No-code automation: n8n, Make, Zapier
These are visual, drag-and-drop tools for connecting apps and AI models together into automated workflows - "when X happens in Gmail, send the text to Claude, then post the result to Slack" - without writing code. They're the glue layer between AI models and the rest of your business tools.
n8n and Make are more flexible/powerful (support branching logic, loops, self-hosting for n8n) and popular for building "agentic" workflows; Zapier is simpler and more mainstream but less flexible for complex logic. Each node in these tools is usually either an app action (send email, add row) or an AI call (classify, summarize, generate) - meaning everything from Cluster B (prompting) applies directly inside these tools.
Build one tiny real workflow in n8n or Make: a new email triggers a 'Reading Agent' that classifies it. If it's a sales lead, it triggers a 'Research Agent' to scrape the sender's website, which then hands off to a 'Drafting Agent' to write a customized reply. Even building this 3-step loop makes the "automation glue" concept concrete.
What's the core idea behind tools like n8n, Make, and Zapier?