Grok Bot routines tell one Bot to run a job by itself, either on a schedule or when something happens, like a Slack message, a webhook call, a GitHub pull request or an email. You set one up by describing it in chat, and since v0.75.5 on 23 October 2026 all your routines together can run up to 300 times an hour.
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Routines are where Grok Bot stops being a chat window and starts doing work while your laptop is closed. This page covers every trigger the changelog lists, the limits, how to manage routines, and four routine ideas for a small business.
How Grok Bot routines work
xAI's docs split repeat work into two pieces. A skill is how to do a task. A routine is when a Bot runs it. The docs give a simple order: do the task once, make it reliable, save it as a skill, and only then automate it.
To create one, ask the Bot that should own the job. For example: "Every weekday at 8:00 AM, check new orders and post a summary in this chat." The docs say to confirm six things:
- Which Bot owns it
- The schedule and time zone
- The input source
- The result you expect
- Where approval is needed
- What happens when a source is missing
Since v0.70.2 (11 October 2026), after you save a routine the Bot sums up what it does and who gets the result. Since v0.36.0 (2 September 2026), each routine's runs open in their own chat, so your main conversation stays clean.
Routines run in the cloud on the Bot's own computer. If you want routines like these on an open stack you control, the AI Profit Boardroom ($69/mo) includes the Agent OS built on Hermes Agent, plus daily tutorials, coaching calls and copy-paste prompts for scheduled agent jobs.
Every routine trigger in the changelog
Here is each way a routine can start, with the version that added it.
| Trigger | What starts it | Added or changed |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule: hourly, interval, daily | The clock, counted from when you created it | v0.31.0, 1 Sep 2026 |
| Schedule: once | A one-time reminder, shown as Once with date and time | v0.56.0, 17 Sep 2026 |
| Webhook | A POST to the routine's own URL with its key | v0.21.0, 19 Aug 2026; request body passed in from v0.27.0 |
| GitHub pull request | Events on one PR; the routine removes itself on merge or close | v0.25.0, 25 Aug 2026; only that PR's events from v0.56.0 |
| Microsoft Teams, Linear, Sentry, PagerDuty | A Teams message, Linear issue, Sentry alert or PagerDuty incident | v0.17.0, 12 Aug 2026 |
| Tagged email address | Mail to an address like name+shop, and only that mail | v0.71.2, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Slack messages | A mention, a phrase, a reaction or any message, in one channel or all of Slack | Images visible to Slack routines from v0.77.0, 26 Oct 2026 |
One rule covers all event triggers. The docs say only new activity counts. Events from before the trigger existed don't start a run.
Schedules and time zones
Schedules use the time zone under Settings, Bot, Timezone. Since v0.78.1 (27 October 2026), routines made in a new Bot's first chat run in your time zone, not UTC. A new routine waits for its next slot. Set "every day at 8:00 AM" at 8:05 and the first run is tomorrow. Use Test to run it now.
Webhooks
Open the routine and the Webhook section shows the URL, the key and the full header to copy. Since v0.75.2 (22 October 2026), the key stays hidden until you reveal it. Any tool that can send a POST, like a form builder or a payment app, can start the routine. A 200 response means the run started, not that it finished.
Slack triggers
Keep these narrow. The docs warn that a trigger on any message in a busy channel runs often and spends usage on messages that don't need the Bot. Since v0.75.8 (24 October 2026), Bot posts to Slack from a routine don't buzz your phone. Our Grok Bot Slack guide covers the rest of the Slack side.
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Routine limits
- 300 runs an hour across all your routines, up from 100 (v0.75.5).
- 200 runs an hour for any one routine (v0.75.5).
- 50 routines per Bot, per the docs.
- 5 minutes minimum between scheduled runs.
- 20 most recent run records kept per routine.
A run past a limit fails with "Automation run rate limit exceeded" and isn't retried for you. The docs also say every run spends usage, and an hourly schedule or a busy Slack trigger "can use a week of usage in a day." Since v0.77.0, if your plan doesn't include routines, the Bot names the plan that does.
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Managing routines: pause, resume, test, edit, delete
Routine controls arrived one release at a time:
- Delete came in v0.51.0 (14 September 2026).
- Pause and resume came in v0.52.0 (15 September 2026).
- Right-click menu with Pause, Resume, Test, Edit and Delete came in v0.68.0 (5 October 2026).
On desktop, click the Bot's name, open the Details tab, and each routine has a switch to pause it. Edit starts a chat message that begins "Edit your routine:" so you just type the change. On the phone you see Active, Schedule, Next run and Run history, with each run marked Running, Succeeded or Failed.
Two more changelog details. Since v0.24.0, if you message the Bot while a routine runs, the routine runs again afterward. Since v0.71.2, a routine asks you in chat when it needs to sign in. On a Team Bot, v0.78.1 makes a routine that needs your connector ask in the Slack thread and tag you.
Want a list of the routines that would save your business the most time each week? Book a free AI strategy session and we'll build the shortlist with you.
Four small-business routine ideas
These are ideas to try, built only from triggers the changelog lists. Test each one with safe inputs first.
Idea 1: Morning money check
A daily routine at 7:30 AM that reads yesterday's payments from Stripe or QuickBooks and posts a short summary: total in, refunds, anything failed. Read-only, so there's nothing to approve.
Idea 2: New lead webhook
Point your website form at the routine's webhook. Each new lead arrives with its details in the request body. The Bot looks up the company, drafts a reply email and leaves it as a draft for you to send.
Idea 3: Shop inbox sorter
Give customers an address like yourname+shop and set a routine for that tag only. The Bot reads each order question, checks the order status and drafts an answer. Since v0.75.2, routines can read the Bot's inboxes.
Idea 4: Slack "urgent" listener
A Slack routine that fires only when someone in one support channel writes "urgent". The Bot pulls the customer's history and posts a one-paragraph brief in the thread, so whoever picks it up starts with context.
The docs' own rule fits all four: automate the prep, keep sending, buying and deleting behind approval, and decide what happens when data is missing.
Grok Bot routines vs Hermes Agent
When Julian tested Grok Bot the day after its 11 August launch, onboarding was strong but computer use broke on a simple task. Routines have grown a lot since then. They still live inside one vendor's cloud, though, and every run counts against your plan.
Hermes Agent runs scheduled jobs too, on hardware and models you choose. Our Grok Bot vs Hermes comparison goes deeper, and Grok Bot vs Paperclip covers another agent-team option. To set Hermes up as a full system, read the Agent OS guide, and check the Goldie Bench to pick a model that handles long unattended jobs.
The AI Profit Boardroom has the walkthroughs and coaching to get your first automated jobs running this week.
FAQ
Why didn't my new routine run right away?
A new scheduled routine waits for its next time slot. It doesn't run when you create it. Open the routine and press Test to run it now. Test does real work, so use safe inputs.
How many times can a routine run?
Since v0.75.5, all your routines together can run up to 300 times an hour, and each routine up to 200 times. Runs over the limit fail and aren't retried automatically.
Can a routine start from Microsoft Teams?
Yes. v0.17.0 added routines that start from a Microsoft Teams message, along with Linear issues, Sentry alerts and PagerDuty incidents.
Can someone else create routines on my Team Bot?
Yes, if you allow it. Since v0.75.2, Team Bot owners can let collaborators create routines. Since v0.61.0, teammates can ask a Team Bot in Slack to set up, change, pause or delete their routines.
Ready to put your first agent jobs on autopilot? Book a free AI strategy session, or grab a free strategy call and we'll map out your first Grok Bot routines with you.
