# How to Vibe Code Your Own Robomotion (and Stop Paying for It)

> Agentic RPA Platform

- Site: https://robomotion.io
- Category: Workflow Automation & RPA
- Verdict: **Serious undertaking** (38/100 vibecodeable)
- Estimated effort: 6-8 weeks of part-time development

## Verdict

Build a personal subset with a local TypeScript runner and React flow canvas, but keep paying if you need hardened enterprise connectors.

Replicating a platform that combines a cross-platform desktop runner, a performant visual node graph, a secure credential proxy, and autonomous LLM agent loops requires building several complex subsystems from scratch. While an AI coding agent can scaffold the Next.js admin console and basic node executor quickly, handling secure local process isolation across Windows and macOS, preventing credential leakage into LLM context windows, and managing robust concurrent queues will consume weeks of frustrating debugging.

### What you can't replicate

- 220+ battle-tested enterprise integrations for SAP, legacy banking, and tax portals
- ISO 27001 security compliance certifications and enterprise audit trails

## What it does

Combines deterministic visual workflow automation with autonomous AI agents on a single drag-and-drop canvas for end-to-end business process automation.

### Core features

- Visual drag-and-drop node canvas (Flow Designer)
- Local desktop runtime agent (Windows/macOS/Linux/Raspberry Pi)
- Prompt-to-flow AI generation assistant
- Secure credential vault and proxy architecture
- Concurrency handling and task queues
- Hybrid agent integration (Google ADK / Hermes style LLM loops)

## The business

### Pricing

- Free: $0
- Solo: $49/mo
- Pro: $129/mo
- Team: $399/mo

### Funding

$250,000 raised.
- Seed
Investors: HiVC, Lima Ventures, Arman Eker, Ahmet Bilgen, Koray Bahar

Founded 2020.
Team size: ~8 employees.

## The hard parts

- Cross-platform local desktop process isolation and secure execution sandboxes
- Bidirectional synchronization between visual canvas nodes and underlying execution scripts
- Zero-exposure credential proxy architecture preventing LLMs from seeing raw secrets
- Reliable concurrency queuing and parallel worker process orchestration

## How to vibe code Robomotion

### Prerequisites

- Node.js (free): Required for running the Next.js admin web console and the local TypeScript runner agent.
- GitHub (free): Source control and CI/CD deployment pipeline.

### Recommended AI tools

- Claude Code: Best-in-class coding agent for multi-file scaffolding, connecting local runtimes, and building complex node canvas logic.
- Cursor: Ideal for fine-tuning the Reactflow drag-and-drop canvas UI and debugging state synchronization.

### Stack

- Frontend: Next.js with React Flow for the visual canvas designer
- Backend: Node.js with Express and TypeScript for the orchestration server and local runtime agent
- Database: Turso for edge database storage of flows and execution states
- Auth: better-auth for self-hosted authentication
- Payments: None (personal clone)
- Other: Vercel AI SDK, Browser Use, Anthropic API

### Hosting

- Vercel (Hosting the Next.js Admin Console and Flow Designer web interface.): $0/mo
- Fly.io (Running the cloud automation runner engine and persistent queue workers.): ~$5/mo

### Build guide

1. **Scaffold Next.js Admin Console & Database** — Initialize the Next.js project with Tailwind CSS, better-auth, and Turso for managing flows, robot agents, and execution logs.

```
Initialize a new Next.js project using Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and better-auth. Set up Turso (SQLite over HTTP) as the database with Drizzle ORM. Create database schemas for users, robots (development, production, application), flows (storing node graphs as JSON), and execution_logs (tracking run start, end, status, and step outputs). Implement a clean dark-mode dashboard layout with sidebar navigation for Flows, Robots, Credentials, and Settings. Write robust migration scripts and test database connectivity locally.
```

2. **Build the Visual Flow Designer Canvas** — Integrate React Flow to create a drag-and-drop automation canvas supporting custom nodes (RPA actions, HTTP requests, LLM agent loops).

```
Install React Flow and build an interactive visual automation builder canvas inside the Next.js dashboard. Define custom node types: 'Action Node' (for HTTP/browser tasks), 'Logic Node' (if/else branching, loops), and 'Agent Node' (for LLM prompt execution). Implement drag-and-drop node creation from a sidebar palette, edge connection validation, and serialization of the canvas graph into a JSON schema that represents the automation flow sequence. Include a toolbar to save, test-run, and export flows.
```

3. **Develop the Local Desktop Runner Agent** — Build a standalone Node.js desktop runner service capable of polling the orchestration server and executing automation scripts locally.

```
Create a standalone Node.js and TypeScript background worker service that acts as a local robot runner. The runner should authenticate with the central backend using a robot API key, poll a job queue for assigned flow executions, and download the flow JSON. Implement an execution engine that interprets the node graph step-by-step: executing HTTP requests, running JavaScript code snippets via isolated vm contexts, and logging step execution results back to the server in real-time.
```

4. **Implement the Secure Credential Proxy Vault** — Build an encrypted credential storage and proxy vault so automation nodes can authenticate against third-party APIs without exposing secrets.

```
Implement a secure credential vault module using AES-256 encryption in Node.js. Create a Credential Proxy service that intercepts outgoing requests from executing robots, injects encrypted API keys or session cookies headers dynamically at runtime, and ensures that raw secrets are never passed into LLM prompt context windows or exposed in execution logs. Build UI screens in the Admin Console to manage and scope credentials to specific robots.
```

5. **Integrate Hybrid LLM Agent Loops** — Add AI assistant prompt generation and autonomous LLM agent execution nodes using the Vercel AI SDK and Anthropic API.

```
Integrate the Vercel AI SDK and Anthropic API to support two AI capabilities: first, an 'AI Automation Builder' chat assistant in the Flow Designer that translates natural language prompts into valid React Flow JSON node graphs; second, an autonomous 'Agent Node' that uses Claude Sonnet with tool-calling capabilities to execute judgment-heavy steps within a workflow, making decisions and calling subflows as tools.
```

6. **Build Queue Orchestration & Concurrency Handling** — Implement task scheduling, parallel worker branching, and error retry logic across cloud and local runners.

```
Build a robust concurrency and queue orchestration engine using Turso and background worker locks. Support multi-branching parallel execution where a workflow can split into multiple concurrent worker threads. Implement cron-based scheduling for automated job triggers, automatic error retries with exponential backoff, and dead-letter queues for failed runs. Add a live monitoring view in the Admin Console showing real-time job states and worker utilization.
```

### Cost vs paying

**Starting costs (one-time):**

- Domain name (optional): $12 one-time
- Total: $12 one-time

**Ongoing costs (monthly):**

- Fly.io cloud runner hosting: $5/mo
- Anthropic API credits for agent execution: ~$10/mo
- Total: ~$15/mo

- Paying for the SaaS instead: $129/mo (Pro Plan)
- Build time: 45 hours
- AI tool credits: $20 (Claude Pro)
- Break-even: 1 month

## Sources

- [Robomotion Official Website](https://robomotion.io)
- [Robomotion Pricing Page](https://robomotion.io/pricing)