Pulumi's Automation API offers a programming interface that overlays the Pulumi engine, enabling cloud engineers to deploy infrastructure directly using their chosen programming language, which enhances workflow efficiency by reducing manual intervention. This API supports Node.js, Go, and Python, with .NET (C#) support forthcoming, and facilitates the creation of custom ops tools that automate routine tasks such as managing unused virtual machines (VMs) to reduce organizational costs. The article highlights the development of 'vmgr', a CLI tool that uses the Automation API to provision and manage temporary VMs in Azure, demonstrating the API's capability to integrate common software packages and automate resource cleanup tasks. By allowing infrastructure as code to be embedded within software projects, Pulumi's Automation API streamlines the development cycle for application developers and reduces the operational burden on cloud engineers. The Automation API is currently in preview but will be part of the Pulumi 3.0 GA release, extending its language support and offering further examples and documentation for cloud automation projects.