.AIBuild and edit with the assistant
Describe an automation to the APIANT assistant, connect apps, review the diagram, ask for changes, test and turn it on, and hand connector work to Claude Code.
The assistant builds an automation from your description and changes an existing one when you say what should be different. It works on a draft of the automation and saves it as a new version, so the automation that is already running keeps its last saved state until the change is saved.
Prerequisites
- The Assistant item in the top navigation. If it is missing, see Troubleshooting.
- Assistant credits for the month. Each message costs 20. See Assistant credits.
Build a new automation
1. Describe the outcome
Select Assistant and describe the trigger and what should happen, in your own words. Name the apps when you know them.
Every weekday at 8am, list yesterday's HubSpot deals that moved to Closed Won and email me a summary.
The assistant asks one or two questions first when the request leaves something open, such as which folder to save in.
While the assistant works, a progress line says what it is doing, next to Stop and Notify me when done.
2. Connect the apps it asks for
A card reading "I need access to App before this can run." has a Connect button. Connect on the page it opens, and the conversation resumes on its own when every app on the card is connected. Apps that take an API key and apps that use OAuth both connect from that page.
3. Answer the review question, if there is one
Before it finishes the build, the assistant checks mappings that often break between apps: dates and times, phone numbers, currency amounts, names and lists. When one is at risk, it lists them and asks what to do, for example add a conversion step or leave the mapping as it is. With nothing at risk, it finishes without asking.
4. Review the diagram
When a new automation is saved, the page opens its diagram. Select any step to read its settings, the account it uses and its field mappings. The diagram is read-only; changes go through the assistant.
5. Test and turn on
The assistant runs a test after saving and tells you what each step did. It checks which condition branches the test covered and tells you which remain unproven. When you are satisfied:
Turn it on.
Change an existing automation
1. Open a conversation about it
Use either:
- Ask about this in the automation's More actions menu on the dashboard. This opens the conversation already bound to that automation, or starts one.
- A new conversation that names the automation: "In my Shopify orders to Slack automation, ...".
2. Say what should change
Describe the change the way you would to a colleague. The assistant loads the automation, finds the steps involved and applies the change. Before saving, it offers to overwrite the original or save the result as a copy.
Only post orders over $100, and send them to #big-orders instead of #orders.
Add a step that also creates a row in my Google Sheet for each order.
You can also leave comments on individual steps of the diagram and ask the assistant to apply them. See Review a diagram and send comments to Claude; the assistant applies them the same way Claude does.
3. Test the change
Test it with an order of $150.
Work the assistant hands to Claude Code
If the app you want is not in the catalog, or the request needs a new or changed trigger, action or connector, the assistant says so and posts a Connect to Claude Code card.
- Select Connect to Claude Code on the card.
- Copy the command from the dialog and run it in a terminal, in the directory you want to work from.
- Start Claude Code there, sign in, and ask Claude for the same thing.
The card says Claude Code can do the work from your terminal, on the same APIANT account.
Claude Code uses no assistant credits. The full setup is in Connect Claude Code.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Assistant is missing from the navigation | It is hidden when the assistant is not available on your account or you have no credits left this month. Check Account Usage on the dashboard. |
| The assistant says "I've kept this conversation on the first automation" | A conversation stays attached to the first automation saved in it, or to the automation you opened it from. The message appears when another save happens in that conversation, including a saved change to the same automation. What was saved is saved. To work on a different automation, start a new conversation. |
| The assistant reports that another conversation has an unsaved draft of the automation | Another conversation, in the assistant or in Claude Code, is editing it. Finish or discard the change there, then ask again. |
| A mapping looks wrong after the change | Ask the assistant to show the step's mappings and correct the one that is wrong, naming the field. |
| Some branches are reported as unproven | The assistant cannot force a branch by editing run data. Ask it to test with input that takes the other branch, or use Claude Code, which can. |
| The assistant cannot find an app | The catalog does not have it. Use the Connect to Claude Code card. |