Some work is not allowed to go to a data centre.
Local execution · local model · local storage
Patient records, client contracts, payroll, unreleased product plans, anything under an NDA that names a processor list — these are the documents where the automation would help most and the upload is the thing you cannot do.
An offline automation tool solves it by not having the step in the first place. The trigger fires on your machine, the file is read from your disk, a local model makes the call, and the output is written where you asked. Nothing in that chain requires a connection.
Judgement, not just plumbing.
- Watch a folder — when a document lands, read it, classify it and file it with a summary.
- On a schedule — assemble a weekly digest from files and notes you already keep.
- Read and decide — go through a spreadsheet row by row and draft a tailored response for each.
- Extract to structure — pull the fields you need out of invoices or agreements into a sheet.
Where a step genuinely needs the internet — sending an email, posting to Slack — that step is the only part that touches the network, and you can see exactly which ones do on the canvas.
Plain English, then adjust.
Describe the automation in a sentence and it is built on the canvas for you to check and edit — nine trigger types, conditions, loops and parallel branches, and fourteen destinations for the output. Nothing has to be written in a scripting language, and nothing is hidden from you afterwards.
What actually works with the network off.
| Step | Offline? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Watch a folder, read a file | Yes | Your disk, your machine |
| Summarise / classify / extract | Yes | With a local model |
| Write to a spreadsheet or a file | Yes | Written locally |
| Run on a schedule | Yes | Locally while the machine is on; on a paid plan a cloud run fires even when it is off |
| Send an email or a Slack message | No | That step is the network |
| Fetch a web page | No | Same reason |
| Use a frontier model | No | It lives in someone else’s data centre |
Common questions
Does it really work with no internet?
Yes, provided the AI step uses a local model and no step in the workflow is itself a network action such as sending mail.
Do I pay per run?
No. Locally executed runs are not metered. Paid plans exist for cloud-scheduled runs and higher volumes.
What happens when my computer is off?
A local workflow waits until it is on. A cloud run fires anyway — paid plans include an allowance for exactly this (5,000 runs a month on Builder), and runs that execute entirely on your machine do not count against it.
Can it run on a machine with no internet at all?
Yes, provided the AI step uses a local model and no step is itself a network action.
Is it really not metered?
Locally executed runs are not counted. Paid plans exist for cloud-scheduled runs and higher volumes.
What triggers can it use?
Nine, including schedules, a file appearing in a folder, email, webhooks, GitHub and Stripe.
Can it handle sensitive documents?
That is the case it was built for — patient records, contracts, payroll. The file is read where it sits and nothing is transmitted.
Do I need to write code?
No. Describe it in a sentence and edit what gets built.
Related
Automate the work that cannot leave the building.
Included in the free tier, alongside local models that let the whole workflow run offline.