What are routines?

A routine is work Vai repeats for you on a schedule, such as “each weekday morning, draft replies to new client emails” or “every Monday, list the action items due this week”. You set what Vai does, when it runs, and what it may change without asking. After each run, Vai posts a report to the routine’s own chat.

Routines are part of Vai keeping your business moving while you’re away. See What does Vai do while I’m away, and does it use AI credits?

What you can do with it

• Set up a routine in Business Center, under Routines, or by asking Vai in a chat. See How do I set up a routine?
• Read each run’s report in the routine’s chat, and review or send the email drafts it prepared.
• Run a routine now, change it, turn it off, or delete it.
• See every run under Run history, and the AI credits each routine used on Vai’s Usage tab.

How it works

Each routine has these parts, set in the routine’s form:

• Instructions: what Vai does each run, in your words.
• Schedule: Daily, Weekdays, Weekly on the days you pick, Monthly on a day of the month, or Hourly. Each runs at the time you pick, in the timezone shown on the form. A monthly routine set for a day that a month is too short for, such as the 31st, runs on that month’s last day.
• Scope: All Hubs, or one Hub.
• Run when there is: the check Visualist makes before each run: New emails, Action items due, New concierge enquiries, New hub activity, or Always run. When the check finds nothing new, the run stops before Vai starts.
• Vai can, without asking: the changes Vai may make during a run: Create action items, Add stickies and comments, Write notes, Write and edit email drafts, Mark emails read or archived, and Update contacts and leads, which updates client briefs and moves inquiries between stages in your Pipeline. With none ticked, the routine only reads and reports what it finds.

Each run ends with a report card in the routine’s chat. It shows Done, Nothing new, or Failed, a summary, what Vai made, such as “3 drafts · 1 action item”, and each email draft with Review and Send. A run that finds nothing new only adds “Nothing new since” and the time of the last check to the chat.

If a run fails, Vai tries once more on its own. If it fails again, the report shows Retry, and the schedule carries on. If a run comes due while the last one is still going, it’s skipped.

You get a notification in Notifications when a run is done, when a run fails after its retry, and when your routines are paused.

The routine’s chat is listed under Routines on Vai’s Chat tab, with a dot when it has a report you haven’t read. Reply in it like any chat to ask Vai about the run or change what it made. Run history in Business Center, under Routines, keeps each run for 90 days. The chat keeps every report.

AI credits

A run that does work uses AI credits, like a Vai chat. The amount depends on the work. A run whose check finds nothing new uses none. An Always run routine, and a run you start with Run now, skip the check, so they use credits every run.

An Hourly routine can use your credits much faster, so the form and Vai both ask you to tick I understand before saving one.

Setting up or changing a routine in a Vai chat uses credits like any chat. To see what each routine used this month, open Vai from the rail and select Usage. See How do AI credits work?

Who can use it

Routines are on the Growth plan. See What is included in each plan?

You can have up to 6 routines. They’re private to you and run in your own workspace, so team members don’t see them.

If your plan changes from the Growth plan, or you run out of AI credits, every routine pauses and stays saved. See Why is my routine paused or not running?

To make your first routine, see How do I set up a routine?