dusk botdocsyour bots
bots
what a bot is, how to make one, and how to give it a job, a look and a model of its own.
a bot is a teammate with one job. it has a name, its own chat, its own memory, and the ai you picked for it. you text it, it works, it tells you what it did.
make a bot
choose New bot or press ⌘N (CtrlN on windows and linux).
- name it. anything you like. there is a button for a random name if you are stuck.
- pick a shape and a colour. this is how you spot it in the sidebar.
- tell it its job. plain words are best: "you read my inbox every morning and tell me what needs me."
that is enough to start. everything else has a sensible default, and you can change all of it later.
give it a good job
the job is the most useful thing you write. a few habits help:
- one bot, one job. a researcher, an inbox helper, a bookkeeper. a bot that does everything does nothing well.
- say what done looks like. "come back with sources, a table and a straight answer."
- say what it must not do. "never post anything until i say so."
- start small. start with one bot and hire as you go.
some jobs people give their bots:
| bot | job |
|---|---|
| researcher | reads the 40 tabs so you don't. comes back with sources and a straight answer. |
| inbox helper | reads what came in overnight, drafts replies in your voice, puts what needs you on top. |
| code reviewer | picks up an issue, opens a pull request, fixes what the review finds. |
| bookkeeper | matches receipts to charges and tells you when a subscription got pricier. |
| travel planner | watches fares, holds the good one, checks you in the day before. |
| social media writer | drafts the week's posts from what you shipped. posts nothing until you say so. |
how it looks
a bot's picture is a simple character: one shape in one colour, with two eyes. open the bot's settings to change the Character shape and the Character color.
if you would rather use a picture of your own, upload one. png, jpeg, gif and webp work, up to 10 mb.
which ai it uses
every bot has its own model. open the bot and use the model picker. you can change it at any time and the bot keeps its chats, files and memory. see connecting an ai.
telling every bot about you
under Settings, your profile has an About me box. what you write there is shared with every bot, in private chats and in group chats. it is the place for things all of them should know: your name, your time zone, how you like to be written to.
things only one bot needs to know belong in that bot's memory.
looking after your bots
bots sit in the sidebar like chats in a messaging app. right-click one to:
- pin it to the top
- mark it unread
- edit its profile
- duplicate it
- hide it, or delete it
deleting a bot deletes its routines too. if you only want it out of the way, hide it.
⌘1 to ⌘9 jump to the first nine bots in the sidebar, and ⌘K opens a switcher that also searches your chats. all the keys are on the keyboard shortcuts page.
stuck? write to [email protected] and a person answers.