New to this?

A routine is something AI does for you on a schedule or on request, and tells you about, without you starting it each time. A 7am brief from your calendar and inbox. A reply drafted the moment a certain email lands. Here is how to get your first one running, then write it up here.

1 · Pick a tool you already have

All four run in the cloud, so nothing needs to stay on. Start with the one you already use.

ChatGPTOpenAI

The one most people already have.

Schedule
Scheduled tasks: once a day on the free plan, any time of day on paid.
Connects
Gmail, Slack, GitHub. Results by push or email.
Price
Free plan includes it (3 tasks). Plus is $20 a month.
Watch the official setup video (2 min) ↗

GeminiGoogle

Best if you live in Gmail and Google Calendar.

Schedule
Scheduled actions: up to 10, no paid plan needed.
Connects
Your Google Workspace, from the same account. Results land as a chat or a phone notification.
Price
Scheduled actions need no plan. Google AI Plus is $4.99 a month.

ClaudeAnthropic

Best for multi-step tasks that produce a document.

Schedule
Scheduled tasks: hourly, daily, weekly or weekdays. They run with your laptop closed.
Connects
Gmail, Google Calendar and Drive. Each run is a session you review in the app.
Price
Paid only. Pro is $20 a month.
Watch the official setup video (4 min) ↗

GrokxAI

Free scheduled runs at an exact time.

Schedule
Automations: once, daily, weekdays, weekly, monthly or yearly.
Connects
Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook and OneDrive, open to every user. Results by email or notification.
Price
Scheduled automations are free for everyone.

Comfortable in a terminal? Hermes Agent and OpenClaw are free and open-source, run in your own chat apps, and need a machine left running. Not the quickest first step.

2 · Set up one routine: a 7am morning brief

In ChatGPT

  1. Settings → Apps, and connect Gmail.
  2. Open Scheduled, or just type: Every weekday at 7am, summarise today's calendar and my unread email.
  3. ChatGPT confirms the task.
  4. Settings → Notifications, and choose Push, Email, or both.

On the free plan it arrives in a morning window; an exact 7:00 needs a paid plan.

In Gemini

  1. Open gemini.google.com or the app.
  2. In the box, type the routine with its time: Every weekday at 7am, summarise today's calendar and unread email.
  3. Send it. Gemini replies with a summary of the scheduled action, and asks to connect Workspace if needed.
  4. Manage later under Settings & help → Scheduled actions.

Keep Activity must be on for scheduled actions to run.

3 · Write it up here

Once you have a routine or two, your agent can turn them into a Runbook: a page that is scored out of 10 and that other people can copy.

Make your Runbook →