diff --git a/.secretlintrc.json b/.secretlintrc.json
index fcef33c49ab..abec5ba6fd3 100644
--- a/.secretlintrc.json
+++ b/.secretlintrc.json
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
           {
             "name": "credential in URL query string",
             "patterns": [
-              "/[?&](?:token|api[_-]?key|access[_-]?token|auth[_-]?token|client[_-]?secret|secret|password)=(?<CREDENTIAL>(?!p\\.)[^&\\s\"'<>]{16,})/i"
+              "/[?&](?:token|api[_-]?key|access[_-]?token|auth[_-]?token|client[_-]?secret|secret|password)=(?<CREDENTIAL>(?!p\\.|\\$\\{)[^&\\s\"'<>]{16,})/i"
             ]
           },
           {
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/automations.js b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/automations.js
index 71b56e7ca3f..30c6cff71b8 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/automations.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/automations.js
@@ -24,6 +24,49 @@ const controller = {
         }
     },
 
+    read: {
+        headers: {
+            cacheInvalidate: false
+        },
+        data: [
+            'id'
+        ],
+        permissions: true,
+        query(frame) {
+            // TODO: NY-1265 - replace this static payload with persisted automation data.
+            return {
+                id: frame.data.id,
+                slug: 'member-welcome-email-free',
+                name: 'Welcome email',
+                status: 'active',
+                created_at: '2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z',
+                updated_at: '2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z',
+                actions: [{
+                    id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f4',
+                    type: 'delay',
+                    data: {
+                        delay_hours: 24
+                    }
+                }, {
+                    id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f5',
+                    type: 'send email',
+                    data: {
+                        email_subject: 'Welcome!',
+                        email_lexical: '{"root":{"children":[]}}',
+                        email_sender_name: null,
+                        email_sender_email: null,
+                        email_sender_reply_to: null,
+                        email_design_setting_id: '680000000000000000000001'
+                    }
+                }],
+                edges: [{
+                    source_action_id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f4',
+                    target_action_id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f5'
+                }]
+            };
+        }
+    },
+
     poll: {
         statusCode: 204,
         headers: {
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/routes.js b/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/routes.js
index e3a45181dab..2c796cc10f2 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/routes.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/routes.js
@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ module.exports = function apiRoutes() {
 
     // ## Automations
     router.get('/automations', mw.authAdminApi, http(api.automations.browse));
+    router.get('/automations/:id', mw.authAdminApi, http(api.automations.read));
     router.put('/automations/poll', mw.authAdminApiWithUrl, http(api.automations.poll));
 
     // ## Automated Emails
diff --git a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/automations.test.js.snap b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/automations.test.js.snap
index c3e686e3ae2..8b0f0b7ffb0 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/automations.test.js.snap
+++ b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/automations.test.js.snap
@@ -72,3 +72,58 @@ Object {
   "x-powered-by": "Express",
 }
 `;
+
+exports[`Automations API read returns a placeholder automation for the requested id 1: [body] 1`] = `
+Object {
+  "automations": Array [
+    Object {
+      "actions": Array [
+        Object {
+          "data": Object {
+            "delay_hours": 24,
+          },
+          "id": "67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f4",
+          "type": "delay",
+        },
+        Object {
+          "data": Object {
+            "email_design_setting_id": "680000000000000000000001",
+            "email_lexical": "{\\"root\\":{\\"children\\":[]}}",
+            "email_sender_email": null,
+            "email_sender_name": null,
+            "email_sender_reply_to": null,
+            "email_subject": "Welcome!",
+          },
+          "id": "67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f5",
+          "type": "send email",
+        },
+      ],
+      "created_at": "2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z",
+      "edges": Array [
+        Object {
+          "source_action_id": "67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f4",
+          "target_action_id": "67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f5",
+        },
+      ],
+      "id": "67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3",
+      "name": "Welcome email",
+      "slug": "member-welcome-email-free",
+      "status": "active",
+      "updated_at": "2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z",
+    },
+  ],
+}
+`;
+
+exports[`Automations API read returns a placeholder automation for the requested id 2: [headers] 1`] = `
+Object {
+  "access-control-allow-origin": "http://127.0.0.1:2369",
+  "cache-control": "no-cache, private, no-store, must-revalidate, max-stale=0, post-check=0, pre-check=0",
+  "content-length": "668",
+  "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8",
+  "content-version": StringMatching /v\\\\d\\+\\\\\\.\\\\d\\+/,
+  "etag": StringMatching /\\(\\?:W\\\\/\\)\\?"\\(\\?:\\[ !#-\\\\x7E\\\\x80-\\\\xFF\\]\\*\\|\\\\r\\\\n\\[\\\\t \\]\\|\\\\\\\\\\.\\)\\*"/,
+  "vary": "Accept-Version, Origin, Accept-Encoding",
+  "x-powered-by": "Express",
+}
+`;
diff --git a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/automations.test.js b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/automations.test.js
index 063069e0b68..240d3162de9 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/automations.test.js
+++ b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/automations.test.js
@@ -73,6 +73,22 @@ describe('Automations API', function () {
         });
     });
 
+    describe('read', function () {
+        it('returns a placeholder automation for the requested id', async function () {
+            const automationId = '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3';
+
+            await agent
+                .get(`automations/${automationId}`)
+                .expectStatus(200)
+                .expect(cacheInvalidateHeaderNotSet())
+                .matchBodySnapshot()
+                .matchHeaderSnapshot({
+                    'content-version': anyContentVersion,
+                    etag: anyEtag
+                });
+        });
+    });
+
     describe('poll', function () {
         /** @type {sinon.SinonStub} */
         let dispatchStub;
diff --git a/ghost/core/test/unit/api/endpoints/automations.test.js b/ghost/core/test/unit/api/endpoints/automations.test.js
index 2d4fa98304f..f06b69a4aff 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/unit/api/endpoints/automations.test.js
+++ b/ghost/core/test/unit/api/endpoints/automations.test.js
@@ -62,6 +62,47 @@ describe('Automations controller', function () {
         });
     });
 
+    describe('read', function () {
+        it('returns a placeholder automation for the requested id', function () {
+            const result = automationsController.read.query({
+                data: {
+                    id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3'
+                }
+            });
+
+            assert.deepEqual(result, {
+                id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3',
+                slug: 'member-welcome-email-free',
+                name: 'Welcome email',
+                status: 'active',
+                created_at: '2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z',
+                updated_at: '2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z',
+                actions: [{
+                    id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f4',
+                    type: 'delay',
+                    data: {
+                        delay_hours: 24
+                    }
+                }, {
+                    id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f5',
+                    type: 'send email',
+                    data: {
+                        email_subject: 'Welcome!',
+                        email_lexical: '{"root":{"children":[]}}',
+                        email_sender_name: null,
+                        email_sender_email: null,
+                        email_sender_reply_to: null,
+                        email_design_setting_id: '680000000000000000000001'
+                    }
+                }],
+                edges: [{
+                    source_action_id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f4',
+                    target_action_id: '67f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f3f5'
+                }]
+            });
+        });
+    });
+
     describe('poll', function () {
         it('dispatches a StartAutomationsPollEvent', function () {
             const result = automationsController.poll.query({});