Ankesh | Thinking AI @ankeshdev ·
I stopped reading my bots' reports. That's what made them useful.
I run two startups solo on 10+ Grok @bot , with zero code. Before this rule, I'd lose an hour a day skimming 10-page docs to find the two questions that needed me.
So every bot now follows one rule: write the full doc as reference, but never ask me to read it. Instead, put a decision pack in chat:
Decisions Pending: options plus a recommendation
Clarity to be Provided: what only I know
Conflicts Highlighted: where two things disagree
One line per item. Then it takes my decisions one at a time.
Paste this into your bots:
"When you need my input, keep the full doc as reference but don't ask me to read it. In chat, give me three sections: Decisions Pending (options plus your recommendation), Clarity to be Provided, Conflicts Highlighted. One line per item. Then ask me one decision at a time."
Your bots don't need to write better. They need to know what you're actually there for.
What prompted it
An hour a day lost skimming 10-page bot reports to find the two questions that actually needed the author.
What Grok Bot did
- Every bot writes the full doc as reference.
- Instead of asking for a read, it posts a decision pack in chat: Decisions Pending (options plus a recommendation), Clarity to be Provided (what only the author knows) and Conflicts Highlighted (where two things disagree).
- Each item gets one line.
- The bot then takes the author’s decisions one at a time.
Evidence and limits
- Original post checked on X (Oct 17, 2026)
- Outcome reported by the author
- Not reproduced by anyone else yet
What the media shows
A dark-mode Grok Bot chat with a bot named "Ray", showing a decision pack in the format from the post. Under "Decisions Pending": "Who owns scheduling" (Sales Head or a new dedicated assistant bot, "I'd go with Sales Head.") and "How it sends" (drafts first for two weeks or auto-send from day one, "I'd start with drafts."). Under "Clarity to be Provided": "Your call hours" and "Inbox name" ("Once claimed, it can't be changed."). Under "Conflicts Highlighted": "Bot email limits: Grok Bot's own email may allow only a limited number of addresses per account. Pick the owner before claiming one."
