Automations

Automations let you build multi-step workflows that connect your apps, add AI-powered actions, and run on triggers — all without writing code. Design your automation visually, test it, and go live.

Connect any service — native + Nango

The Connections page is hybrid. The top half lists the native connectors we build and maintain in-house (Gmail, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, etc.) — these support advanced features like resource pickers and embedded credentials.

The bottom half is powered by Nango: when you click Browse integrations, you get a searchable picker of 700+ extra services. Auth, token refresh, and execution are managed by Nango — once connected, Theo can call those apps from chat and Automations exactly like a native connector.

In the Automation Designer, steps that need a connection automatically resolve to whichever side has it. If a service is only available via Nango, the inline prompt offers a Connect via Nango button instead of the legacy OAuth popup.

What are Automations?

An automation is a sequence of stepsthat Theo executes for you. Each step is a concrete action — "analyze this data", "send an email", "create a presentation", or "wait for approval".

Steps run in order, passing data from one to the next. You can add branching (paths), delays, loops, and human approval checkpoints to handle complex workflows.

All 27+ service connectors (Gmail, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Stripe, etc.) and all of Theo's AI capabilities are available as steps.

How It Works

1

Pick a trigger

Choose how your automation starts — manually, on a schedule, via webhook, or when an event happens.

2

Add steps

Build your flow by adding Theo Actions (AI), App Actions (connectors), or Flow Control steps. Configure each one inline.

3

Connect services

If a step needs an external service (Gmail, Slack, Notion…), connect it with one click via OAuth.

4

Test

Run a test to validate your automation. See each step execute in real time with status indicators and output previews.

5

Go Live

Activate your automation. Scheduled triggers run automatically; webhooks and events fire when conditions are met.

Step Types

Every step in your automation belongs to one of four categories:

Triggers

How and when your automation starts running.

Manual — Click Run or trigger from Telegram.
Schedule — Run on a recurring schedule — "Every Monday at 8am" or "Every 2 hours".
Webhook — Triggered by an external event (form submission, API call).
Event — Fires when something happens in OpenCharts (share accepted, task overdue, etc.).

Theo Actions (AI)

AI-powered steps that analyze, decide, and create.

Decide — Evaluate data and make a yes/no or categorical decision with reasoning.
Summarize — Analyze, research, or summarize content. Can search the web for real-time data.
Create Document — Generate Notes, PDF, or Word documents — reports, briefs, meeting notes.
Create Presentation — Generate a slide deck — pitch decks, reports, course presentations.
Create Podcast — Generate a real two-host AI podcast episode from upstream content.
Create Image / Design — AI-generated images or print-ready designs.

App Actions (Connect)

Send data to or fetch data from external services.

Send Email — AI composes and sends an email via Gmail.
Send to Slack — Post a message to a Slack channel or DM.
Send Telegram — Send a notification to your Telegram.
27+ native connectors — Gmail, Notion, HubSpot, Airtable, Stripe, and more — built and maintained in-house with deep resource pickers.
700+ via Nango — Tap the long tail of SaaS apps (Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zendesk, Jira, ClickUp…) without us having to write a connector. See “Connect any service via Nango” on the Connections page.

Flow Control

Control the flow of your automation with branching, delays, and approvals.

Path — Branch into parallel lanes based on conditions (if/else).
Approval — Pause and wait for human review before continuing.
Delay — Wait a specified duration before proceeding.
Loop — Repeat a set of steps for each item in a list.

The Designer

The Automation Designer is a dedicated builder at /automations/new. It has a clean, linear layout:

Trigger card — always at the top. Pick your trigger type and configure it.
Step cards — stack vertically below the trigger. Click to expand and configure inline. Drag to reorder.
+ Add step — opens a searchable library of all available actions, grouped by category.
Test panel — bottom drawer that streams live execution status for each step during a test run.

Step Status

During a run, each step shows its current state:

Idle

Not yet reached

Running

Currently executing

Completed

Successfully finished

Failed

Error occurred

Waiting

Paused at an approval step

Triggers

A trigger determines when your automation runs:

Manual — click the Run button in the designer or say "Run my automation" in Telegram.
Schedule — cron-based, e.g. "Every Monday at 8am" or "Every 2 hours".
Webhook — triggered by an external HTTP request (form submission, API call).
Event — fires on a platform event (share accepted, task overdue, new team member, etc.).
Telegram — say a keyword or phrase in the Telegram bot to trigger the automation.

Approval Steps

Add an Approval step anywhere in your automation to pause execution and require human review before continuing:

  1. The step turns blue (waiting state).
  2. You receive a Telegram notification with Accept/Reject buttons.
  3. If you approve, execution continues to the next step. If you reject, the run is cancelled.

Connections

When a step requires an external service, you'll see a "Connect" button inline. Click it to authenticate via OAuth — the connection is saved and reused across all your automations.

You can manage all your connections in one place at /automations/connections.

Test Runs

Click the Test button to do a dry run. This validates your automation and simulates execution without consuming credits or sending real notifications. Use it to verify your setup before going live.

Start simple — a 3-step automation (trigger → AI summarize → send Telegram) is a great way to get started. You can always add more steps and complexity later.
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