Automations

Put automation results where you will use them

Choose where Otto should deliver an automation's result and whether it should notify you. The right destination keeps a recurring project together without turning every routine run into an interruption.

Choose the destination

An automation has two separate placement decisions:

  • Session — the conversation context the run belongs to: the agent's Main session or a separate Automation conversation.
  • Results — where Otto delivers the completed result: the destination you select for that automation, together with its notification setting.

The exact choices shown can depend on the automation and agent you select. If a setting is unavailable, keep the available destination and verify it with a first run rather than assuming another conversation can receive the result.

Use the agent's Main session for ongoing work

Choose Main when later runs should build on the same project's conversation:

  • a recurring launch plan or research project;
  • a report that you refine from run to run; or
  • a check where the agent needs decisions already made in the conversation.

Main is convenient, but it also adds scheduled output to your active working conversation. Tell the automation what counts as a meaningful update so an unchanged result does not create unnecessary noise.

Use a separate Automation conversation for routine checks

Choose Automation when the work is self-contained and should have its own history:

  • a daily status report;
  • a recurring monitor; or
  • a scheduled check that you only open when it finds something important.

This keeps routine runs out of Main. A separate automation conversation is not a new agent: it does not change the agent's personality, connected-app access, approvals, or limits. It is a different place to keep the run's conversation and results.

Use notifications as an attention signal

Turn notifications on when you need to act soon—for example, when the run may need a decision, an approval is waiting, or an exception needs investigation. For routine output, deliver the result to its normal session and review it there. A notification is an interrupt, not a replacement for the result or its run history.

Change the delivery settings

  1. Open Automations and select the automation.
  2. Choose Edit.
  3. Review the automation's Session setting. Select the agent's Main session for continuing project work, or Automation for a self-contained scheduled check.
  4. Review Results (or the results destination shown by your version of the app) and choose where the completed result should appear.
  5. Turn notifications on only if this workflow should interrupt you. Make sure notifications are also allowed for Otto in your device or operating-system settings.
  6. Select Save.

Changing delivery does not change what the automation is allowed to do. App access, approvals, and usage limits remain separate settings; review them if you also changed the task. See Set automation permissions and limits.

Verify the first run after saving

Use Run now when you want to test the new destination instead of waiting for the next schedule. Then check:

  1. The result is in the selected session or automation conversation.
  2. The result is complete and has the expected sources and links.
  3. A notification appears only when you enabled one and the device allows it.
  4. The run appears in the automation's history and has the expected status.

If the result is in the wrong place, edit one delivery setting, save, and run it again. Do not create a second automation just to change its destination. For run status, approvals, and errors, see Activity and run logs.

Common questions

Can I send results to both Main and an Automation conversation?

Choose one home for the automation's results. Use a notification to draw attention to a result when needed; it does not create a second copy in another session.

Will a separate Automation conversation have access to my project?

It has the automation's saved instructions and the access granted to its agent, but it should not be assumed to contain decisions or files from another Chat. Include important sources, constraints, and stopping conditions in the automation itself. A separate conversation does not isolate the agent's files, connections, approvals, or limits.

Why did I get no notification?

First open the automation and confirm notifications are enabled. Then check that notifications are allowed for Otto in the operating system, the device is online, and the run actually reached a completed or attention-needed state. You can still review the result and status in the selected session and run history. See Notifications.

The result went to the wrong place. What should I do?

Open the automation, choose Edit, correct the session or results setting, save, and use Run now to verify it. If the run itself failed, read the failure before changing delivery settings; see Read and recover failed runs.

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