Write the outcome, not the recipe

How this helps you

Routines written as goals keep working when tools or connectors change.

Check new signups and ping me only if one is real.

What they did

@timwork_notes says baking exact tool calls into a scheduled prompt is how routines break by week 2. 'Check new signups, ping me only if one is real' keeps working after connector updates; a pasted API call with fixed parameters doesn't.

Who it's for: Anyone writing routines.

How to try it

1. Write the routine as the result you want, in one sentence.
2. Add the condition for when to bother you ('only if...').
3. Leave the method to the Bot, or to a skill it calls.
4. If you need exact steps, keep them in a skill so you can fix them in one place.

Common mistakes

• Pasting API calls or tool parameters into a routine.
• No 'only if' condition, so you get pinged every run.

Related tips

• Keep routines one line long: The schedule says when. The skill says how.
• Make routines cheaper: events, slow schedules, change checks: A 5-minute routine wakes 8,640 times a month. Use an event trigger, the slowest schedule that works, and a cheap change check.
• Do it by hand, save a skill, then schedule: Most automations break because they're scheduled before they've worked once.
• Create a routine by asking, then ask what else to schedule: Describe a schedule in one sentence to make a routine, then ask the Bot which routines it thinks you need.
• Fact-check before you publish: It checked 11 claims against 9 sources and quoted the line behind each.
• Teach a task by doing it once: Do the workflow while it watches; it records the steps.

Worth knowingPairs with one-line routines.

Learn more: Grok Bot Routines Not Working? Do It by Hand, Save a Skill, Then Schedule · All Grok Bot routines tips