neKey

Lesson 0

Set up your workbench

Do this once. After that, every playbook is download, connect, and run.

  • About 20 minutes
  • No coding
  • Set up for: , ,

Check your setup first. The panel on the left (the Setup and lessons button on a phone) decides which instructions you see below. Change it now if it does not match your business.

Build it

0 steps done

  1. Create your n8n account

    n8n is the canvas where these workflows run. The easiest start is n8n Cloud: go to n8n.io, choose Get started, and start a free trial. When we checked in November 2026 the trial was 14 days with a cap on runs, which is plenty for these playbooks.

    Need a strong password you can actually remember? betterpassword.net, from neKey, makes pronounceable ones. Use it for every new account in this lesson, and save them in your password manager.

    Go deeper: run n8n on your own server

    n8n can also run on your own server or computer, free for internal use under its license. That is the right long-term home for real business data, but it adds work: you create your own app registrations for Google or Microsoft sign-in. Start on Cloud, then move. Everything you build exports as a file.

  2. Get an AI key, with a spending cap

    OpenRouter lets one key reach many models. The talk used it.

    1. Create an account at openrouter.ai and add a few dollars of credit.
    2. Go to Keys, create a key named n8n-playbooks, and give it a credit limit of about $5.
    3. Copy the key somewhere safe for the next step. You will not see it again.
    1. Sign in at platform.openai.com and add a few dollars of credit under Billing.
    2. Set a monthly budget limit in your billing or project settings.
    3. Under API keys, create a key named n8n-playbooks and copy it somewhere safe.
    1. Sign in to the Claude developer console at console.anthropic.com and add a few dollars of credit.
    2. Set a spend limit for your workspace.
    3. Create an API key named n8n-playbooks and copy it somewhere safe.

    One extra key for Playbooks 2 to 6 and the bonus. Searching a handbook "by meaning" uses an embeddings model, and Anthropic does not offer one. Those playbooks use a small OpenAI key for that single step: create one at platform.openai.com with a $2 budget. Claude still does all the reading and writing.

    1. Go to Google AI Studio and choose Get API key.
    2. Create a key in a Google Cloud project with billing turned on, and set a budget alert on that project.
    3. Copy the key somewhere safe. Gemini covers both the model and the handbook search, so this is the only AI key you need.

    Handbook search uses OpenAI. Playbooks 2 to 6 search the handbook with OpenAI's small embeddings model, which costs pennies. Create an OpenAI key too, at platform.openai.com, with a $2 budget. Your OpenAI key covers it.

  3. Make a test mailbox

    Playbooks 3, 4, and the bonus read an inbox and reply to messages. Never practice on your real inbox.

    Create a new free Gmail address just for this, for example pinelands.test.yourname@gmail.com. You will send the Pinelands test emails to it from your normal address.

    Ask your Microsoft 365 admin for a test user, or create one if you are the admin, for example pinelands-test@your-company.com. A free Outlook.com address also works for the email steps. You will send the Pinelands test emails to it from your normal address.

  4. Make a place for drafts and alerts

    In Teams, create a team called Pinelands test with two channels: inbound-drafts and on-call. Approvals arrive as a chat message to you.

    Create a free Slack workspace, or use a sandbox you already have, with two channels: #inbound-drafts and #on-call. Approvals arrive as a direct message to you.

    No chat app needed. Drafts, alerts, and approval buttons arrive by email at the team inbox you typed in the setup panel: . Use your own address while you learn. If the box is empty, the downloads use a placeholder that you will need to change in n8n.

  5. Connect your accounts in n8n

    In n8n, open Overview, then Credentials, then Create credential. You can also wait: each downloaded workflow shows a warning on any step that needs an account, and you create the credential right there.

    Credential to createHow
    OpenRouter, plus OpenAI for handbook searchOpenAIAnthropic, plus OpenAI for handbook searchGoogle Gemini (PaLM) APIPaste the key or keys from step 2.
    Gmail OAuth2Microsoft Outlook OAuth2Click Sign in and log in as your test mailbox, not your real one.
    Microsoft Teams OAuth2Slack OAuth2Nothing extra. Email uses the mail credential above.Click Sign in and approve.
    Go deeper: when n8n asks for a Client ID instead of a Sign in button

    On n8n Cloud, Google, Microsoft, and Slack usually offer one-click sign in. On your own server, you register an app with the provider first and paste its Client ID and secret. n8n's guides walk through it: Google, Microsoft, Slack.

  6. Learn the three moves you will repeat

    Import. In n8n, create a new workflow, open the ... menu at the top right, and choose Import from file. Or click Copy to paste into n8n on any playbook page, click the empty canvas, and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac).

    Run. Click Execute workflow at the bottom of the canvas, or open a starting step and click Test step.

    Read the log. Open Executions at the top. Click any run, then any step, to see exactly what went in and what came out. If you cannot read it, you cannot trust it.