Getting Started with Make.com: Create Your First Scenario

This guide explains step by step how to create your first automated scenario in make.com, from planning the workflow to testing and scheduling it for reliable, hands‑free operation.

What Is a Scenario in Make.com?

In make.com, a scenario is a visual automation made of modules that pass data between apps and services. Each module performs a specific task, such as receiving data, transforming it or sending it to another tool.

Every scenario has three core elements:

A trigger that starts the scenario run.
One or more actions to process data and perform work.
Connections to the apps and services you use.

Scenarios can be simple two‑step automations or advanced workflows with filters, routers and iterations that process large volumes of data.

Plan Your First Make.com Scenario

Before opening the scenario editor in make.com, define what you want to automate. Good planning avoids confusion later and helps you choose the right modules.

Define the Goal of Your Make.com Automation

Answer these questions:

What process do you want to automate?
Which apps and services are involved?
What data moves from one app to another?
How often should the automation run?

For example, you might want to send an automatic email whenever a new row is added to a spreadsheet, or create tasks from new form submissions.

Identify Trigger, Actions and Output

Write down:

Trigger event: the action in an app that starts the flow.
Processing steps: any filtering, transformation or enrichment.
Output: where the data should end up and in what format.

This simple mapping will guide your configuration inside the scenario editor.

Create a New Scenario in Make.com

Once you have a plan, you are ready to create a new scenario in the make.com dashboard.

Log in to your make.com account.
Open the Scenarios section from the main navigation.
Click Create a new scenario to open the visual editor.
You will see an empty canvas where you can place your first module.

The scenario editor is the workspace where you add modules, configure their settings and link them together in a logical sequence.

Add and Configure the First Module in Make.com

The first module usually represents your trigger, although some automations start with a search or manual event. In all cases, the first module defines how data enters the scenario.

Select the App for Your First Make.com Module

Click the large plus icon in the center of the canvas.
Search for the app or service that should start the automation.
Select the app to open its list of available modules.

Examples of first modules include watching a spreadsheet, receiving a webhook, monitoring an inbox or tracking updates in a database.

Choose the Correct Trigger or Action

After selecting the app, choose the specific module type you need, such as:

Watch records or Watch events to detect new or updated data.
Webhook to receive data pushed from external systems.
Search modules if you need to look up existing data.

This choice determines which data fields are available later in your make.com scenario.

Set Up Connections in Make.com

Most modules require a connection to the target service.

In the module configuration window, click Add or Create a connection.
Authorize make.com to access the selected app using its login or API key.
Save the connection so it can be reused in other scenarios.

Once the connection is created, you can choose accounts, workspaces or resources inside that app and narrow down which data should be processed.

Build the Workflow with Additional Make.com Modules

After configuring the first module, expand the scenario by adding more modules to handle processing and output.

Add Action Modules

Hover over the right edge of the first module until a small plus icon appears.
Click the plus icon and select the next app in your workflow.
Pick the appropriate action, such as Create, Update or Send.

Use the mapping panel to insert data from previous modules into the fields of the new module. Drag and drop items such as names, email addresses or IDs into the desired fields.

Use Filters and Routers in Make.com

To add conditional logic:

Filters allow the scenario to continue only if specific conditions are met, such as a field containing a certain value.
Routers split the flow into multiple branches that can each have their own filters and modules.

This is helpful when different data types require different processing paths within the same scenario.

Incorporate Tools and Helper Modules

Make.com also provides utility modules for handling dates, text and arrays. You can use them to:

Format dates and times.
Concatenate or split text.
Work with lists of items and iterate over them.

These helper modules make it easier to adapt incoming data to the exact format other apps require.

Test and Run Your Make.com Scenario

Before turning on scheduling, testing ensures your configuration behaves as expected and that data flows correctly.

Run a Manual Test

Click Run once in the scenario editor.
Trigger the starting event in your source app, or let the module pull recent data.
Watch the module bubbles light up as data moves through each step.

You can inspect each module to see the input and output bundles, which show exactly what data is being passed along.

Fix Errors and Adjust Mapping

If a module fails or returns an error, open its details to understand the issue. Common fixes include:

Providing required fields that were left empty.
Correcting field mapping to match app requirements.
Updating filters so that data meets the defined conditions.

Run the scenario again after making adjustments until every module completes successfully.

Schedule and Activate Your Make.com Scenario

When the test run works correctly, you can let make.com handle the workflow automatically.

In the editor, set the scenario Schedule to define how often it should run, such as immediately, every few minutes or at custom intervals.
Switch the scenario status from Off to On.
Save your work to confirm the schedule and configuration.

Once active, the scenario will run according to its trigger and schedule without manual intervention.

Optimize and Maintain Your Make.com Workflows

After your first automation is live, continue refining it to stay efficient and reliable.

Review scenario execution history to track performance and catch errors early.
Update filters and conditions when business rules change.
Extend the workflow by adding new branches or helper modules as needs evolve.

To deepen your understanding, you can compare your setup with examples in the official documentation at this make.com tutorial, which explains the same process using visual examples.

Next Steps Beyond Your First Make.com Scenario

Creating your first automation is only the beginning. Make.com supports complex scenarios that integrate many apps and services, helping you reduce manual work and improve data consistency.

For broader automation strategy, scenario design consulting and advanced integration support, consider resources such as Consultevo, which covers automation best practices and implementation guidance.

By following the steps above, you can confidently build, test and launch your first scenario in make.com and use the same approach to automate more processes across your tools and teams.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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