> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://handbook.n8n.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://handbook.n8n.io/readme.md).

# The Automation Handbook

![](https://1295977995-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FikYvt5xWzvK7NtuHBUPD%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-4c6779daf58ac43322ecbc630bf2b54a06d2d258%2Fwhy-this-handbook-exists-editorial-maze.png?alt=media)

## What is the Automation Handbook and why does this exist?

The Automation Handbook is a living guide to how [n8n](https://n8n.io/), an automation company, approaches automation. It brings together our principles, processes and lessons learned for building, maintaining, and scaling automations safely and effectively.

## Who is this for and why make it public

We created this to make our way of working visible and repeatable, in the hope of helping people at n8n build better and to give other organizations a blueprint they can adapt.

We're publishing this for three reasons:

1. **We believe in building in the open.** If automation and enablement are going to define how the best organizations work over the next decade, we'd rather show our own thinking as it develops, including the ambiguities we haven't solved yet. You can adapt what's useful, make it your own, and avoid some of the mistakes we might have made along the way.
2. **Help other teams work with us.** We want our stakeholders at n8n to know what we need, how priorities get set, and what ownership actually means once something ships.
3. **Make the work repeatable.** We want any new person joining our team to be able to quickly understand and onboard to how we work.

This handbook is written and maintained by n8n’s Automation team. It reflects our shared practices and lessons, and we will update it as they evolve. Learn more about the people behind it in [about the automation team](/start-here/about-the-automation-team.md).

Feedback is welcome!

## How to use the handbook

* Use [About the automation team](/start-here/about-the-automation-team.md) and [How we work](/start-here/how-we-work.md) to understand the team and its principles.
* Use [How we build](/how-we-build/how-we-build.md) when evaluating, building, deploying, or maintaining an automation.
* Use [How we enable](/how-we-enable/how-we-enable.md) to understand how we help other people become builders.
* Use [Case studies](/case-studies/case-studies.md) for real automations built inside the company.


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