Keystroke
by Keystroke
Code-first workflow automation built for AI coding agents Keystroke is a workflow automation and AI agent platform, launched in July 2026 by Y Combinator-backed Sprint Labs, that positions itself as an n8n alternative built for coding agents. Instead of a visual canvas storing workflows as JSON graphs, Keystroke automations are ordinary async TypeScript living in the user's own git repository: workflows carry Zod input schemas, are testable with Vitest, and are reviewed like any other code.
Key Facts
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Launch | Public launch July 13, 2026 (GitHub repository published; open alpha) | Jul 2026 | GitHub API |
| Y Combinator Batch | Y Combinator Winter 2024 (entered as Buster; pivoted to Keystroke) | Jul 2026 | Y Combinator company profile |
| Founders | Blake Rouse (CEO) and Dallin Bentley | Jul 2026 | Y Combinator company profile |
| Funding | $2.4 million announced April 2025 under the Buster brand (Y Combinator, General Catalyst, General Advance, Kulveer Taggar, and others); no round announced under the Keystroke name | Jul 2026 | Buster company blog (archived) |
| License | Elastic License 2.0: source-available, self-hosting permitted, offering it as a hosted service to third parties prohibited; not an OSI-approved open-source license | Jul 2026 | Keystroke GitHub LICENSE |
| GitHub Stars | 40 (four days after the repository was published) | Jul 2026 | GitHub API |
| Integrations | 1,000+ integration definitions (vendor-claimed) | Jul 2026 | Keystroke |
| Maturity | Pre-1.0 open alpha: npm @keystrokehq/keystroke at v0.1.98, zero tagged GitHub releases, "Keystroke 1.0" advertised as coming soon | Jul 2026 | Keystroke + npm registry |
| Execution Model | Durable step execution: each successful action or agent call is recorded and replayed on retry after errors, sleeps, approval steps, or restarts, rather than re-run | Jul 2026 | Keystroke GitHub README |
| AI Model Gateway | Managed model access to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, and xAI at a 1.1x markup on provider list price; bring-your-own-key usage is not billed by Keystroke | Jul 2026 | Keystroke pricing page |
| Usage Rates | $0.01 per agent or workflow run; $0.005 per empty poll trigger; $0.007 per web search; $0.001 per web fetch; ~$0.067 per hour of sandbox compute | Jul 2026 | Keystroke pricing page |
| Deployment Options | Managed cloud (Keystroke Cloud) or self-hosted standalone server; workflow code lives as TypeScript in the user's own git repository either way | Jul 2026 | Keystroke GitHub README |
| Team Features | Hosted team workspace with OAuth credential management, run logs, and access controls; chat surfaces for Slack, Microsoft Teams, Linear, and Telegram (vendor-claimed) | Jul 2026 | Keystroke |
| Trigger Types | Cron schedules, webhooks, polling, and app events; advanced triggers support agent prompts, transforms, and filtering | Jul 2026 | Keystroke docs |
Pricing Plans
Hobby
Free forever; usage beyond the included credit is metered
- ✓$1/month included usage credit
- ✓Community support
- ✓Workflow code lives in your own repo
- !1 project
- !5 GB file storage
- !5 concurrent runs
- !10-minute agent and workflow timeouts
- !60 requests/min API rate limit
- !7-day log retention
Pro
Plus metered usage beyond the $20/month included credit
- ✓$20/month included usage credit
- ✓Additional storage at $0.25 per 10 GB
- !5 projects
- !50 GB file storage
- !10 concurrent runs
- !30-minute agent and workflow timeouts
- !300 requests/min API rate limit
- !30-day log retention
Organization
Custom pricing (contact sales)
- ✓Custom included usage credit
- ✓Role-based access controls
- ✓SSO
- ✓Audit logs
- ✓Priority support
- !Unlimited projects
- !Unlimited concurrent runs
- !Custom storage, timeouts, rate limits, and log retention
About Keystroke
Keystroke is a workflow automation and AI agent platform, launched in July 2026 by Y Combinator-backed Sprint Labs, that positions itself as an n8n alternative built for coding agents. Instead of a visual canvas storing workflows as JSON graphs, Keystroke automations are ordinary async TypeScript living in the user's own git repository: workflows carry Zod input schemas, are testable with Vitest, and are reviewed like any other code. Coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex do most of the authoring; onboarding is itself agent-native, with users pasting a single docs URL into their coding agent.
The platform executes workflows as durable steps, recording each successful action or agent call and replaying it on retries after errors, sleeps, approval steps, or restarts. It ships 1,000+ built-in integration definitions (vendor-claimed) covering tools such as Slack, Linear, GitHub, Notion, Gmail, and Stripe, and can reach any HTTP API or MCP server beyond that. A built-in gateway offers models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, and xAI at a 1.1x markup, or teams bring their own API keys at no platform charge. Deployment targets are Keystroke's managed cloud, which adds a team workspace with OAuth credential management, run logs, and access controls, or a self-hosted standalone server under the source-available Elastic License 2.0.
As of July 2026 Keystroke is an open alpha: the public repository appeared on July 13, 2026, the npm package sits at v0.1.98, and "Keystroke 1.0" is advertised as coming soon. Pricing spans a free Hobby tier, a $20/month Pro tier, and a custom Organization tier, with usage metered per run, poll, and search on every tier.
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Workflow AutomationSee How It Ranks
Best Durable Workflow Engines for Production in 2026
A ranked list of the best durable workflow engines for production deployments in 2026. Durable workflow engines persist execution state to a database so that long-running workflows survive process restarts, deployments, and infrastructure failures. The ranking covers Temporal, Prefect, Apache Airflow, Camunda, Windmill, and n8n. Tools were evaluated on production reliability, developer experience, scalability, open-source health, and documentation quality. The shortlist intentionally mixes code-first engines (Temporal, Prefect, Airflow) with hybrid visual platforms (Camunda, Windmill, n8n) to reflect how production teams actually choose workflow engines in 2026.
Best No-Code Automation Platforms in 2026
A ranked list of no-code automation platforms in 2026. The ranking covers visual workflow builders that allow non-engineering teams to connect SaaS apps, route data, and add conditional logic without writing code. Entries cover proprietary cloud platforms (Zapier, Make, Pipedream, IFTTT) and open-source visual builders (n8n, Activepieces). Scoring reflects integration breadth, pricing accessibility, visual editor ease, reliability and error handling, and self-hosting availability.
Questions About Keystroke
What is Keystroke?
Keystroke is a code-first workflow automation and AI agent platform, launched July 13, 2026 by Y Combinator-backed Sprint Labs, that positions itself as an n8n alternative built for AI coding agents. Workflows are written as typed TypeScript in the user's own repository, usually by agents such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex, and deployed to Keystroke's managed cloud or self-hosted under the source-available Elastic License 2.0.
How much does Keystroke cost in 2026?
Keystroke offers three tiers as of July 2026: Hobby (free forever, with $1/month of included usage credit), Pro ($20/month, including $20/month of usage credit), and Organization (custom pricing with SSO, RBAC, and audit logs). Usage is metered on every tier: $0.01 per agent or workflow run, $0.005 per empty poll, $0.007 per web search, roughly $0.067 per hour of sandbox compute, and a 1.1x markup on AI model calls unless you bring your own API keys.
Is Keystroke worth it in 2026?
Keystroke earns a provisional 6.5/10 in its July 2026 open alpha: the agent-native TypeScript model is genuinely differentiated and the free Hobby tier makes it safe to trial, but the platform is pre-1.0 (npm at v0.1.98, public repository published July 13, 2026), has no third-party production track record, and its Elastic License 2.0 restricts offering it as a hosted service. Worth trialing for teams that build through coding agents; too young for production-critical workflows.
Is Keystroke a good n8n alternative?
Keystroke is a credible n8n alternative only for teams that build automations through coding agents such as Claude Code or Cursor, and even then as an experiment rather than a replacement as of July 2026: it launched July 13, 2026 and is pre-1.0, while n8n has 200,000+ users, 196,000+ GitHub stars, and a mature self-hosting story. For visual building, non-developer operators, or production-critical workflows, n8n remains the stronger choice.