Automations
AI analysis of business data from multiple sources, with approval process and cross-referencing.
Automations
Automations combine workflows with an AI analysis step. The AI reads data from all your connected systems, finds connections and suggests concrete actions. You approve the actions before they are executed.
How it works
- Read: the workflow fetches data from your communication channels (Slack, email, Teams)
- Auto-inject: the system automatically fetches context from your CRM, accounting and project tools
- Analyze: the AI interprets all data, looks for patterns and creates cross-references
- Approve: you review the findings and approve or reject the actions
- Execute: after approval, Merlin executes the write actions (update CRM, send Slack message, etc.)
The AI analysis step
The analyze step is the core of automations. The LLM receives the output of all previous workflow steps plus automatically fetched context, and generates:
- Customer signals: bankruptcy, payment issues, cancellation, growth
- Cross-references: linking the same customer across multiple systems
- Conflicts: information in system A that doesn't match system B
- Action items: concrete steps per system
- Urgency labels: URGENT, ACTION or INFO per finding
Example
You have a daily workflow that reads Slack and Gmail. The analyze step sees:
- Slack: "Jan said: Multivlaai is bankrupt"
- Gmail: "Email from Multivlaai: we cannot pay invoice #2024-456"
- HubSpot (auto-inject): "Multivlaai BV, deal: Website redesign, status: in progress"
- Moneybird (auto-inject): "Multivlaai BV, outstanding: EUR 3,200, 30 days overdue"
The AI combines this into: "URGENT: Multivlaai BV has been reported bankrupt. Deal 'Website redesign' in HubSpot is still active. Outstanding at Moneybird: EUR 3,200. Action items: 1) Move deal to 'lost', 2) Stop invoice sending, 3) Inform account manager."
Auto-inject
The system automatically fetches data from active providers, without any configuration needed. Which sources:
| Category | Providers | What is fetched |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, Freshsales, ActiveCampaign | Contacts, deals, notes |
| Accounting | Moneybird, Exact, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Pennylane, SnelStart | Contacts, outstanding invoices |
| Project management | Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday, Notion, Linear, Jira | Recent tasks, statuses |
| Support | Zendesk, Freshdesk, ServiceNow | Open tickets |
Data already present in a workflow step is not fetched again.
Approval process
After the AI analysis, the PIN user approves the suggested actions. There are three modes:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Request approval (default) | Merlin pauses, sends the summary, and waits for your approval |
| Notify only | Merlin sends the summary but does not execute any actions |
| Execute immediately | Merlin executes the actions right away without waiting |
Where do you receive approval requests?
| Channel | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Badge on Automations, approve/reject buttons |
| Desktop app | Rich card in the chat with Approve/Reject buttons |
| Android app | Rich card in chat + push notification |
| Webcall widget | Rich card in the chat |
| Slack | Message with buttons via Block Kit |
| Link to the approval page in the dashboard |
Who approves?
You decide per workflow who receives approval requests and may handle them:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Only me (default) | Only the workflow creator receives and may approve |
| My team | All PIN users in a group receive the request |
| Admin only | Only account administrators may approve |
| Specific people | Choose exactly which PIN users approve |
| Anyone with access | All PIN users with workflow permissions |
If you have Slack connected, you can choose to receive approval requests as a direct message (DM) instead of in a channel. Merlin automatically matches your PIN users with Slack accounts based on email address.
Timeout
Approval requests expire after a configurable period (default 4 hours). After expiration, no actions are executed and you receive a notification.
"Do it now" via voice/chat
If you trigger a workflow with an explicit instruction like "do it now" or "execute immediately", Merlin skips the approval step for that specific run.
Creating an automation
Via chat or voice
"Create an automation that checks my Slack and email every morning, analyzes what's important, and sends me a summary in Slack."
Merlin creates the workflow with an analyze step and sets up the approval mechanism.
Via the dashboard
- Go to Automations in the dashboard
- Click New → Build workflow
- Add read steps (Slack, Gmail, etc.)
- Add an AI analysis step
- Write an instruction for the AI (e.g. "Focus on customer signals and payment issues")
- Optionally add write steps (Slack message, CRM note)
- Set the approval mode
- Click Save
Settings per automation
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| After AI analysis | Request approval / Notify only / Execute immediately | Request approval |
| Who approves | Only me / My team / Admin only / Specific people / Anyone | Only me |
| Slack notification | Direct message (DM) / Channel | Direct message |
| Timeout | 1 hour / 4 hours / 24 hours / 48 hours | 4 hours |
| Notification channel | Dashboard / Slack / Email / Push | Dashboard |
Run history
Under Automations in the dashboard you see the last 20 runs with:
- Status (completed, failed, approved, rejected, expired)
- Which steps were executed
- The AI analysis output
- Whether and when approval was given
Costs
The AI analysis step is not billed separately. Usage falls under your regular minute consumption, just like regular chat and voice conversations. No surprises or hidden fees.
Examples
Daily communication channel sync
Reads Slack and Gmail, analyzes with auto-inject from HubSpot and Moneybird, sends summary in Slack after approval.
Weekly pipeline review
Reads CRM deals and outstanding invoices, analyzes which deals need attention, suggests actions.
Support escalation monitor
Reads open support tickets, cross-references with CRM data and invoice status, escalates urgent cases.