Track 6 · Advanced

6.1.2

Make

Hosted visual canvas — branches, loops and error handlers you can see

7 lessons 2026-08-06 AI-generated

1Overview

Started life as Integromat back in 2016; today it runs under Celonis ownership, same visual canvas, different name and parent company.

Make (formerly Integromat) is a hosted drag-and-drop platform for connecting apps into multi-step "scenarios": data travels from a trigger (a new Sheets row, an incoming email) through a chain of actions (Slack, Airtable, an API call, an AI model). 3,000+ ready-made integrations, and — its real differentiator over Zapier — branching, loops, error handlers and data transformation are drawn right on the canvas, with a live execution view of data flowing through each node. → Nothing to install, but nothing to self-host either: your data runs on Make's servers, and the free tier (1,000 operations, 2 active scenarios) runs out fast.

Make is the hosted middle ground: a fully visual canvas with branches, loops and error handlers, and 3,000+ ready-made app connectors — more expressive than Zapier, nothing to self-host. Below: what it is best at, and what to watch for.

1.1Before you start

Automation tools— Reading Automation Tools introduces visual workflow concepts and compares platforms, preparing you to dive into Make's canvas.

1.2After this chapter you can

→Build a scenario: trigger → actions, wired on the visual canvas

→Use branches, loops and error handlers instead of a linear step list

→Debug a run by watching data flow through each node

→Judge when the operations-based free tier stops being enough

1.3Best for

Multi-step flows whose logic you want to SEE — branching, loops and error handling are drawn on the canvas, not buried in a linear step list. Maia, its AI builder, drafts a scenario from a plain-language description.

1.4Watch out

The free tier is 1,000 operations/month and 2 active scenarios — exhausted by any real pipeline. Steeper learning curve than Zapier, no built-in data store (bring Airtable/Sheets/Supabase), and no self-hosting: your data runs on Make servers.

1.5Free vs paid

Free: $0 — 1,000 ops, 2 scenarios, 15-min minimum trigger interval. Core $9/mo, Pro $16/mo, Teams $29/mo — all from 10,000 ops/month with 1-min intervals (~15% off annually). Enterprise on request.

2Lessons 7

2.1 Navigate the Make canvas with your preferred input device

The Make scenario builder canvas where you place and connect modules.

You will be able to pan, zoom, and select modules using mouse or trackpad settings that match your workflow.

Open a scenario in the Make editor.
Click the canvas‑options button next to the scenario name.
Choose Mouse if you use a standard mouse, or Trackpad if you prefer two‑finger gestures.
Pan the canvas by dragging with the left mouse button (or press Space + left‑click) and zoom using the mouse wheel or pinch on the trackpad.
Select a module by clicking it; multi‑select modules by holding Ctrl/Cmd while clicking or by dragging a marquee.

You'll see The canvas moves smoothly in the direction you drag, zoom level changes with the wheel/pinch, and selected modules are highlighted with a blue outline.
Takeaway Canvas navigation settings are stored per device, so you can switch between mouse and trackpad without losing your preferred workflow.

2.2 Send high‑score Typeform responses to Airtable and alert Slack

A Make scenario that moves every new Typeform submission into an Airtable base and posts a Slack message only when the response meets a score threshold.

Create a live visual workflow that stores submissions in Airtable and notifies Slack of high‑score answers

Add a Typeform – Watch Responses trigger module
Add an Airtable – Create Record module and map fields from the Typeform response to columns in your base
Insert a Router module after the Airtable step and connect one branch to a Filter that checks if the score field is greater than or equal to your high‑score value
On the filtered branch, add a Slack – Send Message module and configure the channel and message content using data from the response
Run the scenario in “Make it live” mode, submit a test Typeform entry, and verify that a row appears in Airtable and a Slack notification is posted only for high‑score tests

You'll see All test submissions appear as rows in Airtable; only those with scores meeting the filter generate a Slack message
Takeaway Routers and filters let you branch a single data stream into multiple actions, enabling selective notifications without extra code
Check Where does the Filter sit relative to the Router, and which submissions reach Slack because of it?

2.3 Create a budget‑variance email alert

A Make scenario that compares monthly actual spend from Xero with budget numbers stored in Google Sheets and sends a formatted email to department heads if the variance is large.

Detect overspend above 10 % of forecast and send a colour‑coded report by email each month

Add a Scheduler module and set it to run on the first day of each month
Connect a Xero – Search Expenses module to pull actual spend for the current month
Add a Google Sheets – Get Rows module to retrieve budgeted amounts for each department from your sheet
Insert an Iterator module, then use a Set Variable module inside it to calculate variance = (actual‑budget)/budget × 100
Place a Filter module that passes only rows where variance > 10 and on the true branch add an Email – Send module with HTML that colour‑codes the table
Activate the scenario and wait for the first scheduled run to receive the alert email

You'll see An email arrives on the first day of the month with a table highlighting any department that exceeds the 10 % threshold in red
Takeaway Iterators process records one‑by‑one while filters and calculated variables drive conditional alerts
Check What does the Set Variable module inside the Iterator compute, and what does the Filter do with it?

2.4 Replace a Google Sheets dependency with an Airtable base using Make Grid

Make Grid – a visual overview of scenarios, their assets and dependencies.

You will plan and execute the migration of a Google Sheets data source to an Airtable upsert module without breaking existing logic.

In the scenario list, open the scenario that currently reads from a Google Sheet.
Click the Grid button in the toolbar to open Make Grid.
In Grid, locate the Google Sheets asset; click it to view its Links, Attributes, and Raw data panels.
Record which modules read or write specific sheet columns (shown under Attributes).
Add a new Airtable upsert module to the scenario, map the recorded column values to the corresponding Airtable fields, then disconnect the Google Sheets links.

You'll see Grid highlights the selected Google Sheet and shows arrows to all dependent modules; after adding the Airtable module, those arrows are re‑routed to the new asset.
Takeaway Grid lets you visualize data flows, so you can safely replace a dependency by seeing every place it is used before editing.

2.5 Create an instant Slack approval loop for large‑deal quotes

A Make scenario that routes high‑value PandaDoc drafts to a sales manager via Slack, waits for an approval or rejection response, and either unlocks the document or returns comments, with an error handler that notifies the rep if the reply is missing.

Automate fast approvals for large deals and ensure every request is tracked

Add a PandaDoc – Watch Drafts trigger and add a Filter to keep drafts whose total amount exceeds your threshold
Insert a Slack – Send Message with Buttons module that posts the draft link to the manager’s channel, including “Approve” and “Reject” buttons
Place a Router after the Slack step; create one branch that adds a Watch Messages module listening for the manager’s button response, and another branch that uses an Error Handler set to fire after 30 minutes of no reply
On the approval branch, add a PandaDoc – Unlock Document module then add a Slack – Send Message to inform the sales rep of success
On the rejection branch (button payload “Reject”), add a Slack – Send Message that returns the manager’s comment to the rep
In the error‑handler branch, configure an email or Slack notification that alerts both manager and rep that the approval timed out
Run the scenario in live mode, create a test draft above the threshold, click “Approve” or “Reject”, and observe the actions

You'll see Approving unlocks the document and sends a Slack confirmation, rejecting sends a Slack message with comments, and no response triggers an error‑handler notification
Takeaway Routers, button listeners and built‑in error handlers provide a guaranteed response path for every outcome
Check Which branch fires when the manager never presses a button, and who hears about it?

2.6 Build a conditional branch with an If‑Else and merge it back together

If‑Else and Merge flow‑control modules that split and then reunite a scenario path.

You will create a decision point that routes data on two conditions and then continues with a single downstream module.

In your open scenario, click the + button and search for Flow control > If‑Else; add it to the canvas.
Configure the first condition (e.g., amount > 1000) and label it “High value”.
Leave the default Else route as “Low value” or rename it as needed.
Add a module to each branch (for example, send Slack message on High value, do nothing on Low value).
Click the + at the end of either branch, search for Flow control > Merge, and drag the merge module so that both branches connect into it.

You'll see When you run the scenario, only one branch executes per record; after the merge, a single arrow continues to the next module, confirming the flow has re‑joined.
Takeaway If‑Else lets you choose one path based on logic, and Merge restores a linear flow so downstream modules receive data from whichever path ran.

2.7 Undo and redo actions while editing a scenario

The editor’s undo/redo feature that reverts or reapplies recent changes.

You will safely experiment with adding, moving, and deleting modules, then revert any mistake instantly.

With a scenario open, add a new module (e.g., Email).
Move the module to a different spot on the canvas by dragging it.
Delete the module by right‑clicking and selecting Delete.
Press Cmd+Z (or use the toolbar Undo icon) to restore the deleted module.
Press Cmd+Shift+Z (or the Redo icon) to re‑apply the deletion.

You'll see The canvas updates after each shortcut: the added module appears, moves, disappears, then reappears on undo and vanishes again on redo.
Takeaway Undo/redo lets you experiment without fear; every edit is reversible, speeding up scenario prototyping.

3You’ll know it worked 18 checkable outcomes in this chapter

✓High-score submissions trigger a Slack alert while all responses are logged in Airtable
✓Customers receive PDF receipts and their Stripe charges appear in the correct QuickBooks bucket without manual splitting
✓A new row appears in the Google Sheet each morning and a digest email arrives at leadership inbox
✓Department heads receive an email with a colour-coded variance table when the month's spend exceeds 10% of budget
✓All employees receive a personalized review link email and Slack reminder before the deadline
✓Agents see all new tickets in Zendesk with a source tag and no missed messages
✓Agents see an internal note with three knowledge-base article links when a ticket is created
✓Hardware lead receives a Slack message with the part name and new revision

18 outcomes in all — one per recipe below.

4FAQ, Tips & How-to 23

one problem, one solution, one action

Forms, surveys & feedback3

How-to

Make Founder +2

Stop getting noisy form alerts

The team is only interrupted for responses worth acting on, while every submission still lands in a searchable Airtable base — built entirely by connecting modules on a canvas.