IFTTT

Consumer automation applets across smart home, apps, and services

YES · focused build
price $2.99/mosubscription / year $35.88estimated build time one sittingreplaced by 0 people

For a few personal applets, a script or simple webhook worker is enough; the full consumer integration catalog and smart-home breadth are what you lose.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • consumer integration catalog
  • smart-home integrations
  • mobile applets
  • easy UI
  • maintenance when APIs change

Why people still pay

They pay because the applet is easier to click together than to maintain.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Node.js 22 and a writable local SQLite/work directory
  • Owner-authorized credentials or command prerequisites for only the registered operations
01
Node.js 22, Express, TypeScript, better-sqlite3 and a persisted job worker. Use a fixed registry of typed operations and a small React/Vite control page; credentials and process execution remain in narrow server adapters.
02
Domain model: applets, trigger checkpoints, event IDs, step attempts, credentials, delivery receipts.
03
Implementation boundary: deduplicate trigger events and pause ambiguous non-idempotent actions for review.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Define the working slice and setup. Create AGENTS.md with the exact stack, permitted integrations and exclusions below. Model applets, trigger checkpoints, event IDs, step attempts, credentials, delivery receipts; provide one labelled sample that exercises a two-connector trigger-action runner with cron, webhook and RSS triggers. Document every enabled operation, trigger/callback requirements, allowed working directories and command/provider prerequisites. Provide fixture events and a dry-run planning mode that performs no external mutations.

2

Phase 2

Build the domain workflow before polishing the interface. Implement the input, review, committed state and output for a two-connector trigger-action runner with cron, webhook and RSS triggers. Enforce this invariant in the service layer: deduplicate trigger events and pause ambiguous non-idempotent actions for review. Use explicit IDs and schema versions so later edits do not silently change earlier outcomes.

3

Phase 3

Make the core interaction usable. Present the saved applets, trigger checkpoints, event IDs and their current revision/state; provide an inspectable preview before consequential changes. Add labelled empty/loading/error states, keyboard navigation and a narrow-screen layout where the target platform supports it.

4

Phase 4

Add failure recovery and boundaries. Treat external text and model output as untrusted data. Permit only declared operations with schema-validated arguments; keep approval bound to exact arguments, scope and revision. Never pass untrusted command strings to a shell. Persist trigger IDs, operation attempts, approval state and receipts. Resume from known checkpoints, bound retries and require inspection of uncertain external outcomes. A stopped worker cannot reset approvals or duplicate completed operations. Exercise this app-specific recovery case during implementation: replayed webhook data produces one execution; a failed action resumes without rerunning completed steps.

5

Phase 5

Deliver an inspectable result. Walk through a two-connector trigger-action runner with cron, webhook and RSS triggers using labelled sample inputs; show the saved data and final output together. Acceptance cases: Replayed webhook data produces one execution; a failed action resumes without rerunning completed steps. Also document a canceled operation, an unavailable dependency, and export/restore of the state that this scope actually persists.

6

Phase 6

Handoff and operating notes. Include setup/run/build commands that actually exist, environment placeholders or native permission setup as appropriate, migrations, sample inputs, data locations, backup/recovery instructions and the exclusions: hundreds of connectors and arbitrary uploaded code. Report what was implemented and what was actually checked; do not claim production readiness, certification or measured performance without evidence.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
WORKING SLICE
Build a two-connector trigger-action runner with cron, webhook and RSS triggers, inspired by IFTTT. Keep the first release focused on this personal or small-team workflow, with its own documented operating limits. Leave out hundreds of connectors and arbitrary uploaded code.

STACK AND SETUP
Node.js 22, Express, TypeScript, better-sqlite3 and a persisted job worker. Use a fixed registry of typed operations and a small React/Vite control page; credentials and process execution remain in narrow server adapters.
Document every enabled operation, trigger/callback requirements, allowed working directories and command/provider prerequisites. Provide fixture events and a dry-run planning mode that performs no external mutations.

WORKFLOW AND DATA
Model applets, trigger checkpoints, event IDs, step attempts, credentials, delivery receipts. Keep source inputs, editable decisions and generated outputs distinguishable; record stable IDs and revisions. The core rule is: deduplicate trigger events and pause ambiguous non-idempotent actions for review. Build a complete input → review → commit → inspect/export path before optional features.

FAILURE AND RECOVERY
Treat external text and model output as untrusted data. Permit only declared operations with schema-validated arguments; keep approval bound to exact arguments, scope and revision. Never pass untrusted command strings to a shell.
Persist trigger IDs, operation attempts, approval state and receipts. Resume from known checkpoints, bound retries and require inspection of uncertain external outcomes. A stopped worker cannot reset approvals or duplicate completed operations.

PROJECT RULES / AGENTS.md
Create AGENTS.md at the project root before implementation. Include the following rules verbatim, then add the actual module layout, supported dependency versions, commands, data paths and environment/permission requirements as they are implemented. Keep UI, domain logic and external adapters separate. Do not add a service or platform solely to use a skill.
- Scope rule: implement a two-connector trigger-action runner with cron, webhook and RSS triggers. Keep hundreds of connectors and arbitrary uploaded code outside this project unless the owner separately changes scope.
- Data rule: model applets, trigger checkpoints, event IDs, step attempts, credentials, delivery receipts. Preserve stable IDs, source timestamps and revision history; migrations must explain how existing records survive.
- Behavior rule: deduplicate trigger events and pause ambiguous non-idempotent actions for review. Put this rule in the domain/service layer, not only in presentation code.
- Recovery rule: Replayed webhook data produces one execution; a failed action resumes without rerunning completed steps. Keep this failure/recovery fixture in the implementation checklist and report evidence honestly.
- Treat uploaded files, fetched pages, emails and model output as untrusted data. Keep secrets out of source, fixtures and diagnostic output. External side effects require explicit scope and recoverable state.
- Work in the numbered phases below. Update the delivery notes with actual evidence and unresolved limitations; never mark proposed acceptance cases as already passed.

ACCEPTANCE CASES
Replayed webhook data produces one execution; a failed action resumes without rerunning completed steps. Include one ordinary successful path and these edge cases in the future implementation's checks. Compare the saved domain state with the visible result and exported output; unavailable information must remain unknown rather than invented.

DELIVERY
Follow the six delivery phases accompanying this prompt. Ship source, AGENTS.md, README, sample inputs, explicit setup and data-recovery instructions. Keep the first release focused on this personal or small-team workflow, with its own documented operating limits. Out of scope: hundreds of connectors and arbitrary uploaded code.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md

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Alternatives to building your own

Home AssistantIFTTT for the house, except the house keeps the data and needs an always-on box.90kaug 2026open source↗HuginnIFTTT's paranoid older cousin: ugly, capable, and living on your server.50kaug 2026open source↗Activepieces Community EditionApp-to-app automations with schedules, webhooks, approvals, and no per-task meter.24kaug 2026open source↗

all 4 free alternatives to IFTTT →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

IFTTT pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0$02 Applets; unlimited Applet runs; standard trigger speeds.
pro$4.99$2.9920 Applets; multi-action Applets; faster trigger speeds.$35.88 is charged yearly at the displayed annual rate; 7-day trial.
pro+$14.99$8.99Unlimited Applets; multiple accounts per service; developer tools; AI services.$107.88 is charged yearly at the displayed annual rate; 7-day trial.

free tier2 Applets and unlimited runs; no time limit.

billingmonthly + annual (annual displayed at about 40% lower effective monthly price); auto-renews until cancelled

hidden costsNo general task overage is published; Pro+ AI services are rate-limited to 200 requests per day, so higher recurring use cannot simply be bought as metered overage.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-11 · pricing source ↗

Questions about IFTTT

Can you build your own IFTTT with AI?

The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. For a few personal applets, a script or simple webhook worker is enough; the full consumer integration catalog and smart-home breadth are what you lose.

What does the IFTTT build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Build a two-connector trigger-action runner with cron, webhook and RSS triggers, inspired by IFTTT. Keep the first release focused on this personal or small-team workflow, with its own documented operating limits. Leave out hundreds of connectors and arbitrary uploaded code. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: consumer integration catalog; smart-home integrations; mobile applets. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the IFTTT prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this IFTTT project take?

The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing IFTTT?

consumer integration catalog; smart-home integrations; mobile applets; easy UI; maintenance when APIs change. They pay because the applet is easier to click together than to maintain.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Pro plan is $2.99/mo (monthly), checked 2026-07-30. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building IFTTT?

Home Assistant: IFTTT for the house, except the house keeps the data and needs an always-on box. Huginn: IFTTT's paranoid older cousin: ugly, capable, and living on your server. Activepieces Community Edition: App-to-app automations with schedules, webhooks, approvals, and no per-task meter. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/ifttt/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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