Recurring Tasks allow your assistant to automatically perform actions, research, monitoring, and reporting based on a schedule or event trigger.
Instead of manually asking your assistant to perform the same task repeatedly, you can create a recurring task that runs automatically whenever specified conditions are met.
All tasks consume credits each time they run, so only enable tasks that you are actively using. Ensure that the frequency matches your needs. A recurring task running every hour will use credits quickly vs once a week.
How Recurring Tasks Work
Every recurring task consists of three parts:
A trigger — when the task should run.
Instructions — what OpenAssistant should do when the task runs.
Outcome — what is the goal or outcome you want in the end
For example:
Trigger: Every weekday at 6:00 AM
Instructions: Review my calendar, prepare a daily agenda, and provide background information on each meeting.
Outcome: Send completed agenda to my email inbox
When the trigger occurs, OpenAssistant automatically executes the task and delivers the results.
Trigger Types
Time-Based Triggers
Time-based triggers run on a schedule. Examples:
Every weekday at 6:00 AM
Every Friday at 5:00 PM
First business day of each month
Common use cases include:
Daily agendas
End-of-day summaries
Weekly reports
Calendar conflict reviews
Inbox summaries
Event-Based Triggers
Event-based triggers run when a specific event occurs. Examples:
30 minutes before every meeting
When a meeting is added to your calendar
Before customer demos
Before interviews
Common use cases include:
Meeting preparation
Calculate commute time
Interview preparation
Create agenda
System Recurring Tasks
OpenAssistant includes pre-built system recurring task templates for common workflows. You can toggle system tasks on or off.
Read more here: System Tasks and Workflows
Custom Recurring Tasks
You can create your own recurring tasks using the three parts described above.
Trigger - when the task should run
Instructions - what should the assistant do
Output - the goal or output you want to receive
Example workflows to try:
Meeting Preparation
Instructions: 30 minutes before meetings in my calendar I want to receive a briefing and meeting prep.
- Check for events on my work calendar
- External meetings only (must have at least 1 external contact)
- No spam/webinar type events on my calendar
- Research attendees (bios), company, news, etc.
- Have we met before, previous email threads, meeting notes, etc.
- Suggested talking points or things to consider before the meeting.
- Email final prep to my inbox
Add Commute Times
Instructions: Whenever an event is added to my calendar, I want you to calculate and add commute time in the calendar.
- Identify if the meeting is in person
- If it is in person, calculate commute from my office at 124 Main St, Denver, CO
- Add blocks for commute time before and after the meeting
Writing Effective Task Instructions
Recurring tasks are configured using natural language. For best results:
Be specific about the trigger
Specify which calendars to review
Specify which email accounts or inboxes to check
Describe the desired output
The more detailed the instructions, the better your assistant can execute the task.
Improving Tasks Over Time
Recurring tasks can be modified at any time. As tasks run, your assistant learns from your feedback and may create memories to improve future executions.
You can update a task by:
Editing the task configuration
Changing the trigger
Updating the instructions
Adding additional context or preferences
You can also chat directly with your assistant and ask it to improve a specific recurring task. Examples:
"Make my daily agenda more concise."
"Include recent emails in my meeting prep."
"Add customer news to my pre-meeting briefing."
"Flag travel conflicts in my Sunday planning task."
Your assistant will apply those changes to future task executions.