# Claude Routines: Decision and Setup Checklist

From my video "Automate Daily Work with Claude Routines".

## 1. Is this task a good fit for a cloud routine?

Tick every box before you build one.

- [ ] It is a "one shot" job, such as a report or an analysis (for example: review your CRM, check whether the tasks on a project's to-do list are done, write a daily brief).
- [ ] It needs AI to read, judge or write something.
- [ ] It runs only a few times a day. Routines have a daily cap (I think it is between five and twenty-five runs a day, but I am not fully sure of the exact number).
- [ ] It must run even when your computer is off or out of battery.

If any of these are true, pick something else:

| Your situation | Better option |
|---|---|
| You need many runs a day, or want to trigger it freely with no limit | A scheduled task (runs on Claude Cowork, no daily limit, but your computer must stay on) |
| High-volume automation that does not need AI | A classic automation tool such as n8n |
| You are fine with it running only when your laptop is on | A local routine, which behaves like a scheduled task |

## 2. Before you start

- [ ] Use the Claude Code desktop application (routines are only available there).
- [ ] Open it, click **More**, then select **Routines**.
- [ ] Check which connectors you already have in your Claude desktop app (for example email or Slack). Routines use those same connectors, so you do not need to connect anything new.

## 3. Create the routine (recommended way: ask Claude Code)

- [ ] Instead of filling in the form yourself, tell Claude Code what you want. My example:

```
I want to automate a daily brief.
```

- [ ] Review what Claude fills in for you: the name, the instructions and the repository.
- [ ] Check the schedule (in my example it runs at 9:00 a.m.).
- [ ] Click **Create**.

Prefer to start from a template? The Routines window offers templates such as daily briefing, email triage and issue triage.

## 4. If you set it up by hand, check each field

- [ ] Type: choose **Cloud** (Local behaves like a scheduled task).
- [ ] Name: what the routine is called.
- [ ] Instructions: write out everything you want the routine to do.
- [ ] Trigger: **Schedule** (a set time on set days) or **API** (start it remotely, for example from a button on a Notion database).
- [ ] Connectors: allow the ones this routine needs.

## 5. Test, then adjust

- [ ] Open the new routine and confirm it runs on the cloud and has the right connectors.
- [ ] Click **Run Now** to run a test. It works like a normal Claude conversation: the prompt goes to Claude in the cloud and the report comes back to you.
- [ ] Read the result. Not happy? Change the instructions and run it again.
- [ ] Decide where the report should land (for example your email or Slack) so you see it where it matters.

## 6. Keep in mind

- [ ] Each API-triggered run counts toward the daily cap. Do not trigger it over and over.
- [ ] Start with one routine, then build on top of it.