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GROK BOT / create-a-grok-bot-routine

Save a Grok Bot skill and schedule a routine

create-a-grok-bot-routine

Use this when a task works well once and you want a Bot to repeat it on a schedule or after an event. A skill is a reusable set of instructions for how to do a task. A routine tells one Bot when to run a workflow, on a schedule or after a supported event. Start with a one-time task, make it reliable, save the method as a skill, and only then automate it. Official guide: Work with Grok Bot → Skills and routines.

Save the skill

In the Bot conversation that just finished the work, ask:

Save the process we used for this task as a skill called "Weekly account health". Include the source systems, risk definitions, output format, and the rule that customer contact always requires approval.

A useful skill states when to use it, the required inputs and access, the sequence of work, how to validate the result, what to return, and what requires approval. Skills are available across your Bots; a Bot may still need the relevant plugin or login.

On desktop, name the skill in the message to call it. Changelog v0.68.1 says typing / no longer opens a skills menu; the skills docs still tell desktop readers to type /. Staff said the skills still work and that mobile still has the / menu. See When typing / on desktop no longer opens the skills menu. If a private skill does not appear at all, open Settings → Plugins → Yours (xAI's docs call this Marketplace → Your plugins → Manage plugins and skills) and check that it is listed under Private skills (cursor.com/docs/grok-bot/work, checked 2026-09-25; docs.x.ai/grok-bot/settings-and-notifications, checked 2026-09-25; docs.x.ai/grok-bot/skills-routines-and-automations, checked 2026-09-25).

Teach a workflow by demonstration

Instead of describing every step, demonstrate a browser workflow once and let the Bot turn it into a draft skill. Sources differ on what Teach a task produces. The docs say "The Bot turns the demonstration into a draft skill" (docs.x.ai/grok-bot/skills-routines-and-automations, checked 2026-09-25). The FAQ on x.ai/bot says "It saves it as a routine and runs it on its own next time" (checked 2026-09-25), and xAI's Aug 11 and Sep 3 posts also describe saving a routine. From a one-to-one conversation with the computer view open, choose Teach a task, describe the result, and perform the workflow. Teaching records visible computer interaction for up to ten minutes and does not record microphone audio. Keep secrets out of the demonstration and use the secure secret request for credentials.

The learned skill is a draft: add decision rules, failure handling, and approval boundaries, then test it on a safe input before scheduling. Teach a task is rolling out gradually. If the control is not visible, ask the Bot to create a skill from written instructions and a completed task. See Teach a task in Grok Bot.

Create the routine

Ask the Bot that should own the recurring job:

Every weekday at 8:00 AM, run the "Daily customer risk" skill against the current account list. Post a linked watch list in this conversation. Don't contact customers. If the source data is unavailable, report the failure instead of using old data.

Confirm the owning Bot, the schedule and time zone, the input source, the expected result, the approval boundary, and what happens when a source is missing. Routines run in the cloud while your laptop is closed.

Cursor account integrations can also start a routine from an event, such as a Slack message or a GitHub notification. Those connections are separate from the Slack or GitHub plugins. Define a narrow matching rule and a clear response. Avoid broad listeners like "every new message", which create noise, consume usage, and act on irrelevant input.

Test, then manage

Use Test run after creating or editing a routine. A test run performs real work: it can navigate websites, change files, and call connected tools. Use safe inputs and keep write actions behind approval. Full checklist: Test a Grok Bot routine.

Open the Bot, choose View conversation details, then Routines to enable, pause, test, edit, inspect run history, or delete. A Bot can own up to 50 routines with the 20 most recent run records each. Deleting a routine is immediate with no undo, and deleting a Bot removes its routines.

Related

Pitfalls

  • Automating before the one-off run is reliable — save the skill only after the method works.
  • Broad event listeners that fire on every message — keep the match narrow.
  • Hiding a Bot from the sidebar — that does not pause its routines.
  • Skipping a re-test after a website, plugin, or source format changes.