Guide · First 10 steps

Your first 10 steps with Grok Bot.

Plain words. One step at a time. Matches the Bot Cheat Sheet videos: chief of staff first, then get to know you, inbox, safety, cards, routines, and growing your crew.

Open Grok Bot → See the starter crew

Draft on the templates-preview branch only. Not on the live site.

Step 1. Open Grok Bot and sign in

Open Grok Bot on the device you use most. Sign in with your account. You do not need twenty bots. You need one that works.

  • Use the same account you will connect email and calendar to later, so you are not switching mid-setup.
  • If you are new, finish sign-in before you create anything. One clean start beats starting twice.
  • Prefer to go slow? Do this step today and stop. Prefer to finish today? Keep going through Step 5 in one sitting.

Step 2. Create your first bot: Chief of Staff

Your first bot is always your chief of staff. Name it that, so you always know its job. Think of it like hiring a right-hand helper for one clear role: it runs the day with you, then later hands work to other bots.

  • Create a new bot. Give it the name Chief of Staff (or your own nickname — just keep the job clear).
  • Give it one line of ownership, for example: “Get to know me, then sort my inbox and tell me what needs me today.”
  • Do not add a second bot yet. One working helper beats a pile of half-set-up ones.
  • Want the paste-ready prompt? It is on the home page under Bot 1.

Step 3. Let it get to know you

Before it touches your inbox, it needs to know who you are. What you do. Who matters. What it should never touch. How you like to be talked to — short and direct, or with more detail.

  • Answer a few plain questions, one at a time:
    1. What do you do for work?
    2. What does a normal day look like?
    3. What do you want off your plate first?
    4. Who matters most, at work and at home?
    5. What should I never touch or send?
    6. How do you like to be talked to: short and direct, or more detail?
    7. What does a good week look like for you?
  • Already have an “about me” sheet with your role and preferences? Upload it and skip the interview.
  • A mom might say: work emails, plus soccer and school. A shop owner: orders, suppliers, and the dentist. Rough answers are fine.
  • Going slow? Ask it to sum up what it learned, fix anything wrong, and call that day one.

Step 4. Connect your email and calendar

Connect the apps you want help with. Start with email and calendar so the morning list is real, not made up.

  • Find the connections area. Pick Gmail (or your email) and Google Calendar (or yours).
  • Sign in on the official screens yourself. Never paste a password into chat.
  • Going slow? Start with “just read, no drafts yet,” then turn drafting on after you trust the piles.

Step 5. Set the safety rules

Write your rules once. Paste them into the bot. You are always the one who presses Send.

These rules apply to everything you do: Only write drafts. I see everything before it goes live. Nothing is sent, posted, deleted, bought, or cancelled without my yes. Report results and blockers only. Keep private details private. Never make up facts.
  • Zoom in on “never send” until it sticks. Drafting is help. Sending is yours.
  • Add your own lines if you want, like “ask me before any calendar change” or “never mention [topic].”
  • These rules travel with the bot. Keep them when you add jobs later.

Step 6. Sort your inbox (its second job)

Now give it the real work. Each morning it reads your inbox and calendar, using what it knows about you, and hands you a short list.

Each morning, read my inbox and calendar. Using what you know about me, give me a short list: what needs me today, what can wait, and any appointments. Draft replies if useful, but never send anything. I'll review and send.
  • Want the bottom line fast? Run the prompt right now. Do not wait for morning.
  • Prefer a careful first pass? Try it on about ten emails first and check every pile before you trust it daily.
  • Read the list. Fix anything it got wrong about you. That feedback teaches it for tomorrow.
  • Use it for a few days before you add another bot.

Step 7. Learn the cards — you press Send

Inside Grok Bot, important actions show up as cards. The bot never sends on its own. You read, edit if needed, and press Send yourself.

  • Draft card: To, Subject, and body. Read it. Fix the tone. Press Send when it is right.
  • Question card: the bot asks you to pick an option. Answer when you are ready.
  • Approval card: shows up before anything is bought or a bigger change is made. Read every line. Only your yes counts.
  • Need an attachment? Cards cannot carry files. The bot saves a draft in your Gmail Drafts instead; you open Gmail and press Send there.
  • Another bot saying “it’s fine” does not count. Only your yes does.

Step 8. Set a routine so it runs without you babysitting

A routine is a job on a schedule. Your chief of staff can sort the inbox every morning while you drink coffee — still as drafts, still with your rules.

  • Start with one routine only: the morning inbox + calendar list (same prompt as Step 6).
  • Pick a time you will actually read the result. Morning works for most people.
  • Later, add a weekly tidy-up (see Step 10). Do not stack five routines on day one.
  • Overnight routines that need your OK should stop at a draft card. Approvals expire; the bot cannot wait for you at 3 a.m.

Step 9. Add a second bot — only after the first one works

When the chief of staff is useful for a few days, add bot number two for a totally different job. Your chief of staff can hand work over, so you still talk to one main helper.

  • Good second jobs: posts and content drafts, research with sources, calendar keeping, or bookkeeping that only reports.
  • Example (posts): “Turn my notes into three short post drafts in my voice. Put them in a list for me to review. Never post or schedule anything until I say yes.”
  • One bot, one clear job. If two bots would do the same thing, do not create the second one.
  • Still unsure? Wait another week. A steady crew of two beats a messy crew of five. See the full starter crew of five (Chief of Staff → Home Desk) when you are ready.

Step 10. Grab the cheat sheet, set a weekly check, and know where to get help

Keep these steps handy. Everything on this page is free to use with no email required. An optional email box is below if you want updates. We never ask for a password.

  • Optional email list: use the box above (or the one at the bottom). You do not need it to use any prompt.
  • Once you have a few bots, create a Weekly Audit helper. Prompt: “Every week, review my bots and routines. Report in two parts only: what’s going great, and what to fix. Never pause, delete or change anything without my yes.” Also under more bots · Weekly Audit Helper.
  • Stuck? Ask your chief of staff: “How do I…?” in plain words. Or browse Community and About.
  • You did it. Add one new job at a time. Keep approving everything yourself. Grow your crew.

Liked these tips and want to try Grok Bot? Here’s my link — you get a 2-week free trial.

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