Automation & AI
Automation engineered to keep running.
We build Zapier, Make and n8n workflows with error handling designed in from the start, and AI agents on Claude and OpenAI that carry real workload. Every run is monitored, and a person is alerted when something needs attention.
Why this exists
The gap between a demo and a system.
Automation tools demo well, but in production webhooks change, APIs rate-limit and data arrives in the wrong format. We engineer for those conditions, so every failure is caught, logged and handled.
The silent failure
A workflow without error handling can stop moving records and give no sign. Every build we ship logs each run and alerts a person on failure.
The fragile stack
Forty Zaps built by four people over three years become hard to change safely. We map, prune and document inherited stacks so they can be maintained with confidence.
Misapplied AI
AI pays off when it is pointed at real workload, like the inbox triage that would save ten hours a week. We scope every agent around the hours it replaces.
What we deliver
Builds with reliability engineered in.
Error handling, logging, documentation and a human review path are in every quote by default. That is the difference you are paying for.
Talk through your workflowWorkflow builds: Zapier, Make and n8n, chosen for your case, not our preference
Rescues and consolidation: the forty-Zap stack mapped, pruned and documented
AI agents: inbox triage, lead enrichment, research and reporting on Claude or OpenAI, with human review gates
Scrapers and data pipelines: market and funder research with Firecrawl and Apify, deduped into your CRM
Custom glue: webhooks, API work and small scripts where no-code tools reach their limits
Error architecture: retries, dead-letter queues, alert routing, and a run log you can audit
Cost control: task and operation budgets that keep the tool bill predictable
Documentation: every workflow named, mapped and explained so your team can maintain it
Representative scenarios
Where automation engagements usually start.
Every build gets its own written quote after a 30-minute call. These are the shapes we see most.
4 TO 8 HRS · $600 TO $1,200
One workflow, done properly
The quote-to-invoice flow, the lead router, the report assembler. Built, tested against bad data, alarmed and documented.
8 TO 15 HRS · $1,200 TO $2,250
An AI agent that earns its keep
Triage, drafting, enrichment or research, wired into your tools with review gates. Measured against the hours it replaces.
10 TO 20 HRS · $1,500 TO $3,000
The automation rescue
Your existing stack mapped, failure points fixed, redundant workflows retired, the rest documented and alarmed.
Hours billed as actuals against a written cap. Tool subscriptions stay in your accounts, on your cards.
Platform honesty
Zapier, Make or n8n: a measured choice.
We build on all three and resell none. The honest short version:
| Platform | Usually right when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Non-technical team, common apps, speed matters most | Task pricing gets expensive at volume |
| Make | Complex branching logic on a budget | A learning curve your team must climb |
| n8n | High volume, custom code, data control or self-hosting | Someone has to own the instance |
Automation questions
Asked before most automation engagements.
Will AI agents work with our data? Is it safe? +
Agents run inside your accounts with API keys you control, and we design for data minimization: the model sees only what the task needs. For Canadian orgs we work within PIPEDA expectations, and we will walk through exactly what data goes where before anything is built.
Should every AI output be reviewed by a human? +
For anything customer-facing or money-touching, yes, and we build the review gate in. For internal classification and research tasks, sampling is usually enough. We will tell you which is which rather than sell you blanket autonomy.
What happens when an automation breaks after you leave? +
First, you will know, because every build alerts a person the moment a run fails. Anything broken within 30 days of handoff is fixed free. After that, most fixes are under an hour, and the documentation means many never reach us at all.
Can you take over automations someone else built? +
Yes. We start by mapping what exists and what each piece does, because half of most inherited stacks is redundant. You get the map either way; it is useful even if you stop there.
Do we need n8n self-hosted for privacy? +
Sometimes, and less often than the internet suggests. Self-hosting gives you data control and lower per-run costs, but someone has to own updates and uptime. We will price both paths honestly, including the maintenance time self-hosting really takes.
Bring us your most time-consuming task.
Thirty minutes. We will tell you if it can be automated, what it takes, and whether the hours pencil out.
$150/hr flat · scope in writing before you sign · you own everything