Grok Bot routines and skills, explained for beginners

Routines are the part of Grok Bot that feels a bit like magic: you set a job up once, and your Bot does it on a schedule while you get on with your day. People search "Grok Bot routines" and "Grok Bot routines not working" a lot, so here's how they work and how to set one up without surprises.

Skills and routines: the two building blocks

• A skill is saved instructions for how to do a job.
• A routine tells a Bot when to do it, either on a schedule or, where supported, after something happens.

I think of it like a recipe card and a kitchen calendar. The skill is the recipe card. The routine is the note on the calendar that says "make it every Sunday."

The right order

The official advice is clear, and I agree with it completely:

1. Start with a one-time task.
2. Make it reliable, correcting the Bot until you're happy.
3. Save the method as a skill.
4. Only then automate it with a routine.

Skipping straight to step 4 is how people end up with a routine that does the wrong thing every morning.

Step one: do the job once

Pick something with a clear finish line. A good first routine is a weekday morning summary. Ask your Bot something like: "Make me a short summary of today's weather and my calendar for today."

Read the result. If it's too long, say so. If you want it in a different order, say so. Keep going until you'd be happy to get it every day.

Step two: save it as a skill

You don't need any special menu. Just ask in plain words:

"Save the process we just used as a skill called Morning Summary."

Then test it on another day to make sure it works the same way.

Step three: make it a routine

Again, plain words:

"Every weekday at 7:30 AM, run the Morning Summary skill and send it to me here."

The Bot sets up the routine and tells you when it will next run. Check that time carefully. It's your first clue that the schedule is right.

The time zone trap

Routines use the time zone set in Grok Bot, not necessarily the one on your phone or computer. If it's wrong, your 7:30 AM summary could arrive in the middle of the night. Check the time zone in the app's settings. If you can't find it, ask your Bot what time zone it's using.

Testing a routine safely

Every routine has a Test run option that runs it straight away.

Managing your routines

Open the Bot's conversation details and choose Routines. From there you can pause or turn a routine back on, do a test run, edit it, see its history, or delete it. On the phone app you can pause, resume and delete routines, but editing and testing need the desktop app.

A few limits from the official guides: up to 50 routines per Bot, the 20 most recent runs are kept, and at least 5 minutes between runs. Deleting a routine can't be undone.

When routines aren't working

Go through these in order:

1. Check the time zone, as above.
2. Check for a waiting approval. Approvals for routines expire after about 10 minutes, and then the action doesn't run. If you weren't around, that step was skipped.
3. Check for a sign-in request. Some websites sign you out. The Bot can't get past that without you.
4. Look at the routine's history to see what happened on the last run.
5. Check your usage. If your weekly pool ran out, routines stop until it refreshes.
6. Is it paused? Look in the Routines list.

Good first routines for beginners

• A weekday morning summary.
• A weekly list of emails that need a reply (drafts only, never sending).
• A check on a secondhand selling site for an item you're after.
• A weekly price check on something you buy often.

Questions people ask

Autopilot, done safely

Chapter 9 of my book covers skills and routines step by step, and Chapter 8 shows you how to teach a Bot a task by doing it once while it watches. Read Chapter 1 free or get the full guide.

Questions people ask

What is a routine in Grok Bot?

A routine tells a Bot when to do a job, on a schedule or after something happens. A skill is the saved instructions for how to do it.

How do I create a routine?

Ask your Bot in plain words, like "Every weekday at 7:30 AM, run the Morning Summary skill." It sets it up and tells you the next run time.

Why is my Grok Bot routine not running at the right time?

Routines use the time zone set in Grok Bot. Check it in settings, and check for an expired approval or a sign-in request.

Does a test run do real work?

Yes. A test run is a real run, so make sure the routine only reads or drafts before you test it.