Put a Grok Bot on a recurring job, safely

1. Workflow

1. Pick one recurring job and write its rules before you build anything: what it produces, where it gets its information, how often it runs, and what it must never do without asking you.

   Tool

   Grok (any chat; Claude or ChatGPT also fine)

   Why

   xAI's docs say to create a separate Bot when a job has its own goal, tools, approval boundary or recurring schedule, that a "General Helper" gets less guidance, and to describe the role in operational terms (xAI docs: Create and manage Bots, updated Oct 12 2026).

   Cost

   $0 on Grok Free (limited chat requests).

   Copy prompt Paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Grok.

   Preview prompt: Bot profile and job card

   ROLE You are an operations coach who helps people hand one recurring job to an AI agent without losing control of it. GOAL Help me define one recurring job for a Grok Bot and write the Bot's profile and a job card. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A Bot profile (name, label and a description written in operational terms, including what it must never do without approval) and a job card the Bot can follow on its first run. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. What is the job, in one sentence? Examples: a morning digest of news in my niche, a weekly price check on 3 things I want to buy, a monthly review of my subscriptions and bills. (Default: a weekday morning digest.) 2. What should I get at the end, and where? Examples: a short list in this chat, an email draft, a document. (Default: a short linked list in the Bot's chat.) 3. Which sources or apps does it need, and which accounts would it have to sign in to? Only list what the job really needs. (Default: public websites only, no sign-ins.) 4. How often should it run, at what time, and in which time zone? (Default: weekdays at 7:00 AM in my time zone.) 5. What must it never do without asking me first? Examples: send or post anything, buy anything, cancel or change an account, delete files. (Default: it may read and draft, and must ask before sending, posting, buying, cancelling or deleting.) 6. What should it do if a source is down, empty or out of date? (Default: say so in the result instead of using old data.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. BOT PROFILE: Name (a job title such as "Morning Briefer" or "Price Watcher", not "General Helper"), Label (2-4 words), Description (3-5 sentences in operational terms: what it owns, what it pulls, what it produces, and the approval rule as a "Never ... without approval" sentence). 2. JOB CARD: goal, inputs and sources, apps to connect, output format and where it goes, schedule and time zone, approval boundary, and the no-data / stale-data rule. 3. FIRST-RUN TASK: one message I can send the new Bot to do the job once by hand, ending with "Stop and ask me before anything you can't undo." Put everything I should copy inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: create the Bot in Step 2 and paste the profile into Edit Profile.

2. Create the Bot: choose New in the sidebar (or press Cmd/Ctrl+N), select Create new Bot, then open Edit Profile and paste the name, label and description from Step 1. Keep lasting rules, such as "Never send external messages without approval", in the description and day-to-day instructions in the chat.

   Tool

   Grok Bot app

   Why

   This is the creation flow in xAI's docs; the docs also say the description is for rules that should stay true and the conversation is for task-specific instructions (xAI docs, updated Oct 12 2026).

   Cost

   Grok Bot is listed from Premium ($30/month); it is not listed on Free or Plus.

3. Do the job once by hand with the new Bot. Connect only the apps the job card lists (Connect apps in the sidebar), let it stop at a draft for anything that leaves the chat, and keep its run log.

   Tool

   Your new Grok Bot

   Why

   xAI's advice is to start with a one-time task, make it reliable, save the method as a skill, and only then automate it. For passwords, codes and payment confirmations the Bot should hand you control (Take over) rather than ask in chat (xAI docs, updated Oct 12 2026).

   Cost

   Uses your plan's shared usage pool; xAI doesn't publish a cost per task.

   Copy prompt Paste into your new Grok Bot's chat.

   Preview prompt: First run with a run log

   ROLE You are my new Grok Bot. You are doing this job for the first time, by hand, while I watch, so we can make it reliable before it runs on its own. GOAL Run the job on my job card once, carefully, and keep notes on exactly how you did it. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A finished first result plus a run log: the sources you used, the steps in order, what you checked, where you had to stop for my approval, and what went wrong. Step 4 turns this log into a reusable skill. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Paste the job card and first-run task from Step 1. 2. Which of the apps on the card are already connected? For anything missing, tell me what to connect under Connect apps and wait for me. (Default: use public websites only until I connect something.) 3. Is there a sample or a past result I like that you should match? (Default: no, propose a format.) 4. For this first run, should you stop at a draft for anything that leaves this chat? (Default: yes, draft only; I approve each send.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. THE RESULT: the job's output in the format on the job card, with a link or source next to every fact. 2. RUN LOG: the steps you took in order, the sources and apps you used, how you checked the result, every point where you stopped for my approval, and anything that failed or looked stale. 3. FIXES: up to 3 changes that would make the next run more reliable. If a site asks for a password, a code or a payment confirmation, stop and ask me to choose Take over instead of asking me to type it in chat. Put everything I should copy inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: go to Step 4 and paste the run log so we can save it as a skill.

4. Save the method as a skill. If Teach a task is available in the Bot's computer view, you can also demonstrate a browser workflow instead, then review the draft skill it makes.

   Tool

   Your new Grok Bot

   Why

   xAI says a useful skill states when to use it, inputs and access, the sequence, how to validate, what to return and what requires approval; skills are shared across your Bots and you type / to use one. Teach a task records up to ten minutes, no microphone, and may be rolling out gradually (xAI docs, updated Oct 12 2026).

   Cost

   Included in your plan; uses the shared usage pool.

   Copy prompt Paste into your new Grok Bot's chat.

   Preview prompt: Turn the run into a skill

   ROLE You are my Grok Bot and a careful process writer. You turn a job you just finished into a reusable skill. GOAL Write a skill from the run we just did that any of my Bots could follow the same way next time, then save it. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A skill with a clear name that the routine in Step 5 can run, stating when to use it, the inputs and access it needs, the steps, how to check the result, what to return and what needs my approval. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Paste or point to the Step 3 run log and the fixes I accepted. 2. What should the skill be called? (Default: a short verb phrase, e.g. "Morning briefing" or "Weekly price check".) 3. Are there decision rules one run didn't show? Examples: what counts as a real price drop, which news to skip, what to do with duplicates. (Default: you propose 3 and I confirm.) 4. What should happen if something fails halfway: retry, skip, or report and stop? (Default: report what finished and what didn't, and stop.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. SKILL: the name, then sections WHEN TO USE, INPUTS AND ACCESS, STEPS (numbered), CHECK THE RESULT, RETURN (exact format), NEEDS APPROVAL (every action that sends, posts, buys, cancels, deletes or changes an account) and IF A SOURCE IS MISSING OR STALE. 2. After I confirm, save it as a skill with that name and tell me how to find it (type / in the composer). Put everything I should copy inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: go to Step 5 to schedule the skill as a routine and test it.

5. Create the routine from the skill, check the schedule and time zone, then run a Test with safe inputs before you leave it alone.

   Tool

   Your new Grok Bot

   Why

   xAI: routines run in the background while your laptop is closed, schedules must be at least five minutes apart, a Bot can own up to 50 routines, and a Test run does real work. Cursor's help page warns an hourly schedule or a busy Slack trigger can use a week of usage in a day.

   Cost

   Each run spends usage; xAI doesn't publish a per-run cost, so start with a daily or weekly schedule.

   Copy prompt Paste into your new Grok Bot's chat.

   Preview prompt: Routine setup and safe test

   ROLE You are my Grok Bot. You own this recurring job and you are setting up its routine. GOAL Turn the saved skill into a routine that runs on its own, then test it safely. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A routine with a confirmed owner, schedule and time zone, input source, expected result, approval boundary and missing-source rule, plus a successful Test run. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Which saved skill should this routine run? (Default: the skill from Step 4.) 2. Schedule or event? Examples: every weekday at 7:00 AM, every Monday at 9:00 AM, or when a matching email or Slack message arrives. Keep event rules narrow, never "every new message". (Default: a schedule.) 3. What time and time zone? Confirm it matches my time zone in Settings. (Default: 7:00 AM in my time zone.) 4. Where should each run deliver its result? (Default: this conversation.) 5. What should a run do if it reaches a step that needs my approval while I'm away? (Default: stop at a draft and tell me in the result; don't retry on its own.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. ROUTINE SPEC: owner Bot, schedule and time zone (or the exact event rule), skill to run, input source, expected result and where it goes, approval boundary, and what to do when a source is missing or stale. 2. After I confirm, create the routine and show me its next run time. 3. Offer a Test run with safe inputs, keep every write action behind approval, then report: did it use current inputs, does the output match the format, does every fact have a source, did it stop at the approval point, and are failures stated plainly. Put everything I should copy inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: do Step 6: add your Ask first rules and put a reminder to check the routine's run history after the first week.

6. Lock it down and check on it: in Settings → General → Auto-review add Ask first rules for sending email, posting, purchases and deleting; after the first week open the Bot's conversation details → Routines to read recent runs, and pause anything you don't use.

   Tool

   Grok Bot settings

   Why

   xAI says Ask first rules always stop matching actions and win over Allow automatically rules, and approvals from routines expire after about 10 minutes without running. Since Oct 11, Bots can pay with X Money or Stripe Link and check your messages for approval before actions they can't undo (xAI docs and Grok Bot changelog).

   Cost

   $0 (settings).

2. Recommended tool chain

1. Grok (any chat; Claude or ChatGPT also fine)
2. Grok Bot app
3. Your new Grok Bot
4. Your new Grok Bot
5. Your new Grok Bot
6. Grok Bot settings

3. Total cost

Unpriced items are left out of the total (marked “cost not sourced”), so the real total is higher. All totals are our arithmetic from sourced unit prices.

4. Current promos

• The X Subscription: Grok, Grok Bot, Cursor and X Premium in one plan

  xAI's plan bundles Grok, Grok Bot, Cursor and X Premium: Premium is $30/month for what it says was $90/month combined (SuperGrok + Cursor Pro + X Premium+). Existing SuperGrok, Cursor and X Premium subscribers can keep their plan or switch, with the option shown in billing settings when available.

  Applies to: Grok Premium on the cheapest route, Grok Super on the best route

  A standing plan bundle, not a time-limited sale. Switching terms beyond what the page says are not public.

  Source: xAI: Introducing The X Subscription (Oct 12, 2026), checked Oct 18, 2026

5. Learn it

Last verified Oct 18, 2026. Items older than 30 days are marked.

6. Caveats and assumptions

• xAI doesn't publish how much usage one routine run takes, so we can't say how many runs a month of Premium or Super covers. Check Weekly usage after the first week.
• A Test run does real work: it can browse, change files and call connected apps. Use safe inputs and keep sends, purchases and deletions behind approval.
• All your Bots share one cloud computer, so files and sign-ins on it are available to every Bot; xAI says separate Bots are not a security boundary. Connect only what the job needs and sign out when it's done.
• Approvals requested by a routine expire after about 10 minutes, and the action doesn't run. A job that needs your approval will stop at a draft if you're away.
• Never paste passwords, one-time codes or card numbers into chat; use Take over or the Bot's secure form instead.
• Teach a task may not be available on every account yet; xAI says it may be enabled gradually.
• Plan features and prices are from xAI's pricing page on the verified date and can change; costs are our arithmetic, one month unless stated.

Last verified Oct 18, 2026.