OpenAI is gearing up to release Agent Builder during DevDay

OpenAI’s upcoming Agent Builder, previewed ahead of OpenAI DevDay on October 6, positions itself as a direct competitor to established workflow automation tools like n8n and Zapier, targeting developers and teams looking to orchestrate complex agent workflows visually.

The feature introduces a drag-and-drop canvas that allows users to create agent flows from predefined templates, such as customer service bots, data enrichment routines, Q&A agents, and document comparison tools. The canvas supports a range of modular building blocks, nodes for logic (if-else, loops), connectors (like MCP), user approvals, guardrails, file search, and data transformation steps, mirroring the flexibility seen in other agentic workflow platforms.

The most obvious beneficiaries will be developers, solution architects, and businesses already working with OpenAI APIs, as this system offers a more intuitive, visual alternative to manual code-based integrations. The experience is designed to reduce the barrier for creating production-ready AI agents, enabling faster prototyping and easier onboarding for non-experts.

In terms of deployment, users initiate flow creation from a dedicated UI within the OpenAI platform, leveraging a sidebar palette of components. The interface is described as polished and responsive, featuring preview and testing modes before flows are published for broader use. This workflow builder could ultimately make it easier to iterate, test, and operationalize AI-driven solutions across multiple domains.

OpenAI has been rapidly expanding its platform capabilities, moving from pure model APIs to a broader ecosystem approach. Agent Builder is a logical extension, fitting into the company’s strategy to empower developers and businesses with self-serve agent creation while retaining tight integration with OpenAI’s infrastructure and security. With the automation market already crowded, OpenAI’s bet is that deep integration with its own AI models, ease of use, and possible prebuilt logic (like guardrails) will set it apart for existing and new customers.