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MVP NINJA

MVP Ninja Labs · 02Built in-house

Relay

A visual automation platform that connects email, Slack, CRM, documents and approvals — with AI where judgement is needed.

Category
Operations automation platform
Build shape
21-Day Launch
Platforms
Web app, Slack app, Integrations

What Relay does

Relay lets an operations manager see and change how work moves through the business. Triggers, AI steps, approvals and actions are arranged on one canvas, and every run is traceable.

Key decisions

  • Business verbs, not API terms.

    Steps are called receive, read, decide, approve, update and notify, so an operator can build a flow without knowing what an API is.

  • No custom code steps.

    Code would turn every flow into something only a developer can maintain. Templates for the four most common loops cover the first version.

  • Every run can be opened up.

    When an invoice goes missing, the operator can open the run and see what each step received and did.

Operations run on invisible glue: inboxes, forwards and someone remembering.

In most growing companies, work moves between tools by hand. An invoice arrives by email, gets forwarded for approval, is re-typed into accounting, and somebody posts in Slack when it's done. When that person is on holiday, the process stops.

  1. 01No one can see how a process actually works end to end
  2. 02Approvals get lost in inboxes and chat threads
  3. 03Existing automation tools feel built for engineers
  4. 04When an automation fails, nobody notices until a customer does

The operations manager

Ops or finance lead at a 20–200 person company

Responsible for processes across teams, comfortable with spreadsheets, not a developer.

What they need to get done

  • Map how a process works and change it without engineering
  • Put approvals in front of the right person, with context
  • See every run and fix failures fast
  • Use AI to read and sort messy inputs safely

The assumption to prove

Non-technical operators will build and own automations if the canvas reads like a process map, not a program.

Design around business verbs — receive, read, decide, approve, update, notify — rather than API concepts. Start from templates for the four most common loops and make every run inspectable.

In the first version

  • Visual canvas with triggers, AI steps, approvals and actions
  • Connectors: email, Slack, CRM, Drive, accounting
  • Approval inbox with context and one-click decisions
  • Run history with step-by-step inspection
  • Four starter templates

Deliberately left out

  • Custom code steps
  • On-premise deployment
  • Marketplace for third-party connectors
  • Branching beyond simple conditions

The core journey

  1. Step 01

    Pick a template

    Start from invoice approval, lead routing, triage or meeting follow-up

  2. Step 02

    Connect tools

    Sign in to email, Slack and accounting

  3. Step 03

    Shape the flow

    Add an AI step, a condition and an approver

  4. Step 04

    Test with real input

    Run on a sample document and inspect each step

  5. Step 05

    Go live

    Turn it on; approvals arrive in Slack

  6. Step 06

    Monitor

    Runs, failures and time saved, in one view

Design exploration

The first wireframes looked like every node editor on the market — powerful and intimidating. We moved from 'boxes and wires' towards a vertical process map that reads top to bottom like a checklist.

FlowsRunsApprovals6ConnectTemplates
SO
FlowsInvoice approvalLivev4
EditorRuns128Settings
Edited 2 h ago by SamTest with samplePublish changes
100%Tidy up
Test passed on INV-20418.pdf· 6 steps · 14 s
1·TriggerEmailReceive invoice emailNew email with a PDF in invoices@larchfield.example
2·AI stepAIRead the invoiceExtract supplier, total, due date and PO
Confidence96%Under 85% → review
3·ConditionCheck the amountIs the total over £2,500?
Yes · over £2,500
4·ApprovalChatAsk finance lead to approveDana Whitfield in #finance-approvals
Remind after 24 h, then ask Sam
No · £2,500 or less
Approve automaticallyLogged with the rule that applied
5·ActionAccountingCreate bill in accountingDraft bill with the PDF attached
6·ActionChatPost confirmationReply in thread, archive the email
AI stepStep 2 of 6

Read the invoice

SetupSample dataHistory

Read from

Attachment from step 1PDF

Fields to extract

INV-20418.pdf
supplier_nameNorthwind Supplies99%
invoice_numberINV-2041899%
total3,840.0098%
currencyGBP99%
due_date2026-10-1294%
po_numberPO-118791%
vat_numberNot foundOptional

When AI isn't sure

Minimum confidence85%
Send to review queue
Test this stepRuns
Wireframe · layout and priorities
FlowsRunsApprovals6ConnectTemplates
SO
FlowsInvoice approvalLivev4
EditorRuns128Settings
Edited 2 h ago by SamTest with samplePublish changes
100%Tidy up
Test passed on INV-20418.pdf· 6 steps · 14 s
1·TriggerEmailReceive invoice emailNew email with a PDF in invoices@larchfield.example
2·AI stepAIRead the invoiceExtract supplier, total, due date and PO
Confidence96%Under 85% → review
3·ConditionCheck the amountIs the total over £2,500?
Yes · over £2,500
4·ApprovalChatAsk finance lead to approveDana Whitfield in #finance-approvals
Remind after 24 h, then ask Sam
No · £2,500 or less
Approve automaticallyLogged with the rule that applied
5·ActionAccountingCreate bill in accountingDraft bill with the PDF attached
6·ActionChatPost confirmationReply in thread, archive the email
AI stepStep 2 of 6

Read the invoice

SetupSample dataHistory

Read from

Attachment from step 1PDF

Fields to extract

INV-20418.pdf
supplier_nameNorthwind Supplies99%
invoice_numberINV-2041899%
total3,840.0098%
currencyGBP99%
due_date2026-10-1294%
po_numberPO-118791%
vat_numberNot foundOptional

When AI isn't sure

Minimum confidence85%
Send to review queue
Test this stepRuns
Final · the same screen, designed

  • Question

    Free-form canvas or vertical flow?

    Decision

    Vertical flow with branches

    Operators think in sequences. A top-down layout reads like a written procedure and prints cleanly for audits.

  • Question

    Where do approvals happen?

    Decision

    Where the approver already is

    Slack and email approvals with full context get answered; a separate inbox gets ignored.

  • Question

    How visible should AI be?

    Decision

    Labelled step with confidence and fallback

    Operators need to know when AI decided something, and what happens when it isn't sure.

Relay’s design system

A dark, focused workspace where colour means state: blue is running, amber waits for a person, green is done, red needs attention.

  • Relay Blue

    #4C6FFF

    Active step, primary action

  • Approval Amber

    #F5A524

    Waiting for a person

  • Done Green

    #3CCF91

    Completed runs

  • Fault Red

    #EF5B5B

    Failures

  • Canvas

    #0F1116

    Workspace

Typography

System UI for interface text; mono for field mappings and run IDs; generous line height on the canvas for scanning.

Components

  • Flow step card
  • Connector chip
  • AI step with confidence
  • Approval card
  • Run timeline
  • Field mapper

Principles

  1. 01Colour is state
  2. 02Every run is inspectable
  3. 03Business verbs, not API terms

Key screens

FlowsRunsApprovals6ConnectTemplates
SO
FlowsInvoice approvalLivev4
EditorRuns128Settings
Edited 2 h ago by SamTest with samplePublish changes
100%Tidy up
Test passed on INV-20418.pdf· 6 steps · 14 s
1·TriggerEmailReceive invoice emailNew email with a PDF in invoices@larchfield.example
2·AI stepAIRead the invoiceExtract supplier, total, due date and PO
Confidence96%Under 85% → review
3·ConditionCheck the amountIs the total over £2,500?
Yes · over £2,500
4·ApprovalChatAsk finance lead to approveDana Whitfield in #finance-approvals
Remind after 24 h, then ask Sam
No · £2,500 or less
Approve automaticallyLogged with the rule that applied
5·ActionAccountingCreate bill in accountingDraft bill with the PDF attached
6·ActionChatPost confirmationReply in thread, archive the email
AI stepStep 2 of 6

Read the invoice

SetupSample dataHistory

Read from

Attachment from step 1PDF

Fields to extract

INV-20418.pdf
supplier_nameNorthwind Supplies99%
invoice_numberINV-2041899%
total3,840.0098%
currencyGBP99%
due_date2026-10-1294%
po_numberPO-118791%
vat_numberNot foundOptional

When AI isn't sure

Minimum confidence85%
Send to review queue
Test this stepRuns
Screen 01Flow canvasInvoice approval, from email to accounting, readable top to bottom.
FlowsRunsApprovals6ConnectTemplates
SO
FlowsInvoice approvalLivev4
EditorRuns128Settings
Run ID, supplier or invoiceLast 7 days
All128Done118Waiting6Failed3Live
StatusInvoiceAmountStarted
RunningSummit IT ServicesINV-5520Reading the invoice£640.0009:48
WaitingNorthwind SuppliesINV-20418Waiting for approval · Dana W.£3,840.0009:12
FailedHarbour Office Co.HOC-7731Supplier not found in accounting£2,915.4008:57
DoneBluebell CleaningBB-0932Auto-approved · bill created£480.0008:31
DoneKeystone Print WorksKPW-2210Auto-approved · bill created£1,260.0008:05
WaitingFernhill CateringFC-00871Waiting for approval · reminder sent£2,740.0014 Sep
DoneOakline LogisticsOL-44102Approved by Dana W. · bill created£5,120.0014 Sep
FailedQuillby StationeryQS-1190PDF is a scan with no readable text—14 Sep
DonePinegrove UtilitiesPGU-1934Auto-approved · bill created£312.7513 Sep
DoneNorthwind SuppliesINV-20391Auto-approved · bill created£2,180.0013 Sep
run_7hp8c2·Invoice approval v4
Harbour Office Co.HOC-7731Failed

£2,915.40 · Started 08:57 today · Paused at step 5 after 39 min

Couldn't create the bill in accounting

No supplier called “Harbour Office Co.” exists in accounting yet. Relay tried 3 times, then paused the run — the approval is kept.

Add supplier & retryRetry stepOpen in canvas

Steps

  1. Receive invoice emailHOC-7731.pdf08:57
  2. Read the invoice7 fields · 93% sure4.2 s
  3. Check the amountOver £2,5000.1 s
  4. Ask finance leadApproved by Dana W.38 min
  5. Create bill3 attempts09:36
  6. Post confirmationNot run yet—

Step 5 data

InputOutputError

Passed on from step 4

{"supplier_name": "Harbour Office Co.","invoice_number": "HOC-7731","total": 2915.40,"currency": "GBP","due_date": "2026-10-11","po_number": "PO-1172","approved_by": "Dana Whitfield","attachment": "HOC-7731.pdf"}

Last attempt · 09:36

find_supplier → not foundname: “Harbour Office Co.”
Screen 02Run historyEvery run, every step, with the data that moved through it.
Screen 03Approval in SlackThe approver sees the extracted invoice and decides in one tap.

How it works underneath

A workflow engine with durable execution: each step is persisted, retried on failure and resumable after a human approval that may take hours.

    • PersonOps manager
    • ExternalCRM, Drive, Xero
    • InterfaceRelay canvas
    • ServiceWorkflow engine
    • AIExtraction & classification
    • DataPostgres (runs, steps)
    • ExternalSlack / email

Connections

  • Ops managertoRelay canvas
  • Relay canvastoWorkflow enginepublish flow
  • CRM, Drive, XerotoWorkflow enginetriggers
  • Workflow enginetoExtraction & classificationread / decide
  • Workflow enginetoPostgres (runs, steps)persist
  • Workflow enginetoSlack / emailapproval
  • Workflow enginetoCRM, Drive, Xeroactions

Likely stack

  • Next.js + TypeScript
  • Durable workflow runtime
  • Postgres
  • OAuth connectors
  • LLM structured outputs
  • Slack interactive messages

A 21-day build plan

  1. Days 1–2

    Pick the first loops

    Choose the four templates, list connectors, define step types in business language.

  2. Days 3–6

    Canvas design

    Vertical flow wireframes, step cards, approval patterns; prototype tested with an ops walkthrough.

  3. Days 6–15

    Engine and connectors

    Durable execution, retries, OAuth connections, AI extraction with confidence thresholds.

  4. Days 15–19

    Runs and approvals

    Run history, step inspection, Slack approvals, failure alerts.

  5. Days 19–21

    Templates and launch

    Finish templates, test with sample documents, deploy with monitoring.

Across devices

Building flows is a desktop job. On mobile, Relay becomes what operators need away from a desk: approvals and failure alerts.

  • Canvas is read-only below tablet width
  • Approvals are full-screen cards
  • Run failures deep-link to the failed step

Automation that operations teams can read, own and trust — with AI doing the reading and people doing the deciding.

FlowsRunsApprovals6ConnectTemplates
SO
FlowsInvoice approvalLivev4
EditorRuns128Settings
Run ID, supplier or invoiceLast 7 days
All128Done118Waiting6Failed3Live
StatusInvoiceAmountStarted
RunningSummit IT ServicesINV-5520Reading the invoice£640.0009:48
WaitingNorthwind SuppliesINV-20418Waiting for approval · Dana W.£3,840.0009:12
FailedHarbour Office Co.HOC-7731Supplier not found in accounting£2,915.4008:57
DoneBluebell CleaningBB-0932Auto-approved · bill created£480.0008:31
DoneKeystone Print WorksKPW-2210Auto-approved · bill created£1,260.0008:05
WaitingFernhill CateringFC-00871Waiting for approval · reminder sent£2,740.0014 Sep
DoneOakline LogisticsOL-44102Approved by Dana W. · bill created£5,120.0014 Sep
FailedQuillby StationeryQS-1190PDF is a scan with no readable text—14 Sep
DonePinegrove UtilitiesPGU-1934Auto-approved · bill created£312.7513 Sep
DoneNorthwind SuppliesINV-20391Auto-approved · bill created£2,180.0013 Sep
run_7hp8c2·Invoice approval v4
Harbour Office Co.HOC-7731Failed

£2,915.40 · Started 08:57 today · Paused at step 5 after 39 min

Couldn't create the bill in accounting

No supplier called “Harbour Office Co.” exists in accounting yet. Relay tried 3 times, then paused the run — the approval is kept.

Add supplier & retryRetry stepOpen in canvas

Steps

  1. Receive invoice emailHOC-7731.pdf08:57
  2. Read the invoice7 fields · 93% sure4.2 s
  3. Check the amountOver £2,5000.1 s
  4. Ask finance leadApproved by Dana W.38 min
  5. Create bill3 attempts09:36
  6. Post confirmationNot run yet—

Step 5 data

InputOutputError

Passed on from step 4

{"supplier_name": "Harbour Office Co.","invoice_number": "HOC-7731","total": 2915.40,"currency": "GBP","due_date": "2026-10-11","po_number": "PO-1172","approved_by": "Dana Whitfield","attachment": "HOC-7731.pdf"}

Last attempt · 09:36

find_supplier → not foundname: “Harbour Office Co.”

A process your team still runs by copy and paste?

Tell us the steps as they happen today. We’ll scope the automation that removes the most of them first.

Closest package

21-Day Launch

$3,700Fixed · 21 days

For fuller products: several roles, AI agents that take actions, heavier integrations or a mobile MVP.

  • Up to 5 core workflows
  • Up to 20 screens
  • Multiple roles & permissions
Start an automation brief

Your idea gets its own written scope and fixed price before anything starts. Compare packages

In the first version

  • Vertical flow builder with 6 step types
  • 5 connectors (email, Slack, CRM, Drive, accounting)
  • AI extraction and classification steps
  • Approvals in Slack and email
  • Run history and failure alerts
  • Four starter templates

Later, once it's proven

  • Custom code steps
  • Connector marketplace
  • Advanced branching and loops
  • Role-based workspaces

7–21 daysFrom $1,500

Start my brief