Automation stems are often mistaken as blueprint templates, but they are very different. They are building blocks with very specific use cases that extract information that blueprints and conventional modules don’t. If you want to spend less time Making and more time automating, then start building a bank of automation stems today!
I have a confession to make. I’ve just made up the word “automation stem” – and I kind of hope that the rest of the automation world will follow me. Because it’s strange to look up something on Google, only for the first result to be people in various states of tinfoil-wear for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Maybe that’s just my inner writer breaking out. We can’t resist releasing a neologism into the wild. It is one of the few ways we can stake a claim on posterity.
But I digress.
Nobody else in the world of Make automation is using this term as I write, which makes this entire article a disaster – or a genius exercise in foresight – in terms of SEO. Time wil tell. For now, let’s focus on what automation stems are, why they’re so great, where you can find them, and why you need them (and may already be using them without realizing it).
And yes, they do exist out in the wild. They’re just not called automation stems unless you’re browsing the Slashrepeat blog!
The idea behind automation stems comes, unsurprisingly, from music stems. In music, stems are the isolated parts of a song, such as the vocal track (see video above) or the drum track, that music producers can manipulate to create a desired sound.
Automation stems are similar in that they take a fragment of a workflow that can be used in multiple scenarios. I like to group my automation stems into different scenarios where everything is related, keeping track of everything in a handy database with links to the scenarios for easy access.
A good example is the OpenRouter API scenario, which is a scenario that has a cluster of action-ready HTTP modules that can be quickly added to any scenario. No more searching for API passwords, cURLs, and all the other nonsense that goes into setting up a HTTP request. Copy, paste. done.
Make.com automations tend to come in two flavors: the very short, but useful, and the long, complex beasts that do everything but make you a coffee and massage your back. We’re all seduced and dazzled by the work that goes into those automation powerhouses, but small can be just as liberating, too.
Not all automated workflows have to be flashy with their productivity. Automation stems do small tasks efficiently in workflows. A good example is the ChatGPT API cost automation stem. This module – or rather, formula, saves a ton of time while eliminating errors (so long as the individual token price is correct!)
It’s very useful, but it’s also undeniably very specific. I call these automation stems because they are small, easy to copy-paste between scenarios. Why reinvent the wheel? Set them up once, then you have them forever. You and your clients may not always want – or need! – to know how much your automations are frittering away on the ChatGPT API with each run, but when you do, having this stem in your backup folder is a timesaver.
Some of you reading this may now be thinking that this doesn’t really sound all that different from Make.com blueprints and templates. But they are not quite the same. The vast majority of templates out there today are based on existing modules that still need to be set up before you can use them.
Automation stems are different. Mine are typically HTTP modules or set/get variables that need more setup than the average module. Sometimes the regular module just doesn’t have the API action you want, which means you have to roll up your sleeves and make it.
These are tedious to setup the first time – and they’re even less fun the second, third, or hundredth time round. Automation stems mean you set it up once then copy paste with minor tweaks. That saves me time – and as someone in the automation business, that’s my main goal in everything I do!
Can you make your own templates in Make, effectively eliminating the need to jump onto my “automation stem” bandwagon? Yes, absolutely, but only if you’re a paying member on one the Team or Enterprise plan.
If you’re on the Pro Make.com plan (the lowest paid tier), you can’t create templates within Make, so automation stems are really the only option that you have. It’s just $10 a month extra to hop up to the next tier and open the gates to templating wonderland.
That’s not a bad thing, because automation stems can be a lot more flexible with some planning, especially if you back up your blueprints on Google Drive and make use of a database to keep track of all your scenarios.
I love Make.com, but organizing files and folders is one of its most significant weak points!
I wish I could point you to a website that was an Aladdin’s cave of free and cheap premium automation delights, but there isn’t one. Many Make automation specialists do offer workflows, blueprints, and templates, but typically only through their own websites or via their social media channels, which can make finding what you want challenging, to say the least.
Your best friend is automation tutorials on YouTube. These often give you a full walkthrough of building a specific automation scenario, sometimes with free blueprint in exchange for your email or signup to a group on Skool which may be free or paid membership. These often include free blueprints inside them – but not necessarily the one you’re looking for. They may also be old tutorials, which means everything is out-of-date and may not work as expected.
So, be careful going down this route, because the quality varies! If you’re not already somewhat competent at Make, you may not find a blueprint that works for you. This is a young marketplace, so you, as a consumer seeking free things, are at a disadvantage – for now.
Which brings me to the reasons behind why it’s so hard to find good blueprints and automation stems.
Automation stems are the same as blueprints: hard to find, especially for free. There are are a few reasons for this:
Finally, there is also no large and centralized marketplace where Make.com specialists can sell their blueprints (hello, market gap!). You’re more likely to find them being used as lead generation tools or as a part of a paid offering – but now you’re looking for needles in a haystack stuffed with marketing promises.
Automation stems suffer from all the same issues. If it’s already tough trying to find a blueprint that uses regular modules that you have to reconfigure to your own needs, it’s even tougher finding a HTTP automation stem that does this one really specific thing.
You may think that one really specific thing should be free – it’s tiny, right? – but it may have a lot of value (and be too niche) to share. It may also simply just not exist. The more specific your needs, the less likely it is that you’ll find it anywhere.
If you really need an automation stem or blueprint and all your leads are turning up dry, consider talking to an Make.com automation specialist to build it out for you instead. Automation is about saving time, not going on wild goose chases to save a few dollars.
I urge anyone reading this to start saving automation stems if they aren’t already. We all have modules that we use a lot, for ourselves and for our clients. Sometimes, in order to make an automation work, you need to use complicated formulas together with filters and strings of tool modules to get everything working.
That takes time to build and test – and it’s also generally only for hyper-specific use cases. But once it is built, it’s built and ready to be inserted into the next similar hyper-specific use case with a fraction of the effort.
So yes, automation stems might typically be titchy little things, but they can represent a lot of work as well as a short cut to a common action. In this respect, they are even more useful than free templates, which generally only paint the canvas and leave it up to you to finish the masterpiece.
If you’ve been making for a while, you should already have thought of at least one or two automation stems that you can squirrel away. If you’re really good, you’ve already got everything backed up and organized on your own external Make database!
If not, then make today the day that you start building your bank. It’s OK if you don’t have any automation stems. Just keep the idea at the back of your head next time you’re designing a scenario. Sooner or later, you’ll notice there are a couple of modules – especially HTTP – that you use a lot. Save them and start your automation stem bank!
Here at Slashrepeat, we absolutely adore automation stems and discovering the specific use cases that people find. If you need an automation stem but can’t quite figure out how to make it happen, then book a free, no-strings 30-minute call today. Stop looking for the needle in the haystack – get the perfect needle crafted for you instead!
Book your consultation now. It’s free and friendly, with no pushy sales tactics. We can start your project as early as tomorrow!
