Claude Routines: Automate Daily Work, Step by Step
Por Miguel Torrez, fundador de Genial Agency
You will have a Claude routine running on Anthropic's cloud on a daily schedule. You will have tested it once with Run Now and checked its report.
Cloud routine or local scheduled task?
| Cloud routine (Claude Code) | Local routine or Cowork scheduled task | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On Anthropic's cloud | On your own computer |
| Runs when your computer is off | Yes | No: it stops if your computer is off or its battery dies |
| Where you set it up | Claude Code desktop app: More, then Routines | Choose Local when you create the routine, or use scheduled tasks in Claude Cowork |
| Connectors | Only the ones already set up in your Claude desktop app, and only those you allow | Not covered in the video |
| Limits | A daily cap: between five and twenty-five runs per day, from what I have seen | Your computer has to stay on |
| Good for | Reports and analysis that run once per trigger: a daily brief, a CRM review, a project check | Daily tasks while your computer is on |
| Not good for | High-volume automations that need no AI | High-volume automations that need no AI |
Where it runs
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
On Anthropic's cloud
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
On your own computer
Runs when your computer is off
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
Yes
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
No: it stops if your computer is off or its battery dies
Where you set it up
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
Claude Code desktop app: More, then Routines
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
Choose Local when you create the routine, or use scheduled tasks in Claude Cowork
Connectors
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
Only the ones already set up in your Claude desktop app, and only those you allow
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
Not covered in the video
Limits
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
A daily cap: between five and twenty-five runs per day, from what I have seen
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
Your computer has to stay on
Good for
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
Reports and analysis that run once per trigger: a daily brief, a CRM review, a project check
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
Daily tasks while your computer is on
Not good for
- Cloud routine (Claude Code)
High-volume automations that need no AI
- Local routine or Cowork scheduled task
High-volume automations that need no AI
Lo que necesitas
The Claude Code desktop application (Routines are only available there)
The connectors your routine needs, already set up in your Claude desktop application
One recurring report or analysis you want to automate
Paso a paso
Open the Routines window
Open the Claude Code desktop application. Click More, then select Routines.
Claudehttps://claude.ai
Look through the templates
Browse the templates in the Routines window, such as daily briefing, email triage and issue triage. Choose the kind of report you want. Routines work well for reporting jobs, for example reviewing your CRM or checking whether the tasks on a project list are done.
Ask Claude Code to draft the routine
Don't fill in the form by hand. Tell Claude Code what you want to automate and send it. Claude Code drafts the routine with you step by step.
Example requestI want to automate a daily brief.
Review the draft
Check the name, the instructions, the repository and the schedule that Claude Code filled in (in the video it runs at 9:00 a.m.). Edit the instructions so they say everything you want the routine to do.
Click Create
Click the Create button. Your new routine now appears in the Routines list.
Confirm cloud and connectors
Select the routine. Make sure it runs on the cloud. Go through its connectors and allow only the ones this routine needs. They come from your Claude desktop application, so you don't need to connect anything new.
Run a test with Run Now
Click Run Now. The routine works like a Claude conversation: it sends the prompt to Claude on the cloud, and Claude comes back with the report.
Check the result and adjust
Read the report. If you are not happy with it, change the routine and run another test. Repeat until the output is what you need.
Ten cuidado con
If you create a routine by hand, choose Cloud, not Local. A local routine behaves like a scheduled task (those run on Claude Cowork) and will not run if your computer is off or its battery dies.
Cloud routines have a daily limit, somewhere between five and twenty-five runs per day, from what I have seen. Don't trigger them repeatedly.
Routines are poor for high-volume work. Use them for jobs that run once per trigger, such as reports and analysis. They are not suited to high-volume automations that need no AI.
A routine can only use connectors you already have in your Claude desktop application, so set those up first.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is a Claude Routine?
A routine is a saved prompt that Claude runs on a schedule. It works like a Claude conversation: it sends the prompt to Claude on the cloud, and Claude comes back with the report.
Where do I find Routines?
Only in the Claude Code desktop application. Click More, then select Routines.
Does my computer need to be on?
Not for a cloud routine. A local routine behaves like a Cowork scheduled task and will not run if your computer is off or its battery dies, so choose Cloud when you create one.
How many times a day can a routine run?
Cloud routines have a daily limit. From what I have seen it is somewhere between five and twenty-five runs per day, so do not trigger them repeatedly.
What should I not use routines for?
High-volume automations that need no AI. Routines fit jobs that run once per trigger, such as reports and analysis.
