How to Set Up Grok Automations: Scheduled Briefs and Email Triggers

The short version

An automation is a Grok prompt that runs by itself. xAI introduced Automations in July 2026: “Describe the work once, choose when it runs, and Grok takes it from there.” Each run uses the same instructions with current data, so a daily news check or a weekly inbox summary stays fresh.

Step by step

1. Open Automations

Go to grok.com/automations, or open Automations in the Grok app. You can start from one of the suggested templates, or simply ask in a chat: “Check the news every morning and flag anything about [topic]”, and xAI says Grok sets it up for you.

2. Write the instructions

Write them like a normal chat message: what to do, what to look at and what the result should look like. xAI says you can attach files for context, add connectors and skills, and pick a mode. Type @ to mention a connector, such as your Gmail, so Grok uses it on every run.

3. Choose when it runs

• On a schedule: once, daily, weekdays, weekly, monthly or yearly, at a time you choose in your timezone.
• On an email: when an incoming email matches your filters (sender, recipient or subject), the automation runs with that email as context. xAI says email triggers are included with SuperGrok.

4. Choose how it reports back

Email, app notification, both, or neither if you’d rather check yourself.

5. Test with Run now

Click Run now to try it straight away. Each run opens a full conversation saved in the automation’s run history, so you can read it and continue the chat.

6. Review after a week

Read a few runs. Tighten the instructions, or pause it if it isn’t useful.

Prompts to copy

Morning brief:

Every weekday at 7:30, check X and the web for news from the last 24 hours about
[your industry] and [your town]. Give me 5 bullets, each with a link. Skip anything older.

Weekly inbox summary (with a Gmail connector):

Every Friday at 4 pm, look at my @Gmail from this week. List customer emails I haven't answered,
any invoices or payment reminders, and anything with a deadline next week.

Competitor check:

Every Monday, look at what [competitor 1] and [competitor 2] posted publicly on X last week.
Summarize new offers, price changes and announcements, with links. No commentary.

Email trigger (SuperGrok):

When an email arrives from [supplier's address], summarize it in 3 lines,
pull out any dates or price changes, and draft a short reply for me to review.

Example

You: run a café and want to know about anything that could affect tomorrow’s trade.

Your automation: daily at 6:00 pm, check official weather and city sources plus local X posts for weather warnings, road closures and events near [street] tomorrow. Three bullets with links, reported by app notification.

A good result: most evenings it says “nothing unusual”. The evening there’s a street festival announced, you see it in time to add staff.

Mistakes to avoid

• Vague instructions. “Keep me updated” produces noise. Name the topic, time window and format.
• Too many automations. Each run is a full conversation, and runs you never read are wasted. Start with one.
• Auto-sending emails. Ask for drafts and review them.
• Forgetting to check old automations. Pause the ones you’ve stopped reading.

When not to use it

Don’t automate anything that needs a judgment call or could embarrass you if it’s wrong, like replying to complaints. Use automations to gather and summarize, and keep the final decision for yourself.

Related: connect your apps to Grok and get real-time news with Grok.