Writing rules and skills a Grok Bot will actually follow
Published October 24, 2026 · Grok Bot changes often
A Bot that ignores your rule is rarely being stubborn. The rule is usually out of view, or nothing enforces it.
How a Bot sees your rules
From staff answers in October 2026:
- Saved memory is added to context every turn, but only the newest few thousand characters. Old rules fall out as new ones pile up.
- Shared memory (facts about you) is visible to all your Bots. A rule saved in one Bot's memory is not.
- Rule files on the Bot's computer are seen only when the Bot opens them. Nothing loads them automatically.
- Router Bots do not check a specialist's result against your rules.
A pattern that holds up
Put the core in the profile. Instructions in the Bot's profile carry into every new chat. Keep them short.
Merge your saved rules now and then. Ask: "Merge your saved rules into one short list." Verify with: "List the rules you currently follow, newest first." A missing rule is out of view, so re-save it.
Use a skill for a method, a routine for timing. A skill is a saved method with inputs, steps, checks and output, shared across your Bots. A routine says when one Bot runs it. Make the task work once by hand, save it as a skill, then schedule it. See Skills, routines, templates and memory.
Write the method into the handoff. A coordinator Bot should say "use the scraper, not the browser" in the task itself.
Start fresh chats. Long transcripts dilute instructions. See Start a fresh conversation.
Enforce what matters. For send, delete, pay or publish, use Ask first in Settings, General, Auto-review. It actually pauses the action. Instructions only guide. See Why does my Bot ignore my rules?.
Writing skills that are easy to check
- One kind of task per skill.
- State inputs, steps, checks and the exact output format.
- Name the tools it may use.
- Keep a copy outside the Bot (a README or file) so you can recreate it if an import drops it. See Fixing missing skills after a template import.
Routine hygiene
Make routines idempotent and tolerant of late starts: Why a routine runs late.
Use a Team Bot or templates on purpose
Templates give each person an independent copy; a Team Bot is one shared Bot. See Template vs Team Bot.