How To Connect AI To Apps: Prompts That Work

6 Min Read

How to connect AI to apps: add each app in Connect apps, sign in, then mention it with @ in your request so the bot knows which app to use.

Here are the prompts I'd give you if you sat next to me at my bench.

Open Connect apps, add the app, finish the login, then type @ to attach it to a task (source).

Jump To: Prompts · The Short Version · Step By Step · A First Week Of Requests · Copy These Prompts · Before You Approve · Common Mistakes · Worked Scenario: Parts Orders In Your Inbox · More Questions · Why This Matters To Me · How Grok Bot Usage Works

Prompts

When to use it: Right after you connect Gmail.

@Gmail Find every parts-order email from this week and list what's shipped and what isn't. Read-only.

Est. Usage: Low

When to use it: Right after you connect a calendar.

@Google Calendar Check the next seven days for conflicts and anything I should prepare for.

Est. Usage: Low

Full guide: How To Connect AI To Gmail And Google Calendar.

Sanitized from my own prompts: names, accounts and private details removed.

Next Step: AI Routine Prompts: Tasks That Run On Their Own

The Short Version

Connecting an app takes a few minutes. The step most people skip is telling the bot which app to use and keeping the first requests read-only.

Step By Step

  1. Pick one app. Start with the one you check most for work.
  2. Open Connect apps. Add the app.
  3. Finish the sign-in yourself. Logins and codes are typed by you, never pasted into chat.
  4. Mention it with @. Type @ and the app's name so the bot knows which one to use.
  5. Start with a read-only request. Ask it to find and list, not to send or change.
  6. Check the answer against the app itself. Make sure it found what's really there.
  7. Add the next app. Calendar is a good second step after email.
  8. Save requests you repeat as routines. A weekly check can run on its own.

A First Week Of Requests

Day 1: @Gmail list this week's parts-order emails. Read-only.
Day 2: @Google Calendar check the next 7 days for conflicts.
Day 3: compare the two: any repair booked before its part ships?

Est. Usage: Medium

Copy These Prompts

@Gmail Find every parts-order email from this week and list what's shipped and what isn't. Read-only.

Est. Usage: Low

@Google Calendar Check the next seven days for conflicts and anything I should prepare for. Don't change anything.

Est. Usage: Low

Before You Approve

  • The right app is mentioned with @.
  • The first requests are read-only.
  • Answers match what's really in the app.
  • You did the sign-in yourself.

Common Mistakes

  • Connecting everything at once. Add one app at a time.
  • Not mentioning the app. The bot may guess which one you mean.
  • Starting with sends or edits.
  • Pasting passwords or codes into chat.
  • Not checking the first answers against the app.

Worked Scenario: Parts Orders In Your Inbox

Say you've just connected Gmail. You ask the bot, read-only, to find this week's parts-order emails and list what's shipped and what hasn't.

It comes back with a short list and one order with no shipping email yet. You follow up on that one yourself. The next step is connecting your calendar so it can also flag repairs waiting on that part.

With both apps connected, you can ask questions that span them, such as whether any repair is booked before its part has shipped. The bot checks your parts-order emails against your calendar and lists any that don't line up. You decide what to do about each one, such as texting the customer, and the bot can draft that text for your OK.

More Questions

Which App Should I Connect First?

The one you check most for work, often email or your calendar.

What Does @ Do?

Mentioning the app tells the bot which connected app to use for that request.

Can A Connected Bot Send Email?

Treat sending as something that waits for your OK. Start with read-only requests.

Can I Connect More Than One Account For The Same App?

Check your bot's Connect apps settings for what's supported, and mention the account you mean when you ask, so the bot uses the right one.

Estimated usage: our rough guide, not an official figure. Est. Usage: Low quick one-off asks; Est. Usage: Medium multi-step tasks or short research; Est. Usage: High long research, many tool calls, browser work or daily routines.

How Grok Bot Usage Works

Franchitti's Fix is run by Steve with help from Grok Bot, so here's the plain version of how its usage works.

  • Your Plan Includes A Usage Allowance. Paid plans come with included usage that refreshes every week. Higher-tier plans include more. Unused usage doesn't roll over. (Source)
  • Bigger Jobs Use More. In general, long research, tasks that use lots of tools and routines running in the background do more work, so they draw down the allowance faster than a quick question.
  • Light Settings Stretch It. Lower effort for simple jobs, fewer and less frequent routines and short, focused requests all help the allowance last. See How To Regulate Grok Bot Usage.
  • Checking Your Usage. In Grok Bot, open Settings, then Usage & Billing. On The X Subscription, you can also check Usage at grok.com/dashboard, which shows the weekly pool, the next reset date and any prepaid credit. (Source)

Try Grok Bot
Affiliate link: we may earn a referral reward if you sign up.

Why This Matters To Me

I was an overworked and overwhelmed one-person shop trying to run a six-figure business alone, because hiring here is so expensive. Grok Bot helped me accomplish things I never thought were possible. The full story starts in How To Set Up An AI Assistant With Grok Bot.

More In This Series

Back to the series index: Grok Bot Prompts: Beginner To Advanced. All series: Grok Bot Guides: Every Series In One Place.

Want To Talk Shop?

I'm Steve, and I run Franchitti's Fix, a home-based, by-appointment iPhone repair shop in San Diego. Questions about bots, or an iPhone that needs fixing? Book An Appointment or call (720) 413-8150, or read more about me.

Try This Prompt: AI For Small Business

Restaurant

List 5 repeat tasks in my restaurant I could hand to an AI assistant, with what I would still need to approve myself.

Salon

List 5 front-desk tasks at my salon an AI assistant could draft, like reminders and rebooking texts, and what I should always approve first.

Contractor

Write a missed-call text reply for my contracting business: thank them, ask for the job address and a photo, and say when I usually call back.

Retail

Make a weekly checklist for running my shop's social posts with AI: what to draft, what to review, what never to post without me.

Real Estate

Make a weekly AI routine for my real estate business: what to draft (posts, follow-ups), what to review, what never to send without me.

Repair Shop

Draft a ready-for-pickup message for [customer] about their [device] repair. Include our hours: [hours]. Under 40 words.

Personal And Family

Help me set up a weekly family plan with AI: chores, meals and reminders for [family members]. Keep it to one page.

Seniors

List 5 simple, safe ways I could use AI each week, like reading letters or making shopping lists, and what I should never share with it.

How To Use These Prompts

Pick the card closest to your business, tap To Copy, then paste it into your AI app.

Tips To Customize Them

  • Fill In Every [Bracket] With Your Own Details.
  • Add Context: Who It Is For, How Long, What Not To Change.
  • Ask A Follow-Up To Adjust The First Answer.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving Brackets Unfilled.
  • Pasting Private Info Like Passwords Or Card Numbers.
  • Trusting Prices, Dates Or Facts Without Checking.
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