Computer adds Automations for ongoing work

A useful weekly project update builds on the week before, including which blockers were resolved and which decisions are still pending. When Perplexity Computer prepares that update, it should remember where things stood for the previous one.

Today we’re launching Automations, which bring Computer’s capabilities to long-running agents that work proactively on a schedule or in response to conditional events. Each agent uses Computer’s connected files, tools, and Projects to carry out its assignment. It remembers prior work, picking up where it left off without waiting for a new request.

Unlike other agents, Automations don’t start from scratch every time. For a customer-service Automation, Computer drafts replies with earlier emails in mind. For a weekly competitor-pricing report, Computer compares the latest prices with the previous ones and flags what changed.

Schedules or events trigger the automation

Automations replace Scheduled Tasks, adding event-based triggers and memory of prior runs to recurring work. Computer can carry out assignments on a schedule or when a specified event occurs in Slack, Gmail, Outlook, Linear, or GitHub. Conditions, like an email from a particular sender that asks for a decision, can narrow which events start a run.

For example:

• Event-triggered work: “When an email from Pinnacle Manufacturing asks for a decision, review the earlier correspondence and account plan, summarize the request, identify the deadline, and notify Maya.”
• Scheduled work: “Every Monday at 8 a.m., check competitor pricing, compare it with the previous week’s findings, update the comparison spreadsheet, and summarize material changes.”

Users set the schedule or specify the event that determines when Computer runs. They then tell it what to do, which sources to use, and where the work should go, like a Slack channel or Gmail draft.

Computer flags missed updates and follow-ups

Users can also create Automations that flag when an expected update hasn't been posted or if a deadline has passed without action. Assignments can include “Tell me if the Tuesday deployment hasn’t shipped by Wednesday morning” or “Flag any priority customer account that hasn’t replied in four days.”

Computer uses the job’s history to track what’s still expected. Each run checks outstanding items against what has happened since the last run and flags what needs attention.

There are two ways to set up automations

Users can create Automations by describing the job in Computer’s omnibar, or by opening Automations and selecting New Automation. They can add instructions, choose a schedule or event trigger, and connect the relevant accounts and Projects.

To give Computer a clear assignment, users name the outcome they want, the tools Computer should use, and where the work should end up. They also specify which actions Computer can take on its own and which need human review. One example: Ask for review before sharing an update in Slack.

Admins can configure connector permissions to limit what Computer can access and which actions it can take. Users can review an Automation’s instructions, status, and run history, including what triggered each run and what Computer produced.

As work changes, users can edit Automations or pause them when a job is on hold. Automations don’t use credits when Computer is watching for a trigger. Credits are spent only when Computer runs an assignment.

Computer can handle many jobs

Automations can handle work across project tracking, team conversations, email, and more:

• Customer reply drafts: Review incoming emails in Gmail from a named account, use earlier exchanges and relevant files, and prepare replies for review.
• Engineering issues: When a Linear issue is labeled “ready,” research the repository, write the change, and open a pull request for human review.
• Project decisions: When a decision is posted in a project’s Slack channel, update the decision log, note any earlier decision it replaces, and flag affected tasks for review.

For more Automations use cases, visit our use case library.

Any Computer user can use Automations

Automations are available to Computer users. Existing Scheduled Tasks appear in the Automations surface, with an option to migrate each task when it is opened.

Start a standing assignment in Automations today.