Guide

Can an email start a Grok Bot routine?

Updated · by Rosh Perera

Yes. A routine can run when mail arrives at your Bot's own address, from anyone, from specific addresses, or from a whole domain. By default it only runs for senders that pass standard email authentication. New mail never wakes a Bot without a routine, and any reply waits as a draft for your approval. Checked 20 Oct 2026 against Cursor help and the xAI changelog. We're an independent site, not part of xAI.

How does an email start a Grok Bot routine?

  • How email triggers work

    The email trigger is for your Bot's own address (the one at mail.grokbot.com). A routine can watch for: Mail from anyone. Mail from specific addresses, like billing@example.com. Mail from a whole domain, like *@example.com. Routines can't filter by subject. Mail that fails the spam or virus scan never starts a routine.

  • Why an email didn't start anything

    Documented causes: No routine exists. New mail doesn't start a chat or wake a Bot on its own. The sender didn't pass email authentication. The sender doesn't match the filter. The routine is paused. Mail from the last minute may not show in search yet.

  • What about my Gmail or Outlook inbox?

    The documented email trigger is for the Bot's own address. For your main inbox, use a schedule, like "every weekday at 8:00 AM, summarize new mail in Gmail".

  • Tagged addresses

    The changelog says Bots can send from a tagged form like name+shop@, and a routine on that tag runs only for its mail. Use one tag per job, for example +receipts or +orders.

  • Example routines (ours)

    Receipts log: Inbox: Bot address +receipts; How it starts: Email trigger; Sender filter: Anyone; Waits for you: Nothing. Supplier invoices: Inbox: Bot address; How it starts: Email trigger; Sender filter: *@supplier.com; Waits for you: Nothing. Shop orders: Inbox: Bot address +shop; How it starts: Email trigger; Sender filter: Your shop's address; Waits for you: Nothing. Daily Gmail summary: Inbox: Your Gmail; How it starts: Schedule; Sender filter: n/a; Waits for you: Nothing. Client reply drafts: Inbox: Bot address; How it starts: Email trigger; Sender filter: *@client.com; Waits for you: The reply. Our example prompt: "When an email arrives at my +receipts address, from anyone, save the vendor, date and amount to my receipts sheet and tell me in this chat. Do not reply to anyone."

  • Limits worth knowing

    Up to 50 recipients per email. Up to 10 attachments, 10 MB each, 25 MB in total. One address per account, which you can't rename or delete. Team Bots have no shared team address.

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Ready-made use cases

  1. 01Inbox triage with drafted replies
    The agent sorts your inbox into reply / FYI / ignore and drafts replies in your voice for you to approve.
    ~5h/week · estimate
  2. 02FAQ support in your voice, with your OK on every reply
    The agent drafts replies to common customer questions from your docs and hands off anything tricky. You approve them one at a time or in a batch. Auto-sending simple FAQ answers is an optional upgrade.
    ~8h/week · estimate
  3. 03Expense receipt digester for your books (you file every claim)
    Paste receipt text or forwards and get a clean dated list: vendor, amount, category, memo. You copy it into your books. Never submits claims or pays cards.
    ~2h/week · estimate

Example: Grok Bot setup

Grok Bot routine: Inbox triage with drafted replies
Schedule: Twice daily 9:00 and 15:00

Twice a day, go through new emails. Label each as Reply, FYI or Ignore. For Reply, write a draft in my voice (short, friendly, direct) and save it as a draft, never send. Send me a list of drafts to approve and any FYIs worth knowing.

Rules: draft first, never send or post anything external without my approval. Keep summaries short.

Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and n8n versions: all templates

Email me this template + the Starter Kit

Approval

  • Every send from the Bot's address needs your approval, routines included. Cursor help: "There's no option for unattended sending". Instructions inside a received email never count as your permission.

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Built by Rosh Perera, who has set up AI automations for more than 40 businesses over about 3 years.

FAQ

Can a routine watch my Gmail inbox for new mail?

Not with an email trigger. Run a scheduled routine instead.

Can a routine send email without my approval?

Not from the Bot's address. Every send waits as a draft.

Can I filter by subject line?

No. Filter by sender or domain.

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