All exercises in this playbook work with any AI chat tool. You don't need a specific platform — use whatever you're comfortable with. This page lists options by category for reference.
These are the tools you'll use for most exercises. Any one of them is sufficient.
| Tool | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | General-purpose exercises, wide model selection | Free tier available. GPT-4o recommended for more complex exercises. |
| Claude (Anthropic) | Long-form analysis, nuanced reasoning | Strong at synthesis and following complex instructions. |
| Gemini (Google) | Integration with Google Workspace, multimodal tasks | Good for exercises involving documents or data in Google ecosystem. |
| Copilot (Microsoft) | Integration with Microsoft 365 | Useful if your workflow lives in Outlook, Word, and Teams. |
Referenced in the advanced Agent Collaboration exercises. Not required for any exercise — the playbook teaches agent thinking through manual prompting first.
| Framework | What It Does | When to Explore |
|---|---|---|
| CrewAI | Python framework for orchestrating multiple AI agents with defined roles | After completing AC-Advanced-01 — when you want to automate the handoffs you did manually |
| AutoGen (Microsoft) | Framework for building multi-agent conversations | When you want agents that can talk to each other without manual copy-pasting |
| LangGraph (LangChain) | Framework for building stateful agent workflows with graph-based logic | When you need complex conditional logic in your agent pipelines |
Relevant to the Workflow Automation pillar, especially at the advanced level.
| Tool | What It Does | When to Explore |
|---|---|---|
| n8n | Open-source workflow automation with AI integration nodes | After completing WA-Advanced-01 — when you want to automate your prompt chains |
| Make (formerly Integromat) | Visual workflow builder with AI steps | Good for non-technical users who want to automate without code |
| Zapier | Simple automation connectors between apps, with AI actions | Best for straightforward automations: trigger → AI step → action |
Tools that embed AI into existing workflows.
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Notion AI | AI writing and analysis built into Notion workspace |
| Obsidian + Smart Connections | AI-powered linking and search within an Obsidian vault |
| Raycast AI | Quick AI access from any application on macOS |
| Google Workspace AI | AI features embedded in Docs, Sheets, Gmail |