AI in the
tools you already run.

Sometimes, yes. For simple linear flows with under 100 runs per day, Zapier or Make are the right tool and we'll tell you so. Where we add value: workflows with conditional logic, multi-step AI reasoning, custom data transformations, retry/idempotency requirements, observability needs, or volume past where Zapier's pricing makes sense. We've also rescued plenty of "we started in Zapier and it grew into something fragile" situations by re-architecting on Inngest or n8n.

We do this often. Options in order of preference: (1) public REST or GraphQL API — easy; (2) webhook-driven events — also easy; (3) database direct read/write where the vendor allows it — moderate; (4) screen-scraping via headless browser as a last resort — fragile but sometimes the only way for legacy systems. We tell you which category you're in during the Systems Map phase and quote accordingly. Some integrations are worth the effort; some aren't. We'll be honest about which yours is.

OAuth flows for systems that support them (most modern SaaS). API keys stored in encrypted secret managers — AWS Secrets Manager, Doppler, or your existing solution. We never store credentials in code or plaintext. For enterprise SSO requirements (SAML, OIDC), that's part of Studios Growth and Enterprise scoping. Credentials live in your infrastructure, not ours.

During the post-launch support window (30 to 90 days depending on tier), we handle integration failures directly — Slack channel, response within agreed SLA. After that, you have two paths: (1) your team operates it using the runbook and monitoring dashboards we hand off, with paid hourly support available; or (2) a Studios Retainer ($5K-$25K/month, 12-month minimum) covering ongoing operations, prompt optimization, and feature adds. About 40% of Growth and Enterprise integration clients sign retainers post-launch.

Multiple layers. (1) AI outputs are validated against schemas before being written to any external system — bad data is caught at the boundary. (2) Write operations have confidence thresholds — below the floor, the workflow stops or routes to human review instead of writing. (3) Production systems are usually called via service accounts with least-privilege scopes — even if something goes wrong, blast radius is limited. (4) We add idempotency keys so retries don't create duplicates. (5) For high-stakes writes (financial, customer records), we add human approval gates by default and remove them only when you specifically ask after seeing the system run.

Honest answer: depends on the integration and how much manual work it replaces. A Slack ops bot saving 20 minutes a day across 10 employees is roughly $30K-$50K of annual loaded-cost time — payback under 6 months on a Starter engagement. A sales copilot drafting outreach across 30 reps can pay back in the first quarter via incremental pipeline. We don't promise ROI numbers in proposals because they depend on factors we don't fully control. We do help you build the business case during scoping — based on the actual hours and processes the integration will affect.

Yes. Custom internal APIs are something we work with frequently — your internal CRM, your proprietary ERP, your bespoke admin tools. We need API documentation (or someone on your team to walk us through it) plus auth credentials for a development environment. We can also work directly against databases if no API exists and your security team approves. Studios Growth and Enterprise tiers typically include 1-3 custom internal integrations.

A single well-understood integration between two well-documented systems: 3-4 weeks. A multi-system workflow with custom logic and an AI orchestration layer: 8-10 weeks. An enterprise integration touching legacy systems with thin documentation: 12-16 weeks. The variability isn't engineering speed — it's how long it takes to get the right people in the room to confirm requirements, what auth credentials need to be provisioned, and what edge cases your real production data contains. We're fast where we can be fast and patient where being fast would create a fragile system.