An automation is a scheduled or triggered activity that does work for you — on a repeating schedule or once at a set time. Where a watcher only notifies you, an automation actually kicks something off. This article covers what automations can do, how to schedule them, and how to manage them.
What an automation can do
An automation can start work in a few ways:
- Run a pipeline on a worktree.
- Start a worktree prompt — a task the automation owns and kicks off.
- Start a chat in a Cowork project — a standalone project prompt.
- Prompt App Advisor to carry out actions across the app.
Scheduling
Automations run on a schedule (recurring, cron-style) or one time at a set moment — for example, a summary that runs every morning, or a one-off task set for a specific date.
Gate an activity with a command
For finer control, you can gate an automation on a command: it runs only when that command succeeds, and the command's output can be fed into the prompt. This is an advanced option for conditional automations.
Scheduled chat messages
Separately from automations, you can schedule a message into an existing chat. This targets a specific ongoing chat session rather than starting a new task — handy for nudging a chat at a set time.
Managing automations
From the Automations page you can list and inspect your automations, update them, disable or delete them, or run one immediately.
For non-technical work
In a Cowork project, automations are useful for everyday recurring outcomes — reminders, recurring summaries or research, and regular check-ins — scheduled the same way.
Next steps
- Watchers — get notified when something finishes, instead of starting work.
- App Advisor — set up automations in plain language.
- Working in parallel — keep work moving even when you're away.