> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.riff.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.riff.ai/archive/quick-start-tutorials-legacy-staging/what-you-can-build-with-riff.md).

# What you can build with Riff

## Agents, Automations and Dashboards

* **Automation (workflows):** follow predefined steps. "If X, then do Y."
* **Agents:** make judgment calls. "Given the goal and context, what should we do next?"
* **Dashboards:** see what's happening. "Show me the current state."

### When to use which

**Use a** [**Dashboard** ](/archive/quick-start-tutorials-legacy-staging/quickstart-dashboard.md)**when** you need visibility into current state.

> *Examples:* Sales pipeline by stage. Support tickets this week. Key metrics from multiple sources in one view.

**Use** [**Automation** ](/archive/quick-start-tutorials-legacy-staging/quick-start-automation.md)**when** the path is known and repeatable.

> *Examples:* Move a file. Post a message. Update a record. Send a daily digest.

**Use an** [**Agent** ](/archive/quick-start-tutorials-legacy-staging/quickstart-agent.md)**when** the path depends on context.

> *Examples:* Which deals need attention today? What's the best next step? Why did this metric spike?

### You can combine them

* A **dashboard** can trigger an agent to explain an anomaly
* An **automation** can update a dashboard's data source
* An **agent** can recommend which dashboard to check based on your question

Most apps use all three together.

### Quick decision guide

<table><thead><tr><th width="208">If you need to...</th><th width="184">Use...</th><th>Example</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>See current state</td><td>Dashboard</td><td>Sales by region, support backlog, weekly signups</td></tr><tr><td>Track changes over time</td><td>Dashboard</td><td>Revenue trend, NPS score, active users</td></tr><tr><td>Run same steps repeatedly</td><td>Automation</td><td>Daily backup, file sync, scheduled report</td></tr><tr><td>React to events</td><td>Automation</td><td>New deal → Slack, form submit → email, ticket → assign</td></tr><tr><td>Understand context</td><td>Agent</td><td>"Why did churn spike?" "Which customers are at risk?"</td></tr><tr><td>Make decisions</td><td>Agent</td><td>Prioritize leads, recommend next action, triage issues</td></tr><tr><td>Combine data sources</td><td>Dashboard + Agent</td><td>Show metrics, ask agent "What should we focus on?"</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Get Started

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th align="center"></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center"><strong>Quickstart Agent</strong></td><td>Build an agent that searches the web, scores relevance using your criteria, and sends you a personalized digest. No feeds. No noise.</td><td><a href="/pages/YpaJYVrYGEEAhOzHlA7k">/pages/YpaJYVrYGEEAhOzHlA7k</a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><strong>Quickstart Automation</strong></td><td>Build a feedback form that stores submissions in your database, then an automation that runs daily to summarize all new feedback and posts it to Slack.</td><td><a href="/pages/jDb9cWKnAlPOQaRAl3OK">/pages/jDb9cWKnAlPOQaRAl3OK</a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><strong>Quickstart Dashboard</strong></td><td>Turn a Google Sheet into a live dashboard - no copy-paste, updates automatically.</td><td><a href="/pages/tA8Qo3lRTq5iJ95qwMTu">/pages/tA8Qo3lRTq5iJ95qwMTu</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
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Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
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```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
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