Work
Reverse prompting loop: ask your bot for 5 things it could do for you
You only use a sliver of your bot because you run out of ideas for what to ask.
What hurt
Alex Finn (@AlexFinn) says most people get about 1% out of their agent. His fix is a reverse prompt: let the bot suggest work based on what it knows about you, pick one, repeat. It gets stronger with more connected sources, especially email; he uses it to clear unread mail. Not affiliated with xAI.
What to install or create
Ask the author's reverse prompt, choose one of the five suggestions, let the bot do it, then ask again. Connect email and other sources first so the ideas are grounded in your real work.
Bots
No new bot. Follow the first-run steps.
Plugins
Gmail
Optional
Routines
None on the first run. Watch one manual pass first.
The prompt
Reverse prompt (author-quoted)
Quoted from @AlexFinn on X
Last line is our approval fence: Never send, post, spend, or buy without my explicit yes.
Based on what you know about me and my work, what are 5 productive things you could do for me? Never send, post, spend, or buy without my explicit yes.
First run
- 1Read https://x.com/AlexFinn/status/2106821555657560484 (credit @AlexFinn).
- 2Connect the sources you live in, email first.
- 3Send the author-quoted reverse prompt to your main bot.
- 4Pick one of the five and let it run; approve any send or delete.
- 5Ask again and repeat. When the same useful task comes up twice, save it as a skill or routine.
Approval fence
Picking a suggestion is not permission to send, delete, or spend. Keep replies as drafts and approve anything that leaves your account.
What to tweak
Steal the one-line prompt and the pick-one-repeat rhythm. Good suggestions you see twice are candidates for a skill or routine.
Source
Alex Finn @AlexFinn · Original post
Not affiliated with xAI. We did not write this prompt. Third-party template terms still apply.
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