# Get a briefing every weekday

Set up an automation that has a bot write you a morning briefing every weekday, then check how each run went.

Canonical page: https://themachine.myapps.ai/docs/desktop/guides/daily-briefing

In this guide you set up an **automation** (also called a routine): a job a
bot does on its own, on a schedule. Here it's a short briefing every weekday
morning, like the latest news in your industry or what your competitors
have been up to.

**What you'll end up with:** a briefing waiting for you each weekday, in your
bot's main thread, or wherever you choose to post it.

**Time needed:** about 10 minutes.

**What you need first:**

- Machine Desktop installed and signed in.
- A bot to do the work. The **Researcher** starting point (a bot called
  *Scout*) suits a news briefing.

Routines run in the cloud on the bot's own computer, so they run even when
your computer is asleep or off.

> **Two quicker ways**
> - **Just want a brief right now?** Open **Tools → Today** and click **Get my
> brief**. The bot you pick answers in a few lines. See
> [Today](/docs/desktop/bots/today#your-brief).
> - **Want a bot to keep an eye on your day?** Open **Tools →
> Responsibilities** and add the **Prep my day** goal with **Check in daily**.
> With Google Calendar connected, the bot checks your day every morning at
> 9:00 and reports in its main thread. See [Responsibilities](/docs/desktop/bots/responsibilities).
>
> Build the routine below when you want full control over the time, the
> instructions, and where the results go.

### Try the instruction in a normal chat first

Before you schedule anything, send your instruction to the bot as a normal
message and see what comes back. It's much quicker to fix the wording now
than after a week of runs.

Nobody is there to answer questions when a routine runs. So write the
instruction so it makes sense on its own, with everything the bot needs to
know. For example:

> Find the most important news from the last 24 hours about electric bikes:
> new models, price changes, and new rules for riders. Give me a 5-bullet
> summary with a link for each, then one line on what it means for a small
> e-bike shop. Keep it short enough to read in two minutes.

> Check the websites and blogs of our three competitors, Acme, Globex, and
> Initech, for anything new since yesterday: product launches, price
> changes, job posts, or announcements. List what changed with links. If
> nothing changed, say so in one line.

Adjust it until the result is what you want.

### Connect an app, if the briefing needs one

If you want the briefing to include something from your own tools, like
your calendar, connect that app first:

1. Open **Tools → Connected apps** at the bottom of the sidebar.
2. Find the app, click **Connect**, then **Continue**.
3. Your browser opens. Sign in to the app and approve access, then come back
to Machine Desktop.

The app shows as connected within a couple of minutes. Click **Check status**
if it takes longer. Then you can add a line to your instruction, like:

> Also list my meetings for today from my calendar.

Skip this step for a news-only briefing.

### Open Automations

At the bottom of the sidebar, open **Tools → Automations**. You can also get
there from the bot: **Bot settings → Routines**, or the **Routines** tab of
the bot's computer panel.

### Create the routine

1. Click **New → Scheduled task**.
2. Give it a title, like *Morning briefing*, and pick the bot.
3. Click **More options** to open the full editor.

Fill it in like this:

| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| **Title** | *Morning briefing* |
| **Starts** | Tomorrow, at the time you want it, for example 8:00 am. |
| **Repeat** | **Every weekday (Monday to Friday)** |
| **Assign a bot** | Your research bot. It does each run. |
| **Post results to** | Leave it on the thread picked for you, the bot's main thread, so the briefing arrives where you already talk to the bot. Or pick another thread, or **Create a dedicated results thread**. See [Where results go](/docs/desktop/automations/create#where-results-go). |
| **Instructions** | The instruction you tested in step 1. |

If you choose **Create a dedicated results thread**, also tick **Remember the
last run**. Each briefing then starts with what the previous one reported, so
the bot can tell you what changed.

Then click **Schedule routine**.

The routine now shows in the **List** view as **Active**, with its next run.
Switch to **Calendar** to see it on a day, 3-day, or week view.

### Run it once now

Don't wait until tomorrow to find out whether it works. Click the routine
and click **Run now**. If you need to cancel it, click **Stop run**.

### Read the results

The briefing arrives in the thread you chose under **Post results to**. With
the default, that's the bot's main thread: open the bot in the sidebar and the
briefing is there, after your earlier messages.

Other ways to find it:

- Click the routine in Automations, then **Open results thread** or **Open
thread**.
- Open **Tools → Today**. Finished runs are listed under **Done today**.
Click one to open its results.

You can reply in that thread like any other: ask a follow-up question, or
ask for more detail on one item.

### Check the run logs

Open **Tools → Automations** and switch to **Run logs**. Each run shows its
bot, time, whether it was **Scheduled** or **Manual**, and its status:

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Queued** | Waiting to start. |
| **Running** | Working now. |
| **Completed** | Finished. |
| **Failed** | Something went wrong. |
| **Missed** | It didn't run at its scheduled time. |
| **Cancelled** | It was cancelled. |

Search the logs, or filter them by status.

A red dot on **Automations** means a run failed or was missed since you last
looked.

![A weekday routine filled in for Inbox](/images/docs/desktop/routine-editor.webp)

## Tips

- **Change it any time.** Click the routine and choose **Edit**. To take a
  break, use **Pause routine**, and **Resume routine** to start again.
- **Put lasting preferences in the bot's Soul**, like *"Always include a
  link for every item"*. The bot reads its Soul at the start of every
  conversation.
- **Want it saved as a file?** Add *"Save the briefing as briefing.md"* to the
  instruction. It's saved on the computer of that run's thread, where you
  can open and download it.
- **Watch the cost.** Each run uses your balance, like any other work a bot
  does. A short, focused instruction usually costs less than "tell me
  everything".
- **Routines from a recipe start paused.** Resume them in Automations when
  you're ready.

![The routine on the Automations calendar](/images/docs/desktop/automations-calendar.webp)

## Next steps

- [Today](/docs/desktop/bots/today) and [Responsibilities](/docs/desktop/bots/responsibilities)
- [Create a routine and repeat options](/docs/desktop/automations/create)
- [Manage routines, run logs, and results](/docs/desktop/automations/manage)
- [Connected apps](/docs/desktop/integrations/connected-apps)
- [Write better requests](/docs/desktop/chat/writing-requests)
- [Get a research report](/docs/desktop/guides/research-report)