diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/automations/api/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/api/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..459c6c1b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/api/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+"""HTTP layer for the automations feature."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from fastapi import APIRouter
+
+from .automation import router as automation_router
+
+router = APIRouter()
+router.include_router(automation_router)
+
+__all__ = ["router"]
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/automations/api/automation.py b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/api/automation.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..42163f74d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/api/automation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+"""Routes for the ``Automation`` resource."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import Any
+
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Body, Depends
+
+from app.automations.services import AutomationService, get_automation_service
+
+router = APIRouter()
+
+
+@router.post("/automations/{automation_id}/run")
+async def run_automation_now(
+    automation_id: int,
+    payload: dict[str, Any] | None = Body(default=None),
+    service: AutomationService = Depends(get_automation_service),
+) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Fire a manual run."""
+    run = await service.run_now(automation_id=automation_id, payload=payload)
+    return {"run_id": run.id, "status": run.status.value}
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/automations/services/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/services/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f0a97d216
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/services/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+"""Service layer for the automations feature."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from .automation import AutomationService, get_automation_service
+
+__all__ = ["AutomationService", "get_automation_service"]
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/automations/services/automation.py b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/services/automation.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2a921e331
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/automations/services/automation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+"""``AutomationService`` — orchestration for the ``Automation`` resource."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import Any
+
+from fastapi import Depends, HTTPException
+from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
+
+from app.automations.dispatch import DispatchError
+from app.automations.persistence.models.automation import Automation
+from app.automations.persistence.models.run import AutomationRun
+from app.automations.triggers.manual import dispatch_manual_run
+from app.db import Permission, User, get_async_session
+from app.users import current_active_user
+from app.utils.rbac import check_permission
+
+
+class AutomationService:
+    """Service for the ``Automation`` resource."""
+
+    def __init__(self, *, session: AsyncSession, user: User) -> None:
+        self.session = session
+        self.user = user
+
+    async def run_now(
+        self,
+        *,
+        automation_id: int,
+        payload: dict[str, Any] | None,
+    ) -> AutomationRun:
+        """Fire a manual run for ``automation_id``."""
+        automation = await self._get_automation_or_raise(automation_id)
+        await check_permission(
+            self.session,
+            self.user,
+            automation.search_space_id,
+            Permission.AUTOMATIONS_EXECUTE.value,
+            "You don't have permission to execute automations in this search space",
+        )
+
+        try:
+            return await dispatch_manual_run(
+                session=self.session,
+                automation_id=automation_id,
+                payload=payload,
+            )
+        except DispatchError as exc:
+            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=str(exc)) from exc
+
+    async def _get_automation_or_raise(self, automation_id: int) -> Automation:
+        """Get the automation by id; 404 if missing."""
+        automation = await self.session.get(Automation, automation_id)
+        if automation is None:
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=404, detail=f"automation {automation_id} not found"
+            )
+        return automation
+
+
+def get_automation_service(
+    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_async_session),
+    user: User = Depends(current_active_user),
+) -> AutomationService:
+    return AutomationService(session=session, user=user)
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/__init__.py
index 1d3ca2141..64c8c6585 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/__init__.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/__init__.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from .agent_revert_route import router as agent_revert_router
 from .airtable_add_connector_route import (
     router as airtable_add_connector_router,
 )
-from .automations_routes import router as automations_router
+from app.automations.api import router as automations_router
 from .chat_comments_routes import router as chat_comments_router
 from .circleback_webhook_route import router as circleback_webhook_router
 from .clickup_add_connector_route import router as clickup_add_connector_router
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/automations_routes.py b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/automations_routes.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 6c169b199..000000000
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/automations_routes.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-"""Routes for automations. v1: manual ``Run now``."""
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from typing import Any
-
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Body, Depends, HTTPException
-from sqlalchemy import select
-from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
-
-from app.automations.dispatch import DispatchError
-from app.automations.persistence.models.automation import Automation
-from app.automations.triggers.manual import dispatch_manual_run
-from app.db import Permission, User, get_async_session
-from app.users import current_active_user
-from app.utils.rbac import check_permission
-
-router = APIRouter()
-
-
-@router.post("/automations/{automation_id}/run")
-async def run_automation_now(
-    automation_id: int,
-    payload: dict[str, Any] | None = Body(default=None),
-    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_async_session),
-    user: User = Depends(current_active_user),
-) -> dict[str, Any]:
-    """Fire an automation manually. Returns the new run id and status."""
-    search_space_id = (
-        await session.execute(
-            select(Automation.search_space_id).where(Automation.id == automation_id)
-        )
-    ).scalar_one_or_none()
-    if search_space_id is None:
-        raise HTTPException(
-            status_code=404, detail=f"automation {automation_id} not found"
-        )
-
-    await check_permission(
-        session,
-        user,
-        search_space_id,
-        Permission.AUTOMATIONS_EXECUTE.value,
-        "You don't have permission to execute automations in this search space",
-    )
-
-    try:
-        run = await dispatch_manual_run(
-            session=session,
-            automation_id=automation_id,
-            payload=payload,
-        )
-    except DispatchError as exc:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=str(exc)) from exc
-
-    return {"run_id": run.id, "status": run.status.value}