Key Concepts - Granite

Overview

Before diving deeper into Granite, it helps to understand these key concepts:

HITL

Human-in-the-Loop - You approve actions as they happen

RPA

Robotic Process Automation - Scripted desktop automation

Processes

Reusable automation definitions

Drivers

Windows machines that run automations

Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)

HITL is Granite’s core differentiator. Instead of blindly trusting automation, you stay in control.

How It Works

HITL Actions

Action	When to Use
Approve	The action looks correct
Modify	The action is close but needs adjustment
Skip	Skip this step, continue with the next
Cancel	Stop the entire execution

HITL Sensitivity

You can configure which actions require approval:

All actions - Maximum oversight, approve everything
Sensitive only - Approve clicks, file operations, etc.
None - Full automation, no pauses (use with caution)

Disabling HITL means the agent will execute without asking. Only do this for well-tested, low-risk automations.

Processes

A Process is a reusable automation definition. Think of it as a template.

Process Components

Process:
  - Name: "Generate Sales Report"
  - Description: "Open Excel, load template, update data, save as PDF"
  - Type: AI Agent or RPA Script
  - Parameters: (optional inputs like date, filename)

Process vs. Agent Run

Term	Meaning
Process	The definition (what to do)
Agent Run	A single execution (doing it once)

You create a Process once, then run it many times.

Process States

Draft - Being edited, not ready to run
Ready - Can be executed
Archived - No longer active

RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

RPA is scripted automation where you define exact steps in code.

Why Use RPA?

Repeatability - Same steps every time
Reliability - Less AI interpretation, more control
Speed - No AI decision-making overhead

RPA in Granite

Granite uses Robocorp under the hood:

from robocorp.tasks import task
from robocorp import browser

@task
def generate_report():
    browser.goto("https://app.example.com")
    browser.fill("input#username", "admin")
    browser.click("button#login")
    # ... more steps

When to Use RPA vs. AI Agent

Use Case	Recommendation
Well-defined, repeatable tasks	RPA Script
Variable or exploratory tasks	AI Agent
High-volume, unattended	RPA Script
One-off or ad-hoc tasks	AI Agent

Start with AI Agent to figure out the steps, then convert to RPA Script for production use.

Drivers

A Driver is a Windows machine that executes automations.

Driver Types

Cloud (GCP)
Local (Hyper-V)

Managed by Granite
Auto-scaling
Pay-per-use
Ideal for production

Driver Lifecycle

Driver Requirements

Windows 10/11 (Pro or Enterprise)
Python 3.12 (not 3.13+)
Network access to Granite API
RDP enabled (for remote management)

Organizations

An Organization is a workspace for your team.

Organization Features

Isolated data - Your processes, runs, and keys are private
Team access - Invite members with role-based permissions
API namespace - Unique slug for your endpoints

Roles

Role	Create Processes	Run Automations	Manage Members	API Keys
Admin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Member	Yes	Yes	No	No
Viewer	No	View only	No	No

API Endpoints

You can expose any automation as a public API endpoint.

How It Works

Create a Process
Generate an API Endpoint for it
Get an API Key
Call it from anywhere

curl -X POST "https://api.getgranite.ai/api/your-org/run-report" \
  -H "X-Granite-API-Key: your-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"date": "2024-01-15"}'

Authentication

API endpoints require an API Key in the X-Granite-API-Key header.

Keep your API keys secret. They grant full access to run automations on your behalf.

Analytics

Granite tracks everything about your automations:

Metrics Available

Executions over time - Volume trends
Success rate - How often things work
Failure breakdown - What goes wrong
Duration distribution - How long things take
Top automations - Most-used processes
Endpoint usage - API call volume

Dashboard Widgets

You can customize which metrics appear on your analytics dashboard.

Glossary

Term	Definition
Agent	The AI that interprets tasks and executes actions
Agent Run	A single execution of a process
Driver	Windows machine running automations
Endpoint	Public API trigger for an automation
HITL	Human-in-the-Loop approval workflow
MIG	Managed Instance Group (GCP VMs)
Process	Reusable automation definition
RPA	Robotic Process Automation
Stytch	Authentication provider (magic links + OAuth)

Next Steps

Dashboard Overview

Learn the interface

HITL Workflows

Master human oversight

RPA Scripts

Create reliable automations

API Reference

Explore all endpoints

​Overview

HITL

RPA

Processes

Drivers

​Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)

​How It Works

​HITL Actions

​HITL Sensitivity

​Processes

​Process Components

​Process vs. Agent Run

​Process States

​RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

​Why Use RPA?

​RPA in Granite

​When to Use RPA vs. AI Agent

​Drivers

​Driver Types

​Driver Lifecycle

​Driver Requirements

​Organizations

​Organization Features

​Roles

​API Endpoints

​How It Works

​Authentication

​Analytics

​Metrics Available

​Dashboard Widgets

​Glossary

​Next Steps

Dashboard Overview

HITL Workflows

RPA Scripts

API Reference

Overview

Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)

How It Works

HITL Actions

HITL Sensitivity

Processes

Process Components

Process vs. Agent Run

Process States

RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

Why Use RPA?

RPA in Granite

When to Use RPA vs. AI Agent

Drivers

Driver Types

Driver Lifecycle

Driver Requirements

Organizations

Organization Features

Roles

API Endpoints

How It Works

Authentication

Analytics

Metrics Available

Dashboard Widgets

Glossary

Next Steps