Building your first Make scenario introduces you to the platform’s canvas-based approach to automation and lays the foundation for building more complex workflows over time. Starting with a concrete, high-value automation — one that replaces a manual task your team performs frequently — is the fastest way to develop the intuition needed to use Make effectively.
Opening the Scenario Builder
After creating your Make account, create a new scenario from the Scenarios dashboard. The scenario builder opens to a blank canvas with a single empty module in the center. Click the module to search for your trigger app — the tool where your workflow starts. Select the trigger app and the specific trigger event, then connect your account and configure the trigger settings. Test the trigger to pull in real sample data that you will use to configure subsequent modules.
Adding Action Modules
Click the small circle on the right side of the trigger module to add the first action module. Search for your destination app and select the specific action to perform — create a record, send a message, update a field. Map the fields from your trigger data to the fields in the action module using Make’s data mapping interface. Test the module individually to confirm it produces the expected output before adding the next module in the chain.
Using Routers for Conditional Logic
Make’s Router module allows you to split a scenario into multiple parallel paths that each handle a different scenario. Add a Router after your trigger module and configure the filter conditions for each path. For example, a scenario that handles new CRM contacts might route high-value leads to one path and standard leads to another, with each path taking different actions. Routers are one of Make’s most powerful features and are the primary mechanism for building scenarios that handle the full complexity of real business processes.
Testing and Activating Your Scenario
Run the complete scenario once using Make’s Run Once feature before activating it for automatic execution. Review each module’s output in the execution detail view to confirm that data is flowing correctly through every step. When you are confident the scenario works correctly with real data, activate it and set the execution schedule — Make supports schedules from every minute to monthly. Monitor the execution history for the first few days and document the scenario’s purpose and configuration in Notion.
