FREE PRACTICAL AI LEARNING · LEARN BY DOINGNO SIGNUP NEEDED · YOUR WORK STAYS YOURS
Open PracticePRACTICAL AI ENGINEERING
FREE TOOL · BUILD APPS

Plan an automation before you build it

Automations break when nobody planned the edge cases. You will design the trigger, filter, actions and field mapping on paper first, write four tests (normal, empty, duplicate, stop) and only then build it in Zapier, Make or n8n.

⏱ 20–40 min · Download a ZIP · Deploy free · No signup

You will practise

  • Trigger → filter → action thinking
  • Testing empty and duplicate cases
  • Counting tasks against free-plan limits

No AI key needed. The code comes from a reviewed template.

  1. 1Brief

    Answer a few questions. The generator writes the code; you will read and change it.

    app + event
    1–5 actions
  2. 2Make

    Generate the project, then open every file. Comments explain each part. You can edit files right here.

  3. 3Check

    Automatic checks for the mistakes that break real projects: invalid config, leaked keys, missing security steps.

    • 4Improve

      1. Run the check first.
      Your change: Run the duplicate test for real: send the same record twice. If two results appear, add a de-duplication step and run it again.
    • 5Ship

      Build it in Zapier (free plan), Make (free plan) or self-hosted n8n. Step-by-step instructions are inside README.md.

    Questions people ask

    Zapier, Make or n8n?

    Zapier is easiest to start, Make is visual and generous for multi-step flows, n8n can be self-hosted. Check each free plan’s current limits.

    What is a task?

    Usually each action that runs counts as one task; free plans cap tasks per month, so count before you switch on.

    Do I need an AI key to use this?

    No. The guided template teaches the same skill with no AI at all. If you add your own free key (Groq, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Mistral or Cerebras), the tool can also draft and revise. The key stays in your browser and requests go straight to that provider.

    Where is my work saved?

    In this browser only (local storage), until you copy or download it. Nothing you type is sent to Open Practice.

    Keep building