=== AI Workflow Automation === Contributors: massiveshift Tags: ai, automation, ai agent, ai chatbot, workflow Requires at least: 6.2 Tested up to: 7.0 Requires PHP: 8.0 Stable tag: 2.0.4 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Build AI agents, chatbots, and content workflows in WordPress with a visual, no-code builder. Free with your own API key. == Description == **Website and docs:** https://wpaiworkflowautomation.com = What reviewers say = * "You can design these workflows using an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and access multiple AI models from the same user interface." (WPBeginner) * "AI Workflow Automation stands out as a powerful solution if you want to leverage AI within the WordPress ecosystem." (WP Mayor, rated 4.5 out of 5) **Turn WordPress into an AI automation platform, visually, without code.** Drag nodes onto a canvas, connect them, and build real, multi-step workflows and AI agents right inside wp-admin. Draft and optimize content, answer visitors with an AI chatbot, run form-to-AI automations, scrape and research the web, and keep a human in the loop for approvals. Powered by leading models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and OpenRouter: hundreds of models through one interface. **It is genuinely free.** Bring your own AI provider API key and every workflow runs locally on your own server: unlimited, with no account and nothing sent to us. When you'd rather not manage keys or worry about PHP timeouts, flip any workflow to **Cloud** and run it on our hosted engine with a free connected account. You choose, per workflow, whether it runs **Local** (your key) or **Cloud** (our hosted engine), and you can mix both on the same site. = Why AI Workflow Automation = * **A real free tier, not a trial.** The visual builder, ~20 node types, every trigger, local execution, and the chat widget are free forever with your own key (BYOK). No account needed, no lock-in. * **Visual, multi-step automations and agents.** Not single-shot prompts: chain trigger, AI, logic, and action into genuine automations on a drag-and-drop canvas (React Flow), then watch each run live. * **AI agent chatbots that *do* things.** Deploy a chatbot that can search your posts and WooCommerce products, show rich cards, and call your workflows as tools, governed by per-tool **approval** gates, rate limits, and one-click **human handoff** to Chatwoot, Zendesk, or Intercom. * **Human in the loop, built in.** Pause any workflow for a person to review, edit, or approve AI output. Pending approvals and hand-offs collect in a dedicated **Tasks** page and a real-time **Operator Inbox**. * **Your keys, or ours.** Run on your own key for free, or connect a free account and use hosted AI with no key management at all. Your provider keys never leave WordPress. * **WordPress-native, agency-ready.** Trigger from core events and the major form plugins, expose workflows as core **Abilities** / **MCP** tools on WordPress 7.0 (opt-in), and manage many client sites from one account. = Who it's for = * **Content creators and marketers**: automate drafting, summarizing, SEO optimization, and image sourcing. * **Agencies and freelancers**: deploy AI automations and chatbots across many client sites, billed centrally. * **Store owners**: generate product descriptions, route form leads through AI, and post results automatically. * **Developers**: trigger workflows by webhook, call external APIs, parse JSON/XML/CSV/HTML, and expose workflows to AI agents via Abilities/MCP. = What you can build (nodes) = * **Triggers**: manual, scheduled runs, webhooks, and form submissions from Gravity Forms, WPForms, Contact Form 7, Ninja Forms, and Elementor Forms, plus workflow-to-workflow chaining. * **AI Model node**: generate and transform text with OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), and OpenRouter; use your key, the site-default provider, or a connected account. Return named, typed multi-output fields that flow straight into later steps. * **Specialized AI nodes**: sentiment analysis, summarization, information extraction, SEO optimization, and full article writing. * **Content and data actions**: create or update posts and custom post types (including WooCommerce products and ACF fields), write to custom database tables, find images with Unsplash, generate images/media, generate PDFs from templates or HTML, send email, call external APIs, and post to webhooks. * **Connect an App**: bring Google (Sheets, Drive, Docs, Gmail), Slack, Notion, GitHub, and more into a workflow as action steps, with a secure one-click account connection. * **Research and web**: deep web research and Firecrawl-powered scraping/crawling pipelines. * **Knowledge Base (RAG)**: give your AI a private knowledge base from pasted text, your WordPress content, or uploaded PDF/DOCX/TXT documents. * **Chatbots**: build an AI chat widget trained on your own data and deploy it anywhere with a shortcode. * **Logic and control**: conditions and branching, a Loop node, parsers (JSON/XML/CSV/HTML), and a Human Input node for approvals and human-in-the-loop review. * **MCP client**: connect your workflows to external MCP tools and servers. = Use cases = * **Content automation**: turn a topic or brief into a drafted, SEO-optimized post, ready for review. * **AI chatbots**: answer visitor questions 24/7 with a chatbot trained on your content, deployed via shortcode. * **Form to AI to action**: take a form submission, process it with AI, and email, post, or store the result automatically. * **Research and scraping pipelines**: crawl sources with Firecrawl, research a subject, then summarize and extract structured data. * **Human-approval flows**: pause a workflow for a human to review, edit, or approve AI output before it goes live. * **Agentic tasks (WP 7.0)**: let an AI assistant call your workflows as Abilities/MCP tools, with spend limits you control. = Free vs. Cloud, your choice, per workflow = * **Local (free, BYOK).** Builder, core nodes, triggers, chat widget, and local execution are free forever. AI calls go directly from your site to the provider you configured, using your key. Your key **never leaves your WordPress install**. No account required. * **Cloud.** Connect a free account to run workflows on our engine with our keys: no key management, no PHP timeouts, server-side scheduling, and premium nodes. = Is it really free? = Yes. With your own AI provider API key, the visual builder, all node types, triggers, and a chat widget run locally on your server: unlimited, with no account and no data sent to us. The cloud service is entirely optional. = Do I need to pay? = No. Bring your own AI provider key and everything runs locally and free, forever. Our optional cloud service only comes into play if you choose keyless AI or hosted execution. = Do I need an account? = Only for the optional cloud features. The free local (BYOK) mode needs no account and never contacts our platform. Create a free account (email or Google) only if you want keyless AI or hosted cloud execution. = Do I need an API key? = For the free local mode, yes: you bring your own key (BYOK) from a provider like OpenAI or OpenRouter, and pay that provider directly for usage. If you'd rather not manage a key, connect an account and use **keyless** AI instead. You need one or the other, not both. = What is the difference between BYOK and Cloud? = **BYOK (bring your own key)** runs your workflows locally using your own provider key: free, and your key never leaves WordPress. **Cloud** is our hosted option: connect an account and run AI or whole workflows on our servers using our keys, with no key management. You choose which mode each workflow uses. = Is my data safe? Do my API keys leave my site? = In free local/BYOK mode, no data is sent to our platform, and your provider keys are stored encrypted and used only for direct calls from your server to the provider: they are never transmitted to us, even in cloud mode. If you opt in to the cloud service, only the specific data described in the "External services" section above is sent. = What are the WordPress and PHP requirements? = WordPress 6.0 or higher and PHP 8.0 or higher. The plugin is fully functional on 6.x; the WordPress 7.0 agent features (exposing workflows as core **Abilities** and over the **MCP Adapter**) light up automatically when you're on 7.0. = Can I use it on multiple sites (agencies)? = Yes. The free local mode works on any number of sites. Cloud accounts include agency support for managing many client sites (up to 50) from one account. = Can I cancel anytime? = Yes. Paid plans are month-to-month and you can cancel at any time from your account, after which you simply keep using the free local (BYOK) mode. = Do I need coding skills? = No. The visual drag-and-drop builder lets you create complex, AI-powered workflows and agents without writing code. == Screenshots == 1. Visual workflow builder: a lead intake automation on the drag and drop canvas that branches from an AI drafted reply to an email and a saved draft, shown on the redesigned dark theme. 2. Interactive AI generator: describe what you want, answer a few quick questions, and it builds a complete, editable workflow for you. 3. AI agent on the front end of your site: it answers visitors and replies with rich cards and quick reply chips, right inside your own WordPress theme. 4. Connect an App: link Google Sheets and hundreds of other apps, then choose an action and map the fields right on the canvas. 5. Live execution: watch each workflow run with per node status, timing, and the full input and output for every step. 6. Human in the loop: review, approve, or edit what the AI drafted before it is sent or published. == Changelog == = 2.0.4 = * Load React from WordPress core instead of a third-party CDN, for WordPress.org compliance. * Now requires WordPress 6.2 or later, which bundles the React 18 runtime the front-end viewer needs. = 2.0.3 = * App connections: smoother account switching and clearer status when an app needs to be reconnected. * Security: continued hardening across sign-in, account handling, and inbound webhooks. * UI polish: spacing, contrast, and small interaction fixes across the redesigned builder. * Added a full External Services disclosure, including the optional Connect-an-App authentication provider. = 2.0.2 = * Reliability fixes for cloud usage tracking and account connection. * Further UI polish across the builder and settings. = 2.0.1 = * Post-relaunch fixes: connection stability and minor builder refinements. = 2.0.0 = * Major relaunch. One plugin, free to install, with an optional cloud service. The separate Lite/Pro split and the old license system are retired: all node types are free in local (BYOK) mode. * New: per-workflow **execution mode**: run **Local** (free, your own keys) or **Cloud** (our engine and keys). * New: **keyless AI**: route AI calls through our hosted proxy so no provider key is required. Your own provider keys never leave WordPress. * New: your chatbot is now an **AI agent**: it can reason step by step and take actions (run your workflows and tools, search your site, and more), with the simple chatbot still working as before. * New: **live human handoff** to Chatwoot, Zendesk, or Intercom, plus an **Operator Inbox** to watch conversations, approve the agent's actions, and take over. * New: **interactive chat messages**: product and content cards, carousels, quick-reply buttons, and WooCommerce Add to cart inside the chat, plus opt-in file uploads and chat memory. * New nodes: **Connect an App** (Google, Slack, Notion, GitHub, and more as action steps), **Generate PDF** (six templates or your own HTML, with a free live preview), **Knowledge Base** (RAG over pasted text, your content, or uploaded PDF/DOCX/TXT), a **Loop** node, and **structured multi-output** from the AI node. * New: **interactive workflow generator** (asks clarifying questions and lets you pick the model), an **in-canvas AI assistant** command bar, a **live execution panel**, new-user onboarding, and a **Usage Center**. * New: **connected accounts** with **Google sign-in** and a redesigned **Account** panel with in-builder usage display. * New: **agency multi-site** management (per-site usage, per-site caps, and provisioning from one owner-only console). * New: WordPress 7.0 agent surface: expose workflows as core **Abilities** and over the **MCP Adapter** (opt-in, off by default), with per-workflow spend controls. * New: fully redesigned dark builder UI, a dynamic AI model catalog (live provider model lists with caching and fallback), a rebuilt chat widget fully isolated from your theme, and a redesigned email compose node. * Improved: Firecrawl node rebuilt for Firecrawl v2, media generator with a live model catalog, friendly variable pills with a "/" picker, and a settings overhaul with a working diagnostic-log download. * Reliability: existing 1.x license holders are automatically migrated when they connect, progressive live run status, and roughly 90% cheaper repeat generator/assistant calls via prompt caching. * Security: removed a legacy license secret and a dev auth backdoor, signed and replay-protected cloud-to-WordPress callbacks, blocked signup abuse, and stopped log/nonce leaks in the browser console. * Modernized build (Vite / React 18) and encryption (AES-256-GCM); verified on WordPress 7.0 / PHP 8.3. = 1.9.0 = * Web scraping and crawling rebuilt with cleaner Scrape, Crawl, Map, and Search operations. * Media generator now loads a live image/video/audio model catalog instead of a fixed list. * Email node redesigned into a proper compose window; variable references now show as friendly pills. * Redesigned chat widget and canvas annotations; settings overhaul with a working diagnostic-log download. * Fixes: reasoning-model parameter errors, local content nodes forcing one provider, hidden WooCommerce product search, and chat-widget theme bleed. = 1.8.5 = * Added Elementor Forms trigger support. * Table creation fixes and shortcode system improvements. * Chatbot design enhancements. = 1.8.3 = * Security improvements. * Fixed shortcode loading issues. * Improved AI model node visibility. = 1.8.2 = * Critical fix for Google Sheets and Drive output. * Corrected webhook test functionality. = 1.8.1 = * Improved Chat Actions reliability and added streaming and actions support together. * Webhook receiver enhancements. = 1.8.0 = * New MCP Client node for Notion, Google, Gmail, Slack, and GitHub. * Redesigned builder with a collapsible sidebar and comprehensive onboarding. * In-workflow API setup. = 1.7.1 = * Added Author and Categories support to the Post node. * Scheduling bug fixes. = 1.7.0 = * New Workflow Assistant (Beta) with Chat and Assistant modes and natural-language workflow editing. * Persistent conversation history for chat nodes. = 1.6.1 = * Bug fixes and improvements. = 1.6.0 = * New multimedia generator node with text-to-image and text-to-video. * New Create File node for TXT, DOCX, and HTML. * Chatbot streaming and page-context improvements. = 1.5.4 = * Whitelabel customization for agencies. * Dynamic AI model support for a large model catalog. * Vector store management and workflow embedding. = 1.4.2 = * Previous public release on WordPress.org. == Upgrade Notice == = 2.0.3 = Major relaunch. If you are updating from 1.4.x, your workflows and settings are preserved. The plugin now includes everything that used to be Pro, free with your own AI provider key (BYOK), plus an optional cloud service. The old Lite/Pro split and license system are retired; existing license holders keep their benefits when they connect an account. See the Account page after updating.