> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://oodlz-ai-studio.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://oodlz-ai-studio.gitbook.io/docs/architecture-and-stack/the-stack.md).

# The Stack

The tools that power the Oodlz AI Studio — workflow engine, databases, model providers, scheduling, content infrastructure.

> **Each layer runs on the tool that does it best — chosen for the job, not bundled into one platform.**

The system runs on production-grade tools, each chosen for the layer it handles. The brand sees a workspace and a WordPress site; everything else runs in the background, autonomously. Here's what's underneath.

## How It Works

The stack splits into 5 layers: workflow orchestration, databases, model providers, content infrastructure, and analytics sources. Each tool has a specific job and is reachable through standard APIs.

| Layer                  | Tool                                       | Job                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Workflow orchestration | n8n                                        | Runs every producer pipeline. Dedicated instance per brand.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Workspace              | Airtable                                   | Holds brand profile, content pipeline, approval queues, performance data. The surface the brand actually uses.                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Vector knowledge       | Pinecone                                   | Stores brand catalogue, FAQ, instructional content for retrieval. Per-brand index.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Cache and session      | Redis (Upstash)                            | Conversation memory for the inbound agent, dedup keys for social listening, voice transcript cache.                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| CMS                    | WordPress                                  | Article publishing surface. Brand's existing WordPress install.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| LLM models             | OpenAI direct + OpenRouter + Anthropic API | Multi-provider mix. OpenAI direct: inbound agent (gpt-4.1-mini), embeddings (text-embedding-3-small), Whisper transcription, TTS. OpenRouter: outbound content generation across producers, model flexibility for cost and capability. Anthropic API direct: competitor discovery in the Topics producer. |
| Image generation       | FLUX 1.1 Pro via fal.ai                    | Photorealistic in-blog images, thumbnails, and social images.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Social scheduling      | Zernio                                     | Inbound listen + outbound dispatch across every connected social platform.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| URL shortening         | Switchy                                    | Branded short links on the brand's tracking domain.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| SEO                    | Rank Math                                  | WordPress SEO metadata via REST API.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| Media management       | FileBird                                   | WordPress media library folder organisation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Research               | Tavily, DataForSEO                         | Live web research and SERP / keyword data.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Analytics sources      | Google Search Console, GA4, platform APIs  | Monthly performance pulls. Free or platform-included.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

## Why These Tools

The most consequential choices and the alternatives they beat:

**n8n over Zapier or Make.** n8n runs as a self-hosted instance per brand. The brand's workflows live on the brand's infrastructure, not in a shared multi-tenant cloud where pricing scales with workflow execution count. The orchestration depth — Code nodes, sub-workflows, conditional routing, error paths — covers cases Zapier and Make hit walls on. Per-brand dedicated instance means no shared rate limits and no per-execution charges at scale.

**Pinecone over Weaviate or pgvector.** Pinecone is a managed service that doesn't pause inactive indexes, doesn't require self-hosting, and has a free tier that comfortably covers per-brand catalogue + FAQ + instructional content. The alternatives require either operating a vector store inside an existing Postgres (ongoing maintenance burden with pgvector) or accepting auto-suspension during low usage (Weaviate free tier).

**Airtable over Notion or a custom database.** Airtable Interfaces are the workspace surface — pre-built pages, native CRUD, automation-friendly. The brand operates from Airtable directly without a separate frontend to build, deploy, or maintain. Notion lacks the structured Interface layer; a custom database requires building a frontend that duplicates what Airtable Interfaces ship with.

**Zernio over native platform APIs.** Each social platform's posting API has its own auth, rate limits, retry semantics, and link-handling quirks. Zernio normalises these into one dispatch surface. Adding a new connected platform is an OAuth flow rather than a new integration build.

The whole stack runs on free tiers or low-volume paid plans for a typical brand — see [Cost Transparency](/docs/architecture-and-stack/cost-transparency.md) for the unit economics. The brand never logs into n8n, Pinecone, or Redis directly; those run autonomously in the background. The brand's surfaces are the workspace (Airtable Interfaces) and the published outputs (WordPress, social channels).