# Routines

A routine is a job alfred_ does on its own clock. Describe it in a sentence; alfred_ shows you what it built, runs it on a schedule or when an email arrives, and sends you what it found.

Source: https://get-alfred.ai/docs/routines  
Updated: 2026-10-24

| At a glance | |
| - | - |
| Starts | On a schedule, or when a matching email arrives |
| Can use | Your email, calendar, tasks, notes, connected apps like Slack or HubSpot, and the web |
| Delivers | A text, an email, or both; or an update to your tasks or notes |
| Sends to other people | Only if you set the routine up to send without asking. Otherwise drafts wait for your review. |
| Costs | Credits from your plan each time it runs. See [Plans & usage](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/plans). |

## Making one

Ask in chat or by text, or open **Routines** in the sidebar and describe it. A good routine says three things: **when** it runs, **what** to look at and do, and **where** the result goes.

- Every weekday at 5 PM, text me the client emails I still owe a reply to
- Every Friday at 3, email me a summary of what each client asked for this week
- When an email from a new client arrives, text me who it's from and what they want
- Every Monday at 8, email me my open deals with no email activity in 10 days

alfred_ shows you the routine it built (what it does, when it runs, where the result goes) before turning it on. Change anything by asking ("make it 9 instead", "only for Acme and Northside"). See [Make your own](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/routines/make-your-own).

![The Routines page: a box to describe a job in a sentence, suggested routines with a Turn on button, and the routines already made.](https://get-alfred.ai/blog-images/docs/routines-test-account.jpg)

*The Routines page on a test account. Describe a job at the top, or turn on a suggestion.*

## Ready-made routines

The Routines page has routines you switch on with one click, each with a schedule you can change: [Morning brief](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/routines/morning-brief), Prep every meeting, Plan my week, Wrap up my day, Clean up your calendar, Chase what I'm owed, Proposals waiting on a decision, Sort my tasks and Log every invoice. See [Ready-made routines](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/routines/built-in-routines).

## Approval and control

- A routine **reports** to you. If you want it to draft replies, it leaves them for you to review, unless you've told that routine to send without asking.
- Each routine's page shows what it does, when it runs, where results go, and its **recent runs**, so you can see what it sent. Some can **run now**.
- Pause or stop one on its page, or ask: "pause my Friday client summary".

## Rules or routines?

An [email rule](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/email/rules) acts on each email as it arrives, like texting you when a client writes. A routine does a bigger job, like a report or a round-up, on a schedule or when a matching email lands.

## If a routine didn't arrive or failed

| Check | Why |
| - | - |
| The routine's recent runs | Shows whether it ran and what it sent. |
| Settings → Connected Accounts | A disconnected account means the routine can't read that mail or calendar. |
| Texts from alfred_ | If texts are off under Settings → Notifications, a text result can't reach you; choose email delivery instead. |
| Credits on Settings → Plan & Billing | Routines run on your plan's monthly credits. |