How you can use it, and better yet - create something like it with Cline AI coding assistant

Learning enough about AI augmented coding "to be dangerous," but responsibly and to advance cyber risk reduction

www.cpatocybersecurity.com/p/cline-augments-grc

This was right before the term "vibe coding" was coined, and before a cooler Cline-like tool called Cursor became the fastest SaaS company in history to reach $100 million in annual recurring revenue.

https://aakashgupta.medium.com/the-new-speed-record-how-cursor-hit-100m-arr-faster-than-anyone-0165590455b4

Why This Matters for Your Career

When you build this project, you're not just getting a news tool. You're getting:

n8n workflow automation - A skill appearing in more job descriptions every month
API integration experience - Anthropic, Notion, RSS - real-world system integration
Risk assessment practice - NIST-aligned assessment of your own tooling
Portfolio proof - A working project you can demo in interviews

This is the kind of initiative that can separate "I know GRC" from "I build solutions."

What's New in Version 3.0

No longer Python-based script requiring manual execution with output into a csv, v3 brings the following features:

Fully Automated n8n Workflow: Runs daily at 5 AM without intervention
Multi-Source RSS Aggregation: Use my list of CISA Advisories, Simply Cyber, Daniel Miessler's Unsupervised Learning, CISO Series, or set your own
AI-Powered Tier System: S-Tier to D-Tier ratings using Claude AI
Smart Labeling: 30+ GRC-specific labels automatically applied
Notion Database Integration: Rich metadata, searchable, filterable
Quality Scoring: 1-100 relevance assessment
Business Context Focus: Prioritizes business-friendly security content over purely technical pieces

GRC News Assistant 3.0

github.com/CPAtoCybersecurity/GRC_News_Assistant_3/tree/main

Still Powered by Fabric's Intelligent Rating System

GRC News Assistant 3.0 leverages Daniel Miessler's open-source Fabric project, specifically the label_and_rate pattern that brings sophisticated content evaluation to our workflow.

Tier	Priority	What It Means
S-Tier	Must consume immediately!	18+ actionable ideas with strong GRC theme matching
A-Tier	Should consume this week	15+ ideas with good business relevance
B-Tier	When time allows	12+ ideas with decent applicability
C-Tier	Maybe skip	10+ ideas, some relevance
D-Tier	Definitely skip	Minimal value for GRC professionals

The AI evaluator specifically looks for content that helps you:

Translate technical risks to business language
Build security awareness programs
Advance your GRC career
Demonstrate security value to executives
Simplify compliance requirements
Bridge the gap between security teams and business objectives

Installation Guide

Let's walk through setting up your own GRC News Assistant 3.0. Don't worry - while it might look complex, each step is straightforward.

⏱️ Estimated Setup Time: 45-60 minutes

Monthly Cost: ~$3-8/month for Anthropic API (processing ~20 articles/day). Notion and Docker are free.

Prerequisites

n8n account (self-hosted or cloud)
Notion account with API access
Anthropic Claude API key
Docker (for local installation)

Step 1: Set Up Your n8n Environment

Option A: Using Docker (Recommended for beginners)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/GRC-News-Assistant-3.0.git
cd GRC-News-Assistant-3.0

# Start n8n with Docker Compose
cd n8n
docker-compose up -d

Option B: n8n Cloud If you prefer not to self-host, sign up for n8n Cloud and skip to Step 2.

Once running, access n8n at http://localhost:5678

[SCREENSHOT 4: Full n8n workflow showing all nodes connected]

Step 2: Create Your Notion Database

This is where your curated news will live. The database structure is crucial for the workflow to function properly.

Create a new Notion database with these exact properties (names and types must match):

Property Name	Type	Purpose
Title	Title	Article headline
URL	URL	Link to original
Labels	Multi-select	GRC categories
Rating	Select	S/A/B/C/D Tier
Quality Score	Number	1-100 relevance
Summary	Text	One-sentence summary
Published Date	Date	Original publish date
Processed Date	Date	When analyzed
Source	Select	Which RSS feed
Snippet	Text	Article excerpt
Rating Explanation	Text	AI's reasoning

Configure Select Properties with these exact options:
- Rating: S Tier, A Tier, B Tier, C Tier, D Tier
- Source: CISA Cybersecurity Advisories, Simply Cyber Newsletter, Daniel Miessler, CISO Series
Get Your Database ID:
- Open your database in Notion
- Look at the URL: notion.so/[workspace]/[database-id]?v=[view-id]
- Copy the database-id portion (it looks like: 2ad7a039-2c8d-803f-9216-edaebebf4419)
Share with Integration:
- We'll create the integration in the next step
- Come back and share your database with it

Step 3: Set Up Notion Integration

Navigate to Notion Integrations
Click "New Integration"
Configure with these settings:
- Name: GRC News Assistant
- Capabilities: Read, Write, Insert content
- Associated workspace: Your workspace
Copy the Internal Integration Token (starts with secret_)
Important: Go back to your Notion database, click Share, and add your integration

[SCREENSHOT 5: fabric:clean_text node configuration]

Step 4: Get Your Anthropic API Key

Visit Anthropic Console
Create an account if you haven't already
Generate an API key
Save it securely - you'll need it in the next step

Step 5: Import and Configure the Workflow

This is where the magic happens. The workflow file needs some personalization before import.

Prepare the Workflow File:
- Open n8n/workflows/GRC_News_Assistant_3_PUBLIC.json in a text editor
- Replace YOUR_NOTION_DATABASE_ID with your actual database ID (appears 2 times)
- Save the file
Example replacement:
```
// Before:
"value": "YOUR_NOTION_DATABASE_ID",

// After:
"value": "2ad7a039-2c8d-803f-9216-edaebebf4419",
```
Import to n8n:
- In n8n, go to Workflows → Import from File
- Select your modified JSON file
- The workflow will import (credentials will be disconnected - this is normal)
Connect Your Credentials:
For Notion:
- Click on the "Create a database page" node in the workflow
- Click "Create New" for credentials
- Paste your Internal Integration Token
- Save and test the connection
For Anthropic:
- Click on both "fabric" nodes in the workflow
- Create new Anthropic credential
- Add your API key
- Save and test

Step 6: Test Your Setup

Click "Execute Workflow" to run manually
Check your Notion database - you should see articles appearing
Review the execution log for any errors
If everything works, activate the workflow for automatic daily runs

Keeping Your Installation Updated

To maintain security, periodically update your n8n Docker image:

# Pull the latest n8n image
docker pull n8nio/n8n:latest

# Restart your container
cd GRC_News_Assistant_3/n8n
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d

Your workflows and credentials are persisted in Docker volumes, so updates won't affect your configuration.

Understanding Your Results

Once running, your Notion database becomes a powerful GRC intelligence hub:

The Dashboard View

Create filtered views in Notion to maximize value:

"Top Developments" View:

Filter: Rating = S Tier OR A Tier
Sort: Quality Score (descending)
Group by: Labels

"Weekly Review" View:

Filter: Processed Date = This Week
Sort: Rating (S to D)
Perfect for Friday planning sessions

"Compliance Focus" View:

Filter: Labels contains "Compliance" OR "Regulation" OR "Audit"
Essential for regulatory updates

Making Sense of Labels

The system applies 30+ labels automatically. Key categories include:

Strategic: Governance, Leadership, Framework, Policy
Operational: Risk, Incident, Breach, Vendor
Development: Career, Training, Awareness
Technical: CloudSecurity, Automation, AITools
Compliance: GDPR, ISO, NIST, SOC

Pro Tips for Maximum Value

1. Customize Your Sources

While the default RSS feeds are excellent, you can add industry-specific sources:

Add a new RSS Feed Read node
Create publication date checker
Connect to the merge node
The AI will automatically adapt to new content types

2. Adjust the Fabric Patterns

The workflow uses two Fabric patterns from Daniel Miessler's project that you can customize:

fabric:label_and_rate node - Contains the AI evaluation logic. Modify it to:

Emphasize specific frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001)
Focus on your industry vertical
Prioritize certain risk domains
Adjust rating thresholds
Add custom labels relevant to your organization

fabric:clean_text node - Preprocesses content for better AI analysis. The modified version:

Removes unnecessary formatting
Extracts key content
Prepares text for consistent evaluation

You can explore other Fabric patterns to enhance the workflow further.

3. Create Notion Automations

Leverage Notion's automation features:

Send Slack notifications for S-Tier content
Create weekly digest emails
Auto-assign articles to team members
Generate monthly metrics reports

4. Time Window Optimization

Default settings check:

CISA: Last 3 days
Simply Cyber: Last 10 days
Others: Last 3 days

Adjust based on your consumption patterns in the "Check Publication Date" nodes.

Security Considerations

As GRC professionals, we should practice what we preach. Running automation tools on localhost comes with risks worth understanding.

Why Docker?

This workflow runs in Docker containers rather than directly on your machine. Docker provides:

Process isolation from your host system
Limited filesystem access (container can't see your SSH keys or browser sessions)
Easy updates via image pulls
~40-50% risk reduction compared to running n8n directly on localhost

Key Risks to Understand

Risk	What Could Happen	Mitigation
Supply Chain Attack	Compromised npm package in n8n installs backdoor	Keep n8n updated, monitor security advisories
Prompt Injection	Malicious RSS content manipulates AI behavior	Using trusted sources (CISA, Simply Cyber) reduces likelihood
API Credential Exposure	Keys leaked through logs or container layers	Use n8n's encrypted credential store, rotate keys periodically

Want More Isolation?

For higher security posture, consider:

Virtual Machine: Run Docker inside VirtualBox/UTM (~65% risk reduction)
n8n Cloud: Let n8n handle security (~85% risk reduction, ~$20-50/month)

I've created a full NIST SP 800-30 aligned risk assessment for this project - it's a great portfolio piece that demonstrates GRC thinking applied to your own tools.

GRC_News_Assistant_3/risk_assessment/GRC_News_Assistant_Risk_Assessment_Local.md at main · CPAtoCybersecurity/GRC_News_Assistant_3

GRC News Assistant 3.0. Contribute to CPAtoCybersecurity/GRC_News_Assistant_3 development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com/CPAtoCybersecurity/GRC_News_Assistant_3/blob/main/risk_assessment/GRC_News_Assistant_Risk_Assessment_Local.md

Bottom Line

Here's the deal: You're getting bombarded with security content every single day. CISA alerts, vendor blogs, threat intel reports, LinkedIn posts - it never stops. And you know what happens? You either spend hours trying to keep up, or you miss something important. Neither option is acceptable if you want to be effective in this field.

GRC News Assistant 3.0 helps with that problem. You wake up, your S-Tier content is waiting, and you know exactly what deserves your attention that day.

But here's what I really want you to take away from this: building this thing is more valuable than using it.

When you stand up this workflow, you're not just getting a news aggregator. You're learning n8n automation. You're working with AI APIs. You're integrating systems. You're doing a risk assessment on your own tooling. These are real, marketable skills that will set you apart in interviews and on the job.

And that's what this is really about - continuous improvement of your craft. The best GRC professionals I know aren't just consuming content, they're building tools, automating the mundane, and freeing up their time to do the high-value work that actually moves the needle.

So clone the repo. Get it running. Break it. Fix it. Make it your own. Add your own RSS feeds. Customize those Fabric patterns for your industry. Then put it in your portfolio and talk about it in your next interview.

Because at the end of the day, this isn't about the tool - it's about demonstrating that you can take initiative, solve problems, and make yourself more effective. That's what gets you hired, promoted, and respected in this field.

Now go build something. 🙌