Use cases / First job

Routine watchdog: the first job for a Bot that runs your routines

Updated · by Rosh Perera

A routine watchdog is one read-only routine that checks your other routines every morning. It lists each one that failed, each one that stopped at an approval that expired, and each one that never ran, with the fix for each. It changes nothing on its own. Once you have two or more routines, make it your Bot's next job, using the exact message below.

This isn't a template to browse. It's one job and the words to give your Bot. Paste the message, check the schedule, and read its list each morning. Routines still failing after that? Work through why Grok Bot routines don't run.

The message to send your Bot

Set up a routine called Routine watchdog. Every day at 7:30 AM, check every routine you can see, on this Bot and on my other Bots, for the last 24 hours.

This is a read-only check. Do not run, test, edit, pause, resume or delete any routine, and do not approve anything.

Post one list in this chat:
1. Failed: every run marked Failed, with the reason the run shows. If the reason is "Automation run rate limit exceeded", say that it isn't retried automatically.
2. Expired: every action that waited for my approval and now shows Expired, with the routine and what it was trying to do.
3. Never ran: every routine whose scheduled time passed with no run, and every routine that is Paused. For each one, check that it is enabled, that its schedule and time zone are right, that its Bot still exists, that the apps it uses are still signed in, and whether usage or account access is paused.
4. Couldn't check: any Bot or routine you couldn't see, by name. Don't guess.

Give one line per item: routine, Bot, what happened, when, and the fix. Then ask me which ones to rerun. If everything ran, reply with one line: All routines ran. If you can't reach the run history, report that instead of using old data.

Why read-only: "A test does real work. It can change files and use connected apps. Use a safe input." (Grok Bot help: Routines) A watchdog that reruns things by itself could repeat a send or a change you didn't want.

Set it up in 5 steps

  1. Open a chat with the Bot that owns most of your routines.
  2. Paste the message above and send it.
  3. Open the new routine and check When to run shows 7:30 AM in your time zone.
  4. Read its list each morning. Fix what it names, then tell it which routines to rerun.
  5. If it lists a Bot under Couldn't check, send the same message to that Bot.

What it lists, and the fix for each

Failed with "Automation run rate limit exceeded"

Rerun it yourself. Press Test on the routine, or send the webhook call again.

  • "The error comes from a limit all Grok Bot routines share, not from your own usage." (Grok Bot help: Routines)
  • "A run that fails with this error isn't retried automatically, so rerun the routine yourself." (Grok Bot help: Routines)

Failed with any other reason

Read the reason before you change anything. Then check that the apps it uses are still signed in and that its source can be reached.

Expired while waiting for your approval

Ask the Bot to try again while you're there to approve. If the same safe action expires every day, the card may offer a rule for next time. Only take it for a narrow action you'd always approve, like a draft to your own address.

  • "An approval from work that started without you, such as a routine, a trigger, or a message from another Bot, expires after about 10 minutes; the card then shows Expired, and the action does not run." (xAI's Approvals docs)
  • "To finish the task, ask the Bot to try again." (xAI's Approvals docs)
  • "An expired card may offer Always allow this in the future, which adds the proposed rule to your Allow automatically rules without running the expired action." (xAI's Approvals docs)

Keeps stopping for approval, even with an Allow rule

Look for an Ask first rule that matches the same action, including any team rule. Ask first wins.

  • "If an action keeps requiring approval, check Settings → General → Bot → Auto-review for a matching Ask first rule, including team rules your admin requires." (xAI's Troubleshooting docs)
  • "Ask first rules take precedence over Allow automatically rules." (xAI's Troubleshooting docs)

Never ran

Open the routine and go down xAI's checklist. A brand new routine also waits for its first scheduled time.

Paused while you were away

Resume the ones you still want, and leave the rest paused.

  • "To control unattended usage, Grok Bot may ask whether to keep routines running after a long period away and pause them if there is no response. Review paused routines when you return." (xAI's Skills and routines docs)

Limits worth knowing: "A Bot can own up to 50 routines, and the app keeps the 20 most recent run records for each routine." (xAI's Skills and routines docs) "Routine schedules must be at least five minutes apart." (xAI's Skills and routines docs)

Why we run one

We run one. A watchdog checks on our own Bots every 15 minutes and wakes any that stalled, one at a time. It catches work that stopped without telling anyone, which is the problem the reports below describe.

You don't need it that often. Once each morning catches last night's misses, and every run costs a little usage. Start yours read-only, and only let it rerun things once you trust its list.

Want a second signal? Ask each routine to end by writing one line, with its name and the time it finished, to a file in a shared folder. The watchdog can then flag any routine whose line is older than its schedule. That's how ours spots a Bot that stalled. "Bots can read files other Bots save in /workspace." (xAI's Files and results docs)

What owners report

User reports, not xAI statements. Quoted as posted.

  • User report, Reddit, r/GrokBot, 30 Aug 2026: "I'll wake up to missing results - and when I ask the agent I will get a response something like: "Routines X Y Z didn't run. Would you like me to run them now?"" (u/bobo-the-merciful)
  • User report, X, 16 Oct 2026: "When the limit hits they just fail with no retry, so you find out later that stuff never ran." (@kbruck97)
  • User report, Cursor forum, thread "Grok Bot routines don't auto-run on schedule", 10 Oct 2026: "I can confirm I still see this issue with Version 0.69.1 of the GrokBot Client and the GrokBot Computer upgraded to the latest version as of now." (@Parag_Chhibber)

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FAQ

How do I know if a Grok Bot routine didn't run?

Open the Bot's details and look at Routines. xAI's docs say you can view its routines and recent runs there, and Cursor's Grok Bot help says a failed run shows its reason. A watchdog does that check for you every morning and posts one list in chat.

Will the watchdog rerun failed routines by itself?

No. The message tells it not to run, test, edit, pause or delete anything. Cursor's Grok Bot help says a test does real work, so you choose what to rerun after you read the list.

Can one Bot see my other Bots' routines?

xAI's docs show each Bot's routines in that Bot's own details. They don't say whether one Bot can read another Bot's run history. That's why the message asks it to name any Bot it couldn't check instead of guessing. If it names one, give that Bot the same message.

How often should it run?

Once each morning is enough for most owners. xAI says schedules must be at least five minutes apart, and Cursor's Grok Bot help says each run spends usage. We run ours every 15 minutes because we run many Bots.

Why did my routine fail with a rate limit error?

Cursor's Grok Bot help calls "Automation run rate limit exceeded" a known issue. It comes from a limit all Grok Bot routines share, not from your own usage, and the run isn't retried automatically, so rerun it yourself.

Related: Grok Bot routines not working? Plain-English checks and Grok Bot approvals.