A variety of DIY platforms let you build AI agent automations, from no-code to fully code based options. I rely on n8n, a powerful environment for creating sophisticated agents that integrate smoothly across web services and user interfaces. While tools like Make.com, Zapier, and Relevance.ai are handy, their streamlined approach can sometimes limit the depth and quality of automation you're after.

Every AI automation begins with a trigger, and you can tailor that trigger to match the way you work. Common options include:

- Dropping a note in Whatsapp, Telegram, Slack or Microsoft Teams
- Sending or receiving an email
- Uploading a document to Sharepoint or Google drive
- Firing a webhook from another site or action
- Typing directly into a chatbox within n8n
- On a schedule - every day, every hour etc.

The possibilities don't stop there: I can even build a custom web app or UI that serves as the command centre for your automations. We'll start our project by mapping out exactly how you want to trigger each workflow, and how you'd like the results delivered, so the system feels seamless from day one.

In nearly every engagement, the finished AI-agent template is yours to keep. I deliver it as a portable JSON file, ready to run on your own infrastructure or in the cloud via n8n, Zapier, Make, and similar platforms.

Because automations evolve - whether to extend features, adjust variables, or update API endpoints, I offer an ongoing support and enhancement package to keep everything running smoothly.

Every build also comes with clear documentation, guided training, and best-practice tips, so you can operate your new workflow confidently from day one.

AI automations vs. agentic workflows

Deterministic automations

These follow a fixed, step by step path: you define the inputs, the intermediate steps, and the exact output. Classic examples include:

- Prioritising and filing email threads
- Generating Google Ads performance reports
- Publishing posts across social channels
- Scraping websites and extracting structured data

Because the outcome is pre-determined, these workflows don't need an "agent" and can reclaim hundreds of manual hours.

Agentic workflows

Here, a large-language model such as ChatGPT chooses its own tools and actions to achieve an open-ended goal. Typical use-cases:

- Voice agents that schedule meetings or resolve technical queries directly from your knowledge base
- Chatbots that handle unpredictable customer questions with contextual memory
- Financial agents that analyse market data and decide which products to buy or sell

Agentic systems unlock far richer possibilities but demand careful design, testing, and security when coordinating multiple AI agents and data sources.

Free templates flood social feeds and websites, and I even provide some few for straightforward tasks. But 'plug-and-play' rarely means carefree. You still have to supply your own API and OAuth keys, map every variable perfectly, and hope that no node breaks, because one misfire can stall the entire flow.

Purpose-built automations solve those headaches.

I deliver a custom agent with built-in error tracing, graceful fallbacks, and full audit trails, then stay on hand for maintenance, upgrades, and security hardening. In short: the automation keeps running and improving, while you stay focused on results.

Security isn't a given, it's engineered into AI workflows. Every automation that I deliver is built on a defence in depth approach which includes:
- Input sanitisation: Neutralises prompt injection and malformed data being handled before it reaches a node.
- Comprehensive error tracing: Centralised error logging pinpoints issues across the workflow for rapid debugging.
- Resilient fallbacks:: If a step fails, a parallel route keeps the process alive and the data flowing.
- Minimal exposure data policies: Only the information essential for each decision is transmitted, nothing more.
- Hardened Databses: Row level security and strict access controls for stores such as Pinecone, Airtable and Supabase.
- Credential vaulting: API Keys and tokens are encrypted and isolated from the LLM's context.

Free templates rarely address these layers, crucial if you handle corporate or personal data. With a purpose-built solution, security is baked in from the first node to the last.

AI automations don't replace people - they multiply their impact. By eliminating repetitive tasks and streamlining clunky processes, smart workflows free you to tackle higher-value work. Whether you're a solopreneur, a growing business, or simply organising daily life, the right automations can elevate your productivity ten-fold and keep you focused on what matters most.