Set up your first Grok Bot so it asks before it acts

What you need

• Access to Grok Bot. It comes with eligible Grok and Cursor plans; check x.ai/bot for the current list.
• One recurring job that is easy to undo, such as sorting an inbox or drafting posts.
• Logins for the apps that job needs, and nothing more.

Steps

1. 1Pick one job and name the Bot after it

   Choose something that happens often and can be undone: inbox sorting, research or post drafts. Name the Bot after the job, such as Inbox Bot or LinkedIn Bot.

   Don't create a Bot for every small task. One real job per Bot is easier to check.

2. 2Write a short job description

   Tell it what it owns, what it works from, what it may do, what it must ask about first, and when the job counts as done.

   Your job: [one sentence, e.g. "keep our support inbox at zero by end of day"].
   You own: [the outcome].
   You work from: [the brief, approved sources, past examples].
   You may: [read, search, draft, organize].
   Ask me before: [sending, refunding, buying, deleting, posting, changing permissions].
   Done when: [your definition of done].
   If anything is unclear or sources disagree, stop and ask me.

3. 3Connect only the apps that job needs

   Add plugins one at a time; the Bot usually asks for permission when it needs a new one. A support Bot does not need your bank.

   Bots on the same account share files, browser sessions and logins, so keep sensitive accounts off the account entirely.

4. 4Ask for a dry run before the first real run

   Have it describe its plan before it touches anything. Fix the plan, not the mess.

   Before you start, describe your plan step by step: which apps you'll open, what you'll do in each, and where you're unsure. Don't act yet.

5. 5Keep drafts and approvals on

   Email and Slack messages arrive as draft cards that you send or discard. Before anything it can't undo, such as sending, posting, buying or deleting, a Bot checks with you.

   Approval cards offer Always allow, which saves a rule you can edit later in Settings. Don't use it for anything involving money, and leave drafts switched on for now.

6. 6Give it a routine

   Ask the Bot to set up a schedule, such as weekdays at 7 a.m. or hourly during working hours. After you save it, the Bot sums up what the routine does and who receives the result.

   Each run opens in its own chat, so you can see exactly what happened.

7. 7Promote it on evidence

   After five clean runs in a row, let it take on one more kind of task. Review it every week, the way you would a new hire.

How to know it worked

• Its dry-run plan matches how you would do the job.
• Five routine runs in a row finish without you fixing anything.
• Nothing went out without your approval.

Income Automations that use this

• Start a local newsletter run by a small team of BotsIncome automation
• Let a Bot answer sponsorship inquiries in your business inboxIncome automation
• Sell done-for-you AI agent setups to other businessesIncome automation