Plain-English automation map
A readable discovery dashboard finds low-risk automation surfaces, risk labels, and the first workflow worth discussing.
AUTOMATION HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
See what you can stop doing by hand.
APPROVED FILE IN - CLEAN INVOICE OUT
I help small businesses turn repetitive spreadsheet and folder work into predictable automation. Start with a free browser snapshot, then request discovery for a deeper scan on your machine. You will see what I would automate, how much time it could save, and what the first build costs before you commit.
Consent
Before report upload
Quote
After scan
Flexible pricing
Scoped to the work
RUNS ON YOUR MACHINE - NOTHING LEAVES IT
Most automation shops want a signature before you see anything work. I'd rather show you first.
No cloud dependencyThe customer workflow makes no accounting or bank API calls and no LLM calls. It runs against your local files.
Secrets in the OS keychainMail credentials live in your operating system's keychain where available - not in a config file in plain text.
No autonomous agent decisionsAutomation runs from reviewed rules, accepted files, and customer-approved activation steps.
// DISCOVERY
You get a plain-English map before you buy anything
Discovery reviews approved files, candidate workflows, blocked paths, open questions, and exact next steps so the first paid scope is narrow, understandable, and based on evidence instead of a sales call.
Plain-English findings
Each opportunity is summarized by what it touches, why it matters, what approval is needed, and whether it is a good first step.
Full local scan path
The browser snapshot is directional. Discovery uses the local Vigil Scan path to write the authoritative Automation Surface Report.
What discovery includes
- Ranked automation map across invoices, quotes, reconciliation, reminders, expenses, reporting, templates, email/PDF workflows, and file monitoring.
- Risk rating for each opportunity: low-risk, needs review, blocked, or out of scope.
- Build-size label: small, medium, large, or custom.
- Monitoring-size label: basic, managed, or critical.
- Recommended first workflow with scope, expected output, customer responsibilities, fallback process, and next-step options.
What discovery does not include
- Production automation is quoted separately after discovery.
- The final quote follows an approved workflow scope.
- High-risk or cross-department work needs a custom review.
- Customer-visible sends, account changes, and irreversible file changes stay human-approved.
// WHAT IT DOES
Automation work Vigil can map
Vigil fits the work your business already runs: spreadsheets, exports, reports, statements, folders, emails, and archives. Discovery ranks what can be automated safely now.
Billing documents
XLSX / CSV>>>PDF - SENT
Generate branded PDF invoices, quotes, estimates, and customer documents from the spreadsheets you already maintain, then send approved outputs through your business mailbox.
- Reads approved Excel and CSV rows
- Branded, consistent PDF output
- Sends through your approved business mailbox
Reports & reconciliation
LEDGER>>>IMPACT REPORT
Track payment matching, exception queues, expense categories, and monthly impact summaries so the admin time you save is visible at review.
- Payment matching and categorization
- Monthly impact report for review
- Built from your local records
Follow-up & monitoring
WATCH FOLDER>>>ARCHIVED
Vigil can watch folders, archive processed files, generate controlled follow-up, and surface failed jobs so nothing slips through silently.
- Folder monitoring with review
- Processed files archived automatically
- Failed jobs isolated for support
Discovery-backed handoff
RECEIPT>>>ACTIVATED
Setup walks through the discovery report, install receipt, first-workflow dry run, readiness gate, and customer-approved activation. The hosted handoff accepts only an approved report upload with redacted findings; source files stay local.
- Receipt-driven setup on site
- Non-destructive dry run first
- Monitoring only after you approve
// THE PROCESS
From discovery to filed evidence
The automation service starts by mapping the workflow, then runs predictable local steps. Each stage is non-destructive and leaves a trace, so you can always see what happened.
01
Explore
Automation discovery maps local files, workflow candidates, customer questions, and next commands.
02
Scope
You choose the approved workflows, input shapes, reviewers, and output targets before activation.
03
Run
Vigil executes the reviewed local rule path against approved files.
04
Deliver
Outputs are saved locally, optionally sent through your mailbox, and archived with evidence.
05
Evidence
Status, logs, and impact data are ready if you need support.
AFTER DISCOVERY - SIX REVIEW-GATED STEPS
1
Scope from findings
The automation dashboard defines the workflow, output, reviewer, fallback, estimated value, build size, and monitoring size.
2
Build or mini-build
The first approved automation is quoted separately from discovery and kept narrow enough to prove value quickly.
3
Readiness gate
Generated PDFs are checked against loaded rows before anything is scheduled.
4
Approved activation
Monitoring is enabled only after you review the activation artifacts and approve.
5
Progress check
A run confirms the live process is behaving the way the dry run did.
6
Support bundle
If you need help, a redacted bundle becomes a case on the operator dashboard.
LOCAL-FIRST BY DESIGN
Your books stay where your books belong
The customer processing path has no LLM calls, no autonomous agent decisions, and no accounting or bank API dependency. Diagnostics are summarized into redacted bundles for an operator to review. Raw customer files are not included by default.
- Secrets in the OS keychain
Where the operating system supports it, credentials are stored in the keychain rather than plain text.
- Dashboard binds to localhost
The operator dashboard listens on your machine by default and is not exposed publicly.
- Security scans & SBOM in release
Releases run security scans and ship a software bill of materials so you know what's inside.
- Customer-visible action stays human-approved
Support evidence helps the operator diagnose the issue. It does not send replies or change customer workflows on its own.
- READ THE CUSTOMER SECURITY OVERVIEW ->
// SUPPORT VIEW
Support that starts with evidence
Every session opens with status, doctor checks, error-queue summaries, log counts, and impact data. You send one redacted support bundle; the operator dashboard turns it into a case - no screen-sharing your books.
Monitoring
Active
Failed jobs
0
Email
Connected
Support
Private
// FLEXIBLE PRICING
Start with discovery, then scope the right first build
Discovery gives both sides enough context to choose a narrow first move. Paid work is quoted as a clear scope, with monitoring or support added only when the workflow needs it.
DISCOVERY FIRST
DiscoveryBook first
Automation buildScope-based
MonitoringAs needed
Pricing is flexible and scope-based. Simple routines stay small; messy, business-critical, or ongoing work gets scoped with the right review, fallback, and support boundaries.
REQUEST DISCOVERYFAQ
Straight answers
The things small businesses ask before they let anything near their back-office workflows.
No. The customer processing runtime runs locally on your machine. The hosted site only handles discovery intake, approved report upload, and payment status.
No raw invoices, bank rows, customer lists, or source spreadsheets are included in the default support bundle. Diagnostics are redacted into a summary an operator can work from without seeing your customers' data.
No. Vigil runs predictable workflows from reviewed rules and approved files. Customer-visible sends, template changes, and activation steps stay human-approved.
Approved Excel and CSV files that you place in the inbox folder. Vigil works from the spreadsheets you already keep - you don't have to change your source of truth.
The free Automation Snapshot reads a spreadsheet inside your browser. The full Vigil Scan path runs locally and writes the report to your machine. Discovery upload uses only the approved report, not raw customer files.
Pricing is flexible and scope-based. Automation builds are scoped from workflow evidence, risk, fallback needs, and monitoring requirements.
I work with small businesses across the United States through remote discovery and guided installation on the customer's machine.
Start with automation discovery
Use the free Automation Snapshot for workflow files, then request discovery when you are ready for the local scan and a scoped first build.