Grok Bot skills vs. routines vs. templates — what's the difference?
Last checked October 28, 2026 · Grok Bot changes often
A skill is a saved method — the inputs, steps, checks and output for one kind of task — shared across your Bots. A routine tells one Bot when to run work, on a schedule or after an event. A template packages a whole Bot's configuration so someone else can add a copy. Memory holds lasting facts and preferences. Make a task work once by hand, save it as a skill, and only then schedule it.
| What it is | Belongs to | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill | How to do a task | Shared across your Bots | "Write daily brief: read these sources, max five bullets, link each" |
| Routine | When to run work | One Bot | "Every day at 07:30, run Write daily brief" |
| Memory | Lasting facts and rules | One Bot (some shared memory is visible to all) | "Never include an item without a date" |
| Template | A shareable copy of a Bot | Its author; recipients get a copy | "Daily Brief" Bot with its skill and paused routine |
Skills
A good skill states when to use it, required inputs and access, the steps, how to check the result, what to return, and what needs approval. You can create one by:
- From chat: after a task works, ask the Bot to save the process as a named skill.
- Teach a task: in a one-to-one chat with the computer view open, record yourself doing it once (up to ten minutes, no microphone), then review the draft.
Type / in the desktop composer to call a saved skill. If a private skill is missing, open Connect apps, select the connected count and enable it for this Bot under Private skills.
Routines
Ask the Bot that should own the routine to create it. Say the schedule, time zone, input source, expected result, approval boundary and what to do if a source is missing. Limits from the docs: up to 50 routines per Bot, schedules at least five minutes apart, 20 most recent runs kept. Routines run while your laptop is closed.
Manage them in the Bot's Details tab: Pause, Resume, Test, edit, delete. Deleting is immediate.
Templates
A template packages the Bot's instructions, relevant memories, skills, routines and first-party plugins. It leaves out personal memories, custom code and scripts, private skills, secrets and non-standard plugins such as custom MCP servers. See How do I install a Grok Bot template?
The order that works
- Do the task once, by hand, with the Bot.
- Fix what went wrong and save it as a skill.
- Run the skill on a safe example.
- Only then add a routine — at a sensible frequency.