Autopilot - AI Newsletter Generation

Autopilot is an AI-powered newsletter generator that automatically creates newsletter drafts from your configured web sources. It aggregates content from RSS feeds, GitHub repositories, and webpages, then uses AI to transform that content into polished newsletter copy.

Key Benefits

• Save Time: Automatically gather and synthesize content from multiple sources
• Consistent Output: Generate newsletters on a regular schedule without manual effort
• Multiple Variations: Get several draft versions to choose from for each run
• BYOK Model: Bring Your Own Key with OpenRouter for full control over AI costs

Prerequisites

Before setting up Autopilot, you’ll need:

1. OpenRouter API Key - Get one for free at openrouter.ai/keys
2. Content Sources - At least one RSS feed, GitHub repository, or webpage to pull content from
3. A Schedule - Decide how often you want newsletters generated (daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly)

Getting Started

Step 1: Access Autopilot

Navigate to Autopilot in your sidebar menu. If you haven’t set up Autopilot yet, you’ll see a welcome screen explaining what you need.

Click Set up Autopilot to create your Autopilot configuration.

Step 2: Configure Your API Key

1. Go to Settings (gear icon) on the Autopilot dashboard
2. In the API Configuration section, enter your OpenRouter API key
3. Click Verify to confirm the key works
4. Once verified, the AI model dropdown will populate with available models

Step 3: Select an AI Model

Choose an AI model from the dropdown. Budget-friendly options are shown first. Recommended models include:

Step 4: Add Content Sources

Go to Sources and click Add Source to configure where Autopilot should pull content from.

Content Sources

Autopilot supports three types of content sources:

RSS Feeds

Perfect for blog posts, news sites, and any publication with an RSS/Atom feed.

Configuration options: - Maximum items - How many recent items to fetch (1-50) - Days to look back - Only include items from the last N days

Example sources: - Company blogs - Industry news sites - Product announcement feeds

GitHub Repositories

Track activity from any public GitHub repository (or private repos with a personal access token).

Configuration options: - Content to include - Choose from Commits, Pull Requests, Issues, and Releases - Days to look back - How far back to search for activity - Personal Access Token - Required only for private repositories

Example sources: - Your product’s repository - Open source projects you follow - Dependency libraries for update tracking

Webpages

Extract content directly from any webpage.

Configuration options: - CSS Selector - Target specific elements (e.g., article, .content, #main) - Exclude Selectors - Remove unwanted elements (e.g., .sidebar, .comments, .ads)

Example sources: - Product changelog pages - Company news pages - Event announcement pages

Source Priority

Each source has a priority setting (1-10). Higher priority sources get more focus in the generated newsletter. Use this to ensure your most important content appears prominently.

Testing Sources

After adding a source, use the Test button to verify it’s working correctly. This fetches content without affecting your newsletter runs.

Generation Settings

Fine-tune how Autopilot generates your newsletters.

Copies to Generate

Generate 1-5 variations of each newsletter. More copies give you more options but use more AI tokens.

Tone Description

Describe the writing style you want. Be specific about: - Formality level (professional, casual, friendly) - Voice characteristics (witty, serious, encouraging) - What to avoid (jargon, certain topics)

Example:

Professional but approachable. Use clear, concise language. Include occasional humor but keep it appropriate for a business audience. Avoid overly technical jargon.

Content Instructions

Guide the AI on how to process and prioritize content:

Example:

Focus on product updates and new features. Highlight breaking changes prominently. Include community contributions when relevant. Skip minor bug fixes unless they affect many users.

Newsletter Structure

Provide a template for the newsletter format using section headings:

## This Week's Highlights

{highlights}

## Product Updates

{updates}

## Community Spotlight

{community}

## Quick Links

{links}

The AI will fill in each section based on your sources and instructions.

Quick Start Presets

Not sure where to start? Use a preset to auto-fill your generation settings.

Available presets:

Click Use Quick Start Preset in the Generation Settings section to apply one.

Tone Samples

Tone samples help the AI match your existing writing style. Provide 1-3 examples of newsletters or content you’ve written before.

Adding Tone Samples

1. Go to Tone Samples in the Autopilot menu
2. Click Add Sample
3. Give it a descriptive label (e.g., “Monthly Update Style”)
4. Paste an example of your writing

Best Practices

• Include complete examples, not just excerpts
• Use samples that represent your ideal tone
• Provide variety if you have different styles for different content types

Schedule Configuration

Frequency Options

Schedule Settings

• Day of Week - For weekly/biweekly schedules, which day to run
• Day of Month - For monthly schedules, which day (1-31)
• Time - What time to run (in your selected timezone)
• Timezone - Your local timezone for scheduling

Running Autopilot

Scheduled Runs

Once activated, Autopilot runs automatically according to your schedule. The dashboard shows: - Status - Active, Paused, or Inactive - Next Run - When the next scheduled run will occur - Last Run - When Autopilot last generated content

Manual Runs

Click Run Now on the dashboard to trigger an immediate run. This is useful for: - Testing your configuration - Generating content outside the regular schedule - Creating additional newsletter options

Run Pipeline

Each run goes through these stages:

1. Fetching - Gathering content from all active sources
2. Analyzing - Processing and understanding the collected content
3. Generating - Creating newsletter drafts using AI
4. Review - Presenting generated copies for your selection

Reviewing Generated Content

After a run completes, you’ll see the generated newsletter copies.

Comparing Copies

Each copy is a complete newsletter draft. Compare them to find the one that best fits your needs: - Check the overall structure and flow - Review how key information is presented - Look at the tone and writing style

Selecting a Copy

Click on a copy to select it for editing or sending.

Creating a Broadcast

Once you’ve selected a copy:

1. Click Create Broadcast
2. The content is transferred to a new broadcast draft
3. Make any final edits
4. Schedule or send your broadcast

Dashboard Overview

The Autopilot dashboard provides a quick overview:

Status Card

Shows the current status and quick actions: - Activate/Pause/Deactivate buttons - Run Now for manual triggers - Settings link

Statistics

• Total Runs - How many times Autopilot has run
• Active Sources - Number of configured sources
• Tone Samples - Number of writing samples provided
• Last Run - When the last run completed

Recent Runs

A list of recent runs with their status and links to view results.

Best Practices

Source Selection

• Quality over quantity - A few good sources beat many poor ones
• Diverse content - Mix source types for richer newsletters
• Active sources - Choose sources that update regularly
• Relevant content - Only include sources your audience cares about

Writing Effective Instructions

• Be specific about what to include and exclude
• Mention your audience so the AI can adjust complexity
• Specify any required sections or formats
• Note any sensitive topics to avoid

Optimizing Results

• Start with presets, then customize
• Review generated content and adjust settings based on what works
• Use tone samples if the AI isn’t matching your style
• Adjust source priorities based on newsletter quality

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

“Cannot activate: At least one active source is required” Add and enable at least one content source before activating Autopilot.

“Cannot activate: OpenRouter API key is required” Enter and verify your OpenRouter API key in Settings.

“Cannot activate: AI model is required” Select an AI model from the dropdown after verifying your API key.

Source fetch failed - Verify the URL is correct and accessible - For GitHub sources, check if a personal access token is needed - For RSS feeds, confirm the feed URL is valid

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here, check that: 1. Your OpenRouter API key has available credits 2. Your sources are publicly accessible (or have proper authentication) 3. Your schedule settings are configured correctly

What’s Next?

• Broadcast Emails - Learn how to send your generated newsletters
• Subscribers - Build your audience
• Segments - Target specific subscriber groups