Stepthrough
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Intro to AI Automation

Start with three everyday AI jobs (pick your assistant, sum up a meeting, answer a tricky email), then build AI that does the work: a Custom GPT, an AI agent and a web form that answers leads.

7 modules · about 60 minutes of practice · no sign-up

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Free · Interactive · No sign-up to start

The largest free AI training

Watch a step, then do it yourself in a practice copy of the real tool. Stuck? Press “Do it for me.”

Start learning freeSee how it works

Free access. No credit card. New lessons every week and a new blog post every day.

Robert Breen, who makes Stepthrough, on camera: Free AI training you actually do0:15
Free AI training you actually do: Robert on why Stepthrough exists

Stepthrough is a free, interactive AI training site for small-business owners, office staff and teams, made by Robert Breen. You learn ChatGPT, n8n, Claude, Lovable, ElevenLabs Agents and Make by doing every step yourself in a safe practice copy that checks your work. There are 158 free lessons today, no coding needed, and no sign-up to start.

  • 158free lessons
  • 5,014guided steps
  • 32learning paths
  • 131videos
  • 319prompt templates
  • 438glossary terms

Latest AI news

All AI news, each with a practice →

Learning paths for a real business problem

Short, ordered sets of lessons for a job, a tool or one idea, from beginner to advanced. Pick the problem you have and work down the list.

  • Intro to AI Automation

    The original three modules. Build a Custom GPT, an n8n AI agent and a Lovable web app, in that order.

    3 lessonsBeginner

  • Better Prompts

    The prompt habits that turn vague answers into usable work.

    6 lessonsBeginner

  • ChatGPT Jump Start

    Answer emails, recap meetings and read spreadsheets faster, then give ChatGPT a Project that knows your business.

    12 lessonsBeginner

  • Claude Jump Start

    Get Claude to remember your business, research with sources, check contracts and build shareable tools.

    10 lessonsBeginner

  • Gemini Jump Start

    Clear your Gmail faster and get cited briefings from your own docs with Gemini and NotebookLM.

    4 lessonsBeginner

More learning paths

All 32 learning paths, beginner to advanced

Or browse by tool

Pick your role

Not sure where to start? Each guide is a short learning path through the lessons that fit one job, in the order that makes sense.

All 17 start-here guides by role

How it works: watch, your turn, done

Every lesson is a real project, one step at a time. The left side shows the step with a cursor pointing at exactly where to click; the right side is yours. Nothing touches your real accounts until you build it for real.

  1. Stepthrough lesson in Watch mode: a cursor clicks the Today’s Jobs tab in a practice copy of n8n and Google Sheets

    1Watch

    Each step plays on the left: a cursor shows exactly where to click, with a voice-over that says what you are doing and why.

  2. Your turn pane in a Stepthrough lesson: the learner pastes a prompt into a practice copy of ChatGPT and gets a Nice! check

    2Your turn

    Do the same thing on the right, in a practice copy of the real tool. Get it right and you see “Nice!” and move on.

  3. The Do it for me button in a Stepthrough lesson, after it completed the step in a practice Google Sheet of today’s jobs

    3“Do it for me”

    Stuck on a step? One button does it for you, so you never get lost, then you carry on from there.

How every lesson is made and checked

Pick your industry

Industry playbooks for firms, agencies and teams: the same builds, with real examples from your line of work. 13 in-depth playbooks so far.

  • Gmail thread between a small law firm and a client suing an event venue: the client asks whether the venue responded, when her court date is, whether she will win, and if she can text screenshots.

    Law Firms

    Intake summaries and client updates for small law firms.

    Playbook4 lessons
  • Gmail thread between a client and a small insurance agency: she hit a deer, the agent reported the claim to the carrier, and she asks when the carrier will pay, whether a rental is covered and whether her rate will go up.

    Insurance Agencies

    Claim-status replies and policy follow-ups for independent agencies.

    Playbook3 lessons
  • Google Docs transcript of an interview panel's debrief on a front desk lead candidate, with the Edit menu open

    Recruiting & HR

    Interview scorecards, candidate emails and job posts for recruiters and HR.

    Playbook5 lessons
  • OLVA Contexts window with a client context named Fernway Logistics calls, its notes about the people, phase one and the phase two proposal, and Add document

    Consulting & Agencies

    Kickoff calls to proposals, client reports and follow-ups for consultants and agencies.

    Playbook7 lessons
  • Stepthrough lesson with a Gmail customer thread about a birthday cake order selected for copying

    Real Estate

    Listings, lead follow-ups and social posts for agents and brokerages.

    Playbook3 lessons

Or pick your team

  • n8n workflow for Northwind Scheduling Software: webhook, AI Agent, OpenAI model, Gmail and Sheets tools, webhook response

    Sales Teams

    Follow-up emails, deal notes and demo requests for sales teams.

    Playbook8 lessons
  • Live Lovable form for Harbor & Pine Coffee Roasters with a test entry: French press coffee tastes bitter

    Marketing

    Ad copy, content calendars and lead magnets for marketers.

    Playbook13 lessons
  • Live Lovable form for Ridgeline Supply Co. with a test entry: dock door 3 will not open

    Operations

    SOPs, vendor follow-ups and internal requests for operations teams.

    Playbook9 lessons
  • n8n AI Agent node with a system message written for Maple Street Bookkeeping

    Finance

    Payment reminders, expense sorting and approvals for finance teams.

    Playbook3 lessons

Every industry and team · Open the Industries tab in the app

The full course, part by part

One free course, in order, from your first AI project to automations, apps and voice agents: 90 lessons in 11 parts.

  1. Part 14 lessons

    Intro to AI Automation

    Start here: Robert's original three modules. Build a Custom GPT, then an n8n AI agent, then a Lovable web app wired to n8n, one click at a time.

    The 4 lessons
    1. Module 1: Start Here: How Stepthrough Works
    2. Module 2: Get On-Brand Social Posts Every Time using a ChatGPT Custom GPT
    3. Module 3: n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets
    4. Module 4: Lovable + n8n: Build a Web App with an AI Backend
  2. Part 27 lessons

    Better Prompts

    Get better answers from any AI assistant. No setup, no integrations.

    The 7 lessons
    1. Module 5: Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format
    2. Module 6: AI Agent vs Chatbot vs Automation: One Job Done Three Ways
    3. Module 7: Make ChatGPT Ask You Questions First: The Interview Prompt
    4. Module 8: Give Examples: Few-Shot Prompts That Copy Your Style
    5. Module 9: Break Big Jobs into Steps: Prompt Chaining for a Marketing Plan
    6. Module 10: Catch Made-up Facts Before They Reach Customers using ChatGPT
    7. Module 11: Turn a Great Prompt into Reusable Instructions
  3. Part 315 lessons

    ChatGPT for Everyday Work

    Everyday office work, done faster and better in ChatGPT.

    The 15 lessons
    1. Module 12: Choose the AI Assistant Your Team Should Use, Tested on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot
    2. Module 13: Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT
    3. Module 14: Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply
    4. Module 15: Use AI at Work Without Leaking Client Data using ChatGPT
    5. Module 16: ChatGPT: Keep Client Data Safe, Set Up Your Team's Data Controls in 10 Minutes
    6. Module 17: Clear Client Data Out of ChatGPT Before It Becomes a Problem: Delete Chats, Clear Memory and Use Temporary Chat
    7. Module 18: Stop Losing Context: When to Start a New Chat vs Keep Going using ChatGPT
    8. Module 19: ChatGPT Projects: Keep Your Brand Voice, Files and Instructions in One Place
    9. Module 20: Analyze a Spreadsheet with ChatGPT: Upload a CSV, Get a Chart and Three Takeaways
    10. Module 21: ChatGPT: Turn Rough Notes into a One-Page SOP in an Editable Document
    11. Module 22: Write an Incident Report in 5 Minutes using ChatGPT
    12. Module 23: Make Images with ChatGPT for Your Business
    13. Module 24: Replace Your Custom GPT with a ChatGPT Project
    14. Module 25: ChatGPT Work: Have ChatGPT Do a Multi-Step Task
    15. Module 26: Get a Morning Invoice Summary in Slack using ChatGPT Dots
  4. Part 413 lessons

    Claude for Everyday Work

    Claude for writing, research and everyday work.

    The 13 lessons
    1. Module 27: Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt
    2. Module 28: Claude Projects for Your Business: Instructions, Knowledge and Quotes
    3. Module 29: Claude Artifacts: Build a Price Calculator You Can Try, Change and Share
    4. Module 30: Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It
    5. Module 31: Connect Claude to Google Drive, Gmail and Google Calendar
    6. Module 32: Check a Contract for Red Flags with Claude
    7. Module 33: Claude: Compare Two Versions of a Document and See What Changed
    8. Module 34: What Are Claude Skills? Turn One On and Watch It Work
    9. Module 35: How to Install a Custom Skill in Claude (Upload a Skill .zip)
    10. Module 36: Install Skills in Claude Code: the Skills Folder and a Plugin Marketplace
    11. Module 37: Make Every Claude Document On-Brand with a Brand Guidelines Skill
    12. Module 38: Claude's Excel Skill: Turn a Messy Export into a Clean Workbook
    13. Module 39: Build Your Own Claude Skill with the Skill Creator: A Weekly Report Template
  5. Part 56 lessons

    Gemini for Google Workspace

    Gemini inside the Google apps you already use, including Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM).

    The 6 lessons
    1. Module 40: Gemini in Gmail: Summarize a Thread and Draft the Reply
    2. Module 41: Gmail Filters, Labels and AI Draft Replies With a Human Check
    3. Module 42: NotebookLM (Now Gemini Notebook): Cited Answers and a Briefing from Your Docs
    4. Module 43: NotebookLM: Turn Your Documents into a Podcast (Audio Overview)
    5. Module 44: ChatGPT Projects vs Gemini Gems vs Gemini Notebook: Which to Use
    6. Module 45: Gemini Deep Research: Build a Cited Brief Before a Client Meeting
  6. Part 72 lessons

    Zapier Automation Basics

    Everyday automations in Zapier, starting with your first Zap.

    The 2 lessons
    1. Module 46: What Is a Webhook? Send a Test and Watch the Data Arrive
    2. Module 47: Never Miss a New Client Inquiry using Zapier
  7. Part 85 lessons

    Make.com Automation Basics

    Visual automations in Make, one scenario at a time.

    The 5 lessons
    1. Module 48: Your First Make.com Scenario: Google Forms to Google Sheets
    2. Module 49: Filters and Routers in Make.com: Send Urgent Requests One Way, Routine Ones Another
    3. Module 50: Add AI to Make.com: ChatGPT Writes a Personal Reply, Gmail Sends It
    4. Module 51: On a Schedule: A Daily Summary Email from a Google Sheet in Make.com
    5. Module 52: Webhooks: Connect a Website Form to Make.com
  8. Part 917 lessons

    n8n Automation Toolkit

    n8n workflows and AI agents that do the busywork for you.

    The 17 lessons
    1. Module 53: n8n: Talk to Your Google Sheets with ChatGPT, from Zero (Free Credits or API Key, Google, Sheet, Chat)
    2. Module 54: Find and Use n8n Templates
    3. Module 55: n8n: Execute Step, Execute Workflow and Publish
    4. Module 56: IF and Switch in n8n: Route Work by Rules
    5. Module 57: Get Your Daily Revenue Total by Email, Automatically, using n8n
    6. Module 58: Webhooks and Forms in n8n: Capture Data from Anywhere
    7. Module 59: Daily Job Alerts: Email Each Tech Their Jobs from Google Sheets with n8n
    8. Module 60: AI Receipt Extractor: Receipts to Google Sheets with n8n
    9. Module 61: n8n AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically
    10. Module 62: n8n: Turn Meeting Notes into Action Items in a Google Sheet
    11. Module 63: n8n: Weekly Client Status Emails from a Google Sheet, Written by AI
    12. Module 64: Get Alerted When an n8n Automation Fails, and Let It Retry by Itself
    13. Module 65: Gmail AI Triage: Auto-Label Every Email and Draft Replies
    14. Module 66: n8n AI Agent with Tools: Check Google Calendar, Book It and Log It
    15. Module 67: A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs
    16. Module 68: Make Your Handbook Searchable for an AI Helpdesk using Pinecone + n8n
    17. Module 69: Answer Staff Questions from Your Own Docs using n8n + Pinecone
  9. Part 105 lessons

    Build Apps with Lovable

    Build a real website or app in Lovable by chatting, no code.

    The 5 lessons
    1. Module 70: Build a Landing Page with Lovable from One Prompt
    2. Module 71: Add a Contact Form That Saves to a Database in Lovable
    3. Module 72: Add an AI Chatbot to Your Website with Lovable AI
    4. Module 73: Build a Private Dashboard from Your Data in Lovable
    5. Module 74: Publish Your Lovable Site and Connect Your Own Domain
  10. Part 115 lessons

    AI Voice Agents

    AI voice agents that talk with your customers.

    The 5 lessons
    1. Module 75: Your First Voice Agent in ElevenLabs: An After-Hours Receptionist
    2. Module 76: Give Your Voice Agent Knowledge: A Price List and FAQ in ElevenLabs
    3. Module 77: ElevenLabs vs Vapi: Cost per Call and a Launch Checklist
    4. Module 78: Never Miss an After-Hours Client Call: An AI Receptionist for a Small Office (ElevenLabs)
    5. Module 79: Text Clients from Your Business Number using Twilio: Number, A2P 10DLC and a First Test Text
  11. Part 1311 lessons

    AI Apps Worth Knowing

    Short lessons on partner AI apps: meetings, launch assets, sales, visuals, search data and forms.

    The 11 lessons
    1. Module 80: OLVA: A Private AI Assistant on Your Client Calls
    2. Module 81: iMini AI Agent: Turn a Rough Idea into a Launch Kit
    3. Module 82: Kylon AI Sales Agent: Find the Reason to Reach Out
    4. Module 83: DomoAI: Turn a Product Photo into a Short Video for Social
    5. Module 84: VisualGPT: Product Photos, Listing Images and Ads from One Phone Photo
    6. Module 85: Litescrape in n8n: Swap SerpApi for a Cheaper Search API
    7. Module 86: CoHear: AI Meeting Notes from a Team Training Session
    8. Module 87: Get Every New Client's Details in One Place using Jotform AI
    9. Module 88: Jotform AI Agents: An Agent That Answers Client Questions
    10. Module 89: Flova: Plan a Promo Video from a Script Before You Spend a Credit
    11. Module 90: Protect Your Sender Reputation Before a Big Send using no2bounce

See the full course, every part and module in order

Free videos: watch it first

Full lesson walkthroughs, one-minute highlights and shorts with captions, each linked to the free lesson where you do it yourself.

All 131 free videos

Visual Guides: AI Tips You Can Swipe Through

71 free visual guides to AI at work: step-by-step carousels, prompts to copy, AI terms, myths and mistakes, each linked to a hands-on lesson.

All visual guides

Free printable cheat sheets

The steps, settings and checks from the lessons on one page each. Print them, pin them by the desk or save the PDF. Free, with no email needed.

  • AI Email Responder in n8n

    A free one-page cheat sheet: n8n watches Gmail, an AI agent reads each customer email and saves a reply as a draft in…

    Lesson cheat sheetFree PDF

  • AI Receipt Extractor in n8n

    A free one-page cheat sheet: attach a receipt photo in n8n chat, and an AI agent pulls the date, vendor and amount…

    Lesson cheat sheetFree PDF

  • Daily Job Alerts in n8n

    A free one-page cheat sheet: at 7am n8n reads today's jobs from Google Sheets, skips unassigned ones and emails each…

    Lesson cheat sheetFree PDF

  • Interview Debrief Scorecard

    A free one-page cheat sheet: score a candidate on each must-have with a quote as evidence, keep it job-related and…

    Lesson cheat sheetFree PDF

  • Lovable + n8n Form Flow

    A free one-page cheat sheet: a Lovable form posts to an n8n webhook, and an AI Agent logs it in Google Sheets and…

    Lesson cheat sheetFree PDF

  • n8n AI Agent to Google Sheets

    A free one-page cheat sheet for an n8n AI agent: chat trigger, AI Agent, system message, OpenAI model, Simple Memory…

    Lesson cheat sheetFree PDF

  • AI Quick-Start for Accounting Firms

    A free one-page cheat sheet for accounting firms: the free AI lessons in order, a tone-fix prompt and what AI must…

    Industry quick-startFree PDF

  • AI Quick-Start for Finance Teams

    A free one-page cheat sheet for finance teams: the free AI lessons in order, an invoice dispute prompt and what AI…

    Industry quick-startFree PDF

All 25 free cheat sheets

Which AI tool should you use?

Side-by-side comparisons of the AI assistants, automation tools and form builders offices ask about most, with prices checked against the vendors' own pages.

All 28 tool comparisons

Latest from the blog

Practical AI guides for small businesses, a new one every day, each with a free hands-on lesson.

All 82 blog posts · RSS feed

Free prompt templates and an AI glossary

Copy-ready prompts for everyday jobs, each with a filled-in example, and plain-English definitions of the AI terms you meet in the lessons.

Prompt library: 319 templates

Browse all 319 prompt templates

AI glossary: 438 terms

  • AI agent

    An AI agent is an AI system that works toward a goal by deciding which steps to take and using connected tools to take…

  • Large language model (LLM)

    A large language model (LLM) is an AI model trained on a huge amount of text to predict what words should come next…

  • Prompt

    A prompt is the input you give an AI tool to get a response: the request itself, plus any facts, examples, files or…

  • Webhook

    A webhook is a web address that waits for another app to send it data. When something happens in that app, like a form…

The full A to Z glossary

Stepthrough in one paragraph

Stepthrough (learn.ynteractive.com) is free, hands-on AI training made by Robert Breen, who is building it to be the largest free AI training in the world. It has 158 interactive lessons with 5,014 guided steps, organized as a 11-part course, 32 learning paths, 17 role guides and 13 industry and team tracks, plus 82 blog posts, an AI glossary of 438 terms, 319 prompt templates and 131 videos. In every lesson you watch a step, do it yourself in a practice copy of the real tool (ChatGPT, n8n, Claude, Lovable, ElevenLabs Agents and Make) that checks your work, and can press “Do it for me” when you get stuck. Nothing touches your real accounts, no coding is needed, and you can start without signing up. Last updated Oct 14, 2026.

About Robert Breen and how lessons are made

Frequently asked questions

Is Stepthrough really free?

Yes. All 158 lessons, the blog, the AI glossary, the prompt library and the videos are free, with no credit card and no trial. If it helps you, there is an optional way to chip in after a lesson, but nothing is locked behind it.

Do I need an account to start?

No. Press Start Learning Free, pick a lesson and go. A few steps into a lesson you can save your progress with just your email, so you can pick up where you left off on another device. That is the only sign-up there is, and it is optional.

What tools will I learn?

Lessons are live today for ChatGPT, n8n, Claude, Lovable, ElevenLabs Agents, Make, Gemini, Airia, Gemini Notebook, Gmail and Jotform, along with the apps they connect to, like Google Sheets and Gmail. See the full course.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. Every lesson is clicks and plain English. You copy a prompt, click a button, fill in a field, and the lesson tells you what each step does and why.

Does it touch my real accounts?

No. You practice in a copy of the real tool that runs inside the lesson and checks each step. When you are ready, you build it again in your own accounts, knowing exactly what to click.

Can I take the lessons on my phone?

You can read every guide, video and blog post on a phone. The interactive lessons need a bigger screen, so take those on a laptop or desktop; on a phone you can save your spot and continue at your computer.

Who makes Stepthrough?

Stepthrough is made by Robert Breen, who writes and checks every lesson against the real tools. He is building the largest free AI training in the world, and you can reach him at [email protected].

How often is new content added?

A new blog post goes up every day, and new lessons, glossary terms and prompts are added every week. There are 82 posts, 438 glossary terms and 319 prompts today.

Ready? Your first lesson takes about 2 minutes

Open Part 1, pick a lesson and build your first AI project. No account, no credit card.

Start learning free

Explore everything

Every free lesson, guide, playbook, video and article on Stepthrough, in one place.

Every lesson, by course part

Part 1: Intro to AI Automation (4)
Part 2: Better Prompts (7)
Part 3: ChatGPT for Everyday Work (15)
Part 4: Claude for Everyday Work (13)
Part 5: Gemini for Google Workspace (6)
Part 7: Zapier Automation Basics (2)
Part 8: Make.com Automation Basics (5)
Part 9: n8n Automation Toolkit (17)
Part 10: Build Apps with Lovable (5)
Part 11: AI Voice Agents (5)
Part 13: AI Apps Worth Knowing (11)

Lessons by industry and team

Accounting & Bookkeeping Firms (7)
Law Firms (4)
Insurance Agencies (3)
Recruiting & HR (5)
Consulting & Agencies (7)
Real Estate (3)
Sales Teams (8)
Marketing (13)
Operations (9)
Finance (3)
Electricians (2)
HVAC (2)
Plumbers (2)
More lessons (3)

Start here, by role

Industry playbooks

Learning paths

Tool tutorials

The course

Latest blog posts

Popular glossary terms

Popular prompt templates

Free cheat sheets

Tool comparisons

Watch or read a lesson

Video walkthroughs (30)
Step-by-step guides with screenshots (27)

Videos and more