Automation glossary

An action is something Tiny Command does inside an external app as part of a workflow — send a message, create a record, update a row.

An AI agent is an LLM that can take actions in the world — not just generate text, but call tools, browse the web, and chain steps to complete tasks.

An API is the protocol two software systems use to talk to each other. Most automation work is API-to-API plumbing.

An API key is a secret token that authenticates an app to an API — simpler than OAuth but with no granular permission control.

An automation is a saved set of steps that runs without manual input when a trigger condition is met.

Conditional branching runs different downstream steps based on the data — "if customer tier is enterprise, do X; else do Y".

A connector is a pre-built integration to a specific app — Slack connector, Stripe connector, HubSpot connector.

Cron is the syntax for scheduling recurring jobs — "every day at 9am", "every Monday", "the first of the month".

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is the lowest-common-denominator data file format — spreadsheets exported as text.

A DLQ (Dead-Letter Queue) is where failed messages go after exhausting retries — a holding pen for humans to investigate.

A dry run executes a workflow without actually performing the actions — useful for testing without sending real emails, charging real cards, or notifying real customers.

An embedding is a numerical vector representation of text (or images, audio) that captures meaning — close vectors mean similar content.

An environment variable is a configuration value (API key, URL, feature flag) set outside the workflow code — so the same code runs against different setups.

Error handling is what your workflow does when a step fails — retry, branch to alternate path, alert a human, or fail loudly.

Exponential backoff is the standard retry strategy: wait 1s, then 2s, then 4s, then 8s — exponentially longer between retries.

GraphQL is an API query language where the client specifies exactly which fields it wants — alternative to REST.

Idempotency means running the same operation multiple times has the same effect as running it once — critical for safe retries.

An idempotency key is a unique ID you pass on writes so retrying the same request twice never creates two records.

An integration is the connection between two apps that lets them exchange data and trigger each other's behavior.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the data format almost every modern API uses to send and receive structured data.

A JWT (JSON Web Token) is a compact, signed token used to prove who you are or what you're allowed to do — common in modern API auth.

Latency is the time between a trigger event and the action completing — usually measured in seconds for automation workflows.

LLM (Large Language Model) is the kind of AI behind ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini — trained on text to predict the next word.

Low-code is software you build mostly with visual tools, with the option to drop into code where needed.

No-code means anyone can build it; low-code means you can drop into code when no-code doesn't cut it. Most modern automation tools blend both.

Field mapping is connecting an output field from one step to an input field on the next — the data plumbing of every workflow.

A multi-step workflow chains together multiple actions in sequence — the foundation of any real automation.

No-code is software you can build with visual tools alone — no programming required.

OAuth is the open standard for granting one app limited access to your account on another app, without sharing your password.

OAuth scopes are the granular permissions an app requests when you connect it — the difference between "read your email" and "send mail on your behalf".

Parallel execution runs multiple workflow steps simultaneously rather than sequentially — faster end-to-end when steps don't depend on each other.

The payload is the data content of an HTTP request or webhook — the JSON inside the request body.

Polling is when an automation platform repeatedly asks an API 'anything new?' on a schedule, used when the API doesn't expose webhooks.

A prompt is the input text you send to an LLM — the instructions, context, and question that shape the response.

Prompt injection is when user-supplied text tries to override your system instructions to the LLM — the SQL injection of the AI era.

A queue is a buffer that holds messages or jobs until they can be processed — the backbone of resilient async systems.

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) is the technique of giving an LLM relevant context to ground its answer, instead of relying on its training knowledge alone.

A rate limit is a cap on how many API calls you can make per minute or hour, enforced by the API provider.

Rate limiting is when an API restricts how many requests you can make in a given time window — common to all production APIs.

A REST API exposes resources at URLs and uses HTTP verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to read and modify them. The most common modern API style.

A retry is an automatic re-attempt of a failed step in a workflow, usually after a brief backoff.

SaaS (Software as a Service) is the cloud-hosted software delivery model — log in via browser, pay monthly, no install required.

A sandbox is a test environment that mirrors production but isolates data — develop and test without affecting real customers.

A scenario is Make's name for a single workflow — visual flow chart connecting triggers and actions.

Serverless means code that runs on demand without you managing the server — the underlying infrastructure for most modern automation platforms.

Service Level Agreement — a documented uptime and performance commitment from a vendor to its customers.

A throttle is a deliberate slowdown — capping how many requests per second you send to avoid rate-limiting or overwhelming a downstream system.

Tool use is the LLM capability of calling functions you define — the foundation of agents and structured workflows.

A transform is a step that reshapes data — splitting a name field, converting a date format, aggregating numbers.

A trigger is the event that starts a workflow — a new email, a form submission, a database change, a schedule firing.

Upsert (update + insert) is the operation: "find the record by some key; if it exists, update it; otherwise create it." The cleanest way to sync data idempotently.

A vector store is a database optimized for storing and searching by similarity rather than exact match — the foundation of semantic search and RAG.

A webhook is an HTTP request sent by one system to another when an event happens — the foundation of real-time integrations.

A webhook signature is a cryptographic proof, included in webhook headers, that the payload truly came from the expected sender.

A workflow is a saved chain of triggers and actions, executed by an automation platform when its trigger fires.

A Zap is Zapier's name for a single workflow — one trigger + one or more actions chained together.

A Zapier alternative is any automation platform that competes with Zapier — typically Make, n8n, Tiny Command, or Workato.