> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clarityq.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating & Scheduling Tasks

> How to create, schedule, edit, and manage automated tasks.

## Creating a Task from Ask Anything

The easiest way to create a task is to ask the agent directly within a conversation. For example:

* *"Schedule this analysis to run every Monday at 9am"*
* *"Turn this into a daily report and send it to Slack"*
* *"Create a weekly task that checks revenue per user every Friday"*

The agent proposes a task with an optimized prompt, schedule, and delivery settings. You review the details and approve — the task is created without leaving the conversation.

<Tip>
  Creating tasks from a conversation is especially effective because the agent already has the context of your analysis. It can optimize the prompt based on what worked in the current chat.
</Tip>

## Creating a Task Manually

You can also create tasks from the Automations page:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Automations page">
    Navigate to **Automations** from the sidebar and click **Create Task**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your task">
    Give the task a descriptive name — for example, "Daily KPI Summary" or "Weekly Churn Report."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the prompt">
    Enter the question you want the agent to answer. Write it the same way you'd ask in Ask Anything.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the schedule">
    Choose a frequency and time:

    * **Daily** — Runs every day at the specified time
    * **Weekly** — Runs on a selected day of the week
    * **Monthly** — Runs on a selected day of the month

    The time is set in your local timezone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure delivery">
    Choose where results should be sent — Email, Slack, or both. Results always appear in the in-app Results tab regardless of other delivery settings. See [Task Delivery & Notifications](/automations/task-delivery-and-notifications) for details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and optionally test">
    Save the task. You can check **Test after creation** to run a test immediately — see below for what this means.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Testing a Task

When you check **Test after creation**, ClarityQ executes the prompt immediately so you can verify the output. The test result appears in the **Results** tab under Automations — but it is **not delivered** to Slack or email recipients. This lets you review exactly what the task will produce before it goes out to anyone on its scheduled cadence.

<Note>
  **Test after creation** and **Run Now** behave differently. Test after creation is a dry run — results are only visible in the Results tab. **Run Now** triggers a full execution that delivers results to all configured channels (Slack, email) just like a scheduled run would.
</Note>

## Managing Tasks

### Editing a Task

Click on a task to open it for editing. You can update the name, prompt, schedule, and delivery settings. If you change the schedule, the next run time is recalculated automatically.

### Pausing and Resuming

* **Pause** — Temporarily stops a task from running. No runs will occur while paused.
* **Resume** — Reactivates a paused task. The next run time is recalculated from the current schedule.

### Running Manually

Click **Run Now** to trigger an immediate execution outside the regular schedule. This is useful for testing or getting an on-demand result.

### Deleting a Task

Delete a task to permanently remove it and all its results.

<Warning>
  Deleting a task cannot be undone. All associated results are permanently removed.
</Warning>

## Tips for Effective Tasks

* **Be specific in your prompt** — The agent runs without follow-up questions, so make the prompt clear and self-contained
* **Use `@` mentions** — Reference specific metrics or segments to ensure consistent results every time
* **Use `/` to invoke skills** — If the analysis you want to automate is defined as a skill, reference it with `/skill_name` in the prompt. The agent will follow the skill's methodology on every execution.
* **Start with daily tasks** — Monitor the first few results to make sure they match your expectations before reducing frequency
* **Test first** — Test after creating or editing to verify the output before the first scheduled execution