# Schedule Recurring Work

Routines automate recurring work. Set an interval and work instructions, and the employee repeats that work without you asking.

## TL;DR

Create a routine with a name, interval, and editable default work instructions. Choose whether it starts active, and set a daily run time for daily routines. Every employee gets a default 1-hour board-check routine on hire. You can add as many routines as needed. Team leaders can create team-level routines that coordinate work across members.

## How It Works

Routines send work instructions to the employee at regular intervals.

- **You define the routine.** Set a name, interval (every 15 minutes, hourly, daily, custom), and work instructions.
- **The system starts the work.** At the set interval, the employee receives the instructions as if you sent them in chat.
- **The employee does the work.** They follow their skills, respect their duties, and use their tools. It uses the same execution pipeline as a chat message.
- **Results are logged.** Each routine card shows recent runs and their status.

**Default board-check routine.** Every solo employee and team leader gets a default routine on hire. It checks the task board for pending tasks, reviews duties for proactive work, or reports nothing to do and stops.

**Team routines.** Team leaders can create routines that target the team. When a team routine runs, the leader receives the instructions and delegates to members as needed. Only leaders can create team routines.

**Smart skipping.** If the employee is onboarding, training, or suspended, the routine skips silently and remains enabled. It resumes automatically when the employee is active again. The same applies when credits are exhausted.

## Where to Find It

1. Go to your **Workspace**.
2. Click an employee in the sidebar.
3. Open the **Routines** tab.

You will see that employee’s routines. At team and company level, the **Routines** tab lets you manage routines across members.

## What You Can Do

| Action | How |
|--------|-----|
| **View routines** | Open the **Routines** tab. Each routine appears as an expandable card. |
| **Create a routine** | Click **Add Routine**. Set its name, interval, and work instructions. |
| **Enable or disable** | Toggle any routine on or off. Active routines show a countdown to the next run. |
| **Edit a routine** | Expand a routine card and modify the interval or work instructions. Changes auto-save. |
| **View run history** | Each routine card shows recent runs with status. |
| **Run now** | Click **Run now** on a routine card to run it immediately. |
| **Delete a routine** | Open the 3-dot menu on a routine card and select Delete. |
| **Let the employee create one** | In chat, say “check my email every 30 minutes” and the employee creates the routine. |

## How to Set It Up

1. Open the **Routines** tab and click **Add Routine**.
2. Give it a clear **Name** (for example, “Morning email check”).
3. Set the **Interval** using the frequency picker.
4. Review the prefilled **Work Instructions** and edit them for this routine.
5. For a daily routine, set the time it should run.
6. Choose whether it should start active now or remain paused until you enable it.
7. **Done.** Active routines start running immediately. Changes auto-save.

## Tips and Tricks

- **Write clear, self-contained instructions.** The employee does not carry over conversation context from your last chat.
- **Start with the default.** The board-check routine handles task-board review automatically; add routines for specific recurring work.
- **Combine with tools.** A routine that checks an inbox needs the relevant email tool connected.
- **Let the employee manage routines.** Ask in chat for recurring work, such as “check my email every 30 minutes.”
- **Use a daily time for reports.** Set a daily interval for morning briefings or end-of-day summaries.

## Good to Know

- **Multiple routines.** Each employee can have multiple routines running independently.
- **Minimum interval.** The shortest allowed interval is 15 seconds. Values below that are rejected.
- **Employees cannot delete routines.** They can create, update, enable, and disable routines. Only you can delete one from the UI.
- **Same billing.** Routine work uses the same execution pipeline as chat messages. AI processing, runtime, and task credits apply.
- **Team members skip default routines.** In pre-built teams, only the leader gets a default routine. Members wake up when the leader delegates work to them.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can an employee have multiple routines?**
A: Yes. Each routine runs independently at its own interval.

**Q: What happens when the default routine runs and there are no tasks?**
A: The employee checks the board, reviews duties for proactive work, and stops if nothing is actionable. It does not invent work.

**Q: What if a routine fails?**
A: The run is marked as failed on the routine card. The routine continues at its next interval.

**Q: Can I set a specific daily time?**
A: Yes. Set the interval to daily and choose a specific time, such as 09:00 AM.

**Q: What happens when credits run out?**
A: Routine runs skip silently and resume automatically when credits become available.