StepthroughStart Learning Free

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.

Stepthrough is a free, interactive AI training site for small-business owners, office staff and teams, made by Robert Breen. You learn ChatGPT, n8n, Lovable, Claude, Make and ElevenLabs Agents by doing every step yourself in a safe practice copy that checks your work. There are 102 free lessons today, no coding needed, and no sign-up to start.

  • 102free lessons
  • 3,487guided steps
  • 12course parts
  • 124videos
  • 289prompt templates
  • 384glossary terms
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

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.

Try the first lesson free  How every lesson is made and checked

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 15 start-here guides by role

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.

    Playbook2 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.

    Playbook3 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.

    Playbook4 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.

    Playbook7 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.

    Playbook4 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.

    Playbook5 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.

    Playbook4 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

Trades

  • Lovable dashboard prompt box with a prompt for a quote request form for an electrical contractor, in Build mode and ready to send

    Electricians

    Bids, job follow-ups and quote requests for electrical contractors.

    Playbook2 lessons
  • n8n AI Agent node with a system message written for Cedar Ridge Heating & Air

    HVAC

    Estimates, service-call follow-ups and request forms for heating and cooling companies.

    Playbook2 lessons
  • Lovable dashboard prompt box with a prompt for a service request form for a residential plumbing company, in Build mode and ready to send

    Plumbers

    Quotes, customer follow-ups and emergency requests for plumbing companies.

    Playbook2 lessons

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

The course: Parts 1–12

One free course, in order, from your first AI project to automations, apps and voice agents. 54 lessons are live now; parts marked “coming soon” are being built.

  1. Part 14 live lessons

    AI Automation for Beginners

    Start here. Three real AI projects, one click at a time.

    The 4 lessons
    1. Module 1: Same Task, Four Assistants: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot
    2. Module 2: Build a Custom GPT Social Media Assistant
    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
    Start Module 1 in the app →
  2. Part 27 live 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: How to Fix Bad ChatGPT Answers: Push Back, Add Constraints and Check Facts
    7. Module 11: Turn a Great Prompt into Reusable Instructions
    Start Module 5 in the app →
  3. Part 38 live lessons

    ChatGPT for Everyday Work

    Everyday office work, done faster and better in ChatGPT.

    The 8 lessons
    1. Module 12: Safe AI at Work: What Not to Paste, Training Settings and Checking Answers
    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: ChatGPT Projects: Keep Your Brand Voice, Files and Instructions in One Place
    5. Module 16: Analyze a Spreadsheet with ChatGPT: Upload a CSV, Get a Chart and Three Takeaways
    6. Module 17: ChatGPT Work: Have ChatGPT Do a Multi-Step Task
    7. Module 18: Make Images with ChatGPT for Your Business
    8. Module 19: Replace Your Custom GPT with a ChatGPT Project
    Start Module 12 in the app →
  4. Part 47 live lessons

    Claude for Everyday Work

    Claude for writing, research and everyday work.

    The 7 lessons
    1. Module 20: Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt
    2. Module 21: Claude Projects for Your Business: Instructions, Knowledge and Quotes
    3. Module 22: Claude Artifacts: Build a Price Calculator You Can Try, Change and Share
    4. Module 23: Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It
    5. Module 24: Connect Claude to Google Drive, Gmail and Google Calendar
    6. Module 25: Check a Contract for Red Flags with Claude
    7. Module 26: What Are Claude Skills? Turn One On and Watch It Work
    Start Module 20 in the app →
  5. Part 55 live lessons

    Gemini for Google Workspace

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

    The 5 lessons
    1. Module 27: Gemini in Gmail: Summarize a Thread and Draft the Reply
    2. Module 28: Gmail Filters, Labels and AI Draft Replies With a Human Check
    3. Module 29: NotebookLM (Now Gemini Notebook): Cited Answers and a Briefing from Your Docs
    4. Module 30: NotebookLM: Turn Your Documents into a Podcast (Audio Overview)
    5. Module 31: ChatGPT Projects vs Gemini Gems vs Gemini Notebook: Which to Use
    Start Module 27 in the app →
  6. Part 6Coming soon

    Microsoft Copilot at Work

    Copilot inside the Microsoft 365 apps you already use.

  7. Part 71 live lesson

    Zapier Automation Basics

    Everyday automations in Zapier, starting with your first Zap.

    The 1 lesson
    1. Module 32: What Is a Webhook? Send a Test and Watch the Data Arrive
    Start Module 32 in the app →
  8. Part 85 live lessons

    Make.com Automation Basics

    Visual automations in Make, one scenario at a time.

    The 5 lessons
    1. Module 33: Your First Make.com Scenario: Google Forms to Google Sheets
    2. Module 34: Filters and Routers in Make.com: Send Urgent Requests One Way, Routine Ones Another
    3. Module 35: Add AI to Make.com: ChatGPT Writes a Personal Reply, Gmail Sends It
    4. Module 36: On a Schedule: A Daily Summary Email from a Google Sheet in Make.com
    5. Module 37: Webhooks: Connect a Website Form to Make.com
    Start Module 33 in the app →
  9. Part 99 live lessons

    n8n Automation Toolkit

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

    The 9 lessons
    1. Module 38: Find and Use n8n Templates
    2. Module 39: Daily Job Alerts: Email Each Tech Their Jobs from Google Sheets with n8n
    3. Module 40: AI Receipt Extractor: Receipts to Google Sheets with n8n
    4. Module 41: AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically with n8n
    5. Module 42: Gmail AI Triage: Auto-Label Every Email and Draft Replies
    6. Module 43: A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs
    7. Module 44: Litescrape in n8n: Swap SerpApi for a Cheaper Search API
    8. Module 45: n8n: Execute Step, Execute Workflow and Publish
    9. Module 46: n8n: Talk to Your Google Sheets with ChatGPT (AI Agent)
    Start Module 38 in the app →
  10. Part 105 live lessons

    Build Apps with Lovable

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

    The 5 lessons
    1. Module 47: Build a Landing Page with Lovable from One Prompt
    2. Module 48: Add a Contact Form That Saves to a Database in Lovable
    3. Module 49: Add an AI Chatbot to Your Website with Lovable AI
    4. Module 50: Build a Private Dashboard from Your Data in Lovable
    5. Module 51: Publish Your Lovable Site and Connect Your Own Domain
    Start Module 47 in the app →
  11. Part 113 live lessons

    AI Voice Agents

    AI voice agents that talk with your customers.

    The 3 lessons
    1. Module 52: Your First Voice Agent in ElevenLabs: An After-Hours Receptionist
    2. Module 53: Give Your Voice Agent Knowledge: A Price List and FAQ in ElevenLabs
    3. Module 54: ElevenLabs vs Vapi: Cost per Call and a Launch Checklist
    Start Module 52 in the app →
  12. Part 12Coming soon

    Canva AI for Social Posts

    A week of on-brand social posts with Canva's AI tools.

See the full course, every part and module in order · Start Part 1 free

Learning paths

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

All 26 learning paths, beginner to advanced

Or browse by tool

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 124 free videos

Visual Guides: AI Tips You Can Swipe Through

50 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 22 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 58 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: 289 templates

Browse all 289 prompt templates

AI glossary: 384 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 102 interactive lessons with 3,487 guided steps, organized as a 12-part course, 26 learning paths, 15 role guides and 13 industry and team tracks, plus 58 blog posts, an AI glossary of 384 terms, 289 prompt templates and 124 videos. In every lesson you watch a step, do it yourself in a practice copy of the real tool (ChatGPT, n8n, Lovable, Claude, Make and ElevenLabs Agents) 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 10, 2026.

About Robert Breen and how lessons are made

Frequently asked questions

Is Stepthrough really free?

Yes. All 102 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, Lovable, Claude, Make, ElevenLabs Agents, Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gmail and Jotform, along with the apps they connect to, like Google Sheets and Gmail. Course parts on the way cover Microsoft Copilot at Work and Canva AI for Social Posts. 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 58 posts, 384 glossary terms and 289 prompts today.

Start learning free

Open Part 1, pick a lesson and build your first AI project in about 8 minutes. 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: AI Automation for Beginners (3)
Part 2: Better Prompts (7)
Part 3: ChatGPT for Everyday Work (8)
Part 4: Claude for Everyday Work (7)
Part 5: Gemini for Google Workspace (5)
Part 7: Zapier Automation Basics (1)
Part 8: Make.com Automation Basics (5)
Part 9: n8n Automation Toolkit (9)
Part 10: Build Apps with Lovable (5)
Part 11: AI Voice Agents (3)

Lessons by industry and team

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

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 (27)
Step-by-step guides with screenshots (29)

Videos and more