Show HN: Use AI once to build the automation, then run it with $0 in AI

Local-first AI automation platform

visualbuild.me · Automation Skill Builder

Record once. Run forever — no AI required at runtime.

Use AI to capture and structure your workflows. What runs is pure logic — deterministic, local-first, and reusable across every assistant.

Download for Windows Download for macOS

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Works with Cursor, Claude & Copilot

Windows & macOS

No cloud dependency at runtime

Skills exposed as standard MCP tools

Design time

Compatible with

Cursor

Claude

GitHub Copilot

Cline

Any MCP client

20 min

A 12-step SAP data export — recorded, packaged, and invokable in under 20 minutes

3 run modes

Standalone executables, AI-callable skills, and scheduled jobs — one build, same execution

0 cloud calls

Core automation runs fully offline — no API key needed at runtime

01

AI can think, but can't operate your apps

Models reason about tasks, yet they cannot click, type, or drive your desktop without a bridge.

02

Traditional RPA is powerful, but brittle

Classic RPA is heavy to build, fragile when UI changes, and expensive to maintain.

ASB

Simpler, smarter, reusable

Package workflows into AI-callable skills through MCP — the same path as Cursor and other assistants.

Desktop automation

Control and operate desktop applications.

Browser automation

Automate web tasks and extract data.

API calls

Connect services with structured requests.

OCR & vision

Extract text and structure from screens and files.

MCP tool surface

Expose skills to assistants via MCP.

Skill packaging

Version and reuse automations as skills.

Local execution

Run on your machine with local-first privacy.

Workflow orchestration

Chain steps into reliable automations.

FINANCE

Excel automation

Generate reports and data dashboards

ERP

SAP data updates

Automated ERP data processing

ACCOUNTING

Invoice OCR

Extract and process invoice data

DATA

Web scraping

Collect website data and content

COMMS

Email processing

Automated email workflows

RPA

RPA replay

Reproduce and monitor RPA flows

Product Overview

Record steps

Expose via MCP

Schedule runs

Track usage

Local-first

Execution stays on your hardware.

Traceability

Logs and records for review.

Allowlists

Tighten upstream AI proxy access.

Works offline

Core automation without mandatory cloud.

Security boundaries

Guardrails for vision paths and tools.

Sound familiar?

Generative AI changed how people imagine work—but production still runs on scripts, APIs, desktops, compliance, and humans who need traceability and repeatability.

AI that can’t do anything by itself

AI chat is great for ideas, but it can’t open your files, click through your apps, or do the actual work. That gap is where hours disappear.

Too many tools, not enough glue

Your work lives across a dozen apps. Getting them to talk to each other means writing scripts no one else understands — and maintaining them forever.

From idea to working automation, fast

You know what needs automating. You shouldn’t need a consultant or a dev sprint to get there.

Your data stays on your machine

Automation shouldn't mean sending sensitive files through someone else's cloud. Everything runs locally, so you stay in control of what goes where.

Why this product was built

Automation Skill Builder exists to shorten the path from “we need to automate this” to “we have a documented, invokable capability”—without forcing a single vendor narrative.

Go from idea to working automation without losing your train of thought — capture, edit, and run everything in one place.

Works with the tools you already use — desktops, browsers, files, and web services, not just the shiny new stack.

Build it once, share it with your team — package automations as skills that anyone can run, no setup required.

No terminal required for daily use — everything lives in a clean browser interface you already know how to use.

Plain language: we built a practical control room for automation and skill packaging—not another generic “AI platform” slide deck.

What you get

High-level capabilities of the application (exact feature set evolves with releases; see the in-app UI and manual for detail). Delivered as a Windows installer, macOS disk image, or desktop ZIP with the executable and supporting files.

Desktop delivery: Prefer the Windows installer (.exe) or macOS disk image (.dmg); a .zip with the executable and supporting files is also available under Other downloads. See Before you start below the download button for OS support and optional runtimes (Python, Node.js).

One dashboard for everything

Design and run automations, manage favorites, browse marketplace-oriented skills, and configure the service from one place.

See and interact with any screen

Screenshot, regional OCR, window management, and related building blocks for real-world UI automation.

Connect it to anything

Invoke capabilities programmatically; suitable for integration with your own schedulers, agents, or backends.

Record once, replay forever

Workflows that help capture API-style interactions and translate intent into structured scripts where the product supports it.

Package and share your automations

Package automation artifacts for deployment contexts aligned with MCP-style consumption and workflows common in the Claude community skill ecosystem.

Let your AI assistant call your tools

When enabled, expose selected OpenAPI operations as MCP tools so compatible assistants can call approved endpoints.

Version 0.9.0 · Windows installer (.exe), macOS disk image (.dmg), or ZIP archives

Download Windows installer (.exe) Download macOS disk image (.dmg)

Other downloads (ZIP)

Windows — SkillBuilder.zip (ZIP archive)

macOS — SkillBuilder-Mac.zip (ZIP archive)

Open full manual

One more thing — extensions

If you want to work more deeply with your existing AI tools and desktop workflows, we offer optional extensions for flexible access. The Automation Skill Builder application must still be running locally (often in the background); extensions only embed the web UI—point them at the same URL you use in a browser.

VS Code–compatible editors

Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace (recommended) or a downloaded .vsix in editors that support the VS Code extension format, including Visual Studio Code, Cursor, Google Antigravity, and similar hosts.

Visual Studio Marketplace Download VSIX (0.1.2)

From the Marketplace: Open the listing, click Install, then in settings search for Automation Skill Builder and set automationSkillBuilder.baseUrl to your running service (for example http://127.0.0.1:8800/).

From a VSIX: Open Extensions → ⋯ → Install from VSIX…, choose the file, then set automationSkillBuilder.baseUrl the same way.

Chrome & Edge (side panel)

The same side-panel package works in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Chromium). Download the ZIP, extract it, then load the folder as an unpacked extension.

Download Chrome extension (ZIP)

Unzip so the folder contains manifest.json. Open chrome://extensions or edge://extensions, turn on Developer mode, click Load unpacked, and select that folder. In the side panel, set host/port to match your running app (defaults align with 127.0.0.1:8800).

Reminder: Extensions do not start the backend. Keep Automation Skill Builder running on your machine and use the same address and port in the extension as in your browser so the embedded UI can load.

FREE

$0

1,000 calls / month

≈ 33–50 skill runs / month

Get started

STARTER

$9 / mo

5,000 calls / month

≈ 165–250 skill runs / month

MOST POPULAR

PRO

$29 / mo

20,000 calls / month

≈ 665–1,000 skill runs / month

GROWTH

$99 / mo

100,000 calls / month

≈ 3,300–5,000 skill runs / month

ENTERPRISE

Custom

Volume · SLA · deployment & integrations

Contact us

Typical run: 20–30 calls. A skill with loops or retries may use more.

Add-on: +1,000 calls one-time for $2 · All prices USD before tax

Add-on

Questions & answers

Short answers; the manual remains authoritative for operational detail.

What are the system requirements?

Is this a hosted SaaS?

No. It is designed primarily as a self-hosted application you run on your infrastructure or workstation. You control networking, TLS, and who can reach the service.

Do I need MCP or Claude community skills?

No. Core features work over the web UI and HTTP API. MCP and integration with the rich skill ecosystem on the Claude community are optional when you want assistants or a skill runtime to consume packaged capabilities. We fully support that path: follow the user manual to install the skills you prefer, use the product’s built-in security checks to validate them, and execute with confidence.

Will this replace my team?

No — it amplifies what your team can do. Think of it as a capable assistant that drafts and suggests; your team reviews, decides, and owns the outcome.

What about data privacy?

Sensitive data flows depend on your configuration: local execution, which models you call, and which external services you enable. Run data-protection assessments before processing regulated data. With this product’s design, interactions are auditable and can be reviewed in a visual way—helping security teams verify behavior instead of working blind.

Why local-first?

Many automation tasks touch the desktop, filesystem, or internal APIs. Keeping execution close to the environment reduces latency and can simplify compliance—at the cost of you maintaining the runtime.

Will VS Code, Chrome, or Office integrations be available?

Yes—see the Visual Studio Marketplace listing or download a VSIX. The Automation Skill Builder app must still run locally; extensions only embed the UI. A Microsoft Office add-in remains under evaluation.

What if OCR or vision is slow the first time?

Vision stacks often download models on first use. Expect a longer cold start; subsequent runs are typically faster. See the manual for warmup and skip flags.

How do I get help?

Community users can ask questions in the public forum — response times vary. If your team needs reliable support with a guaranteed response, check out our professional plan.

Do I need Python or Node.js installed?

See the user manual for OS support and optional Python / Node.js prerequisites.

Support model

Two lanes—so expectations stay clear whether you are evaluating, self-hosting, or running under a commercial agreement.

Support email: [email protected]

Community & as-is use

The software may be used and inspected according to its license and repository terms. Documentation, issues, and community discussion (where offered) are provided without warranty.

Community support is best-effort — driven by fellow users and the maintainer when possible. It’s ideal for exploring, learning, and running personal or internal projects. For teams that need faster answers or hands-on help, professional support is available separately.

Professional support

For organizations that need onboarding, priority help, custom integrations, security review assistance, or deployment hardening, commercial support may be available from the maintainer or partners.

Scope, channels, and SLAs are defined in a separate agreement—not on this marketing page. Contact your vendor or project owner for entitlement and pricing.

Contact

Billing and subscriptions: [email protected]

Technical and product issues: [email protected]