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Official agent skill

Routines

by google in google/adk-recipes

A skill your agent uses for a recurring unattended task (cron; pull data, open a PR, post a digest), or to test/dry-run a routine first.

OfficialApache-2.0Auto-check passedProductivity & Automation

Install Routines

skills CLI
$ npx skills add google/adk-recipes --skill routines -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install google/adk-recipes routines --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/google/adk-recipes.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/python/long-horizon-harness/horizon/builtin_skills/routines .claude/skills/routines && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
routines
GitHub stars
10k
Token cost
~818 tokens
SKILL.md length
449 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
14
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

A skill your agent uses for a recurring unattended task (cron; pull data, open a PR, post a digest), or to test/dry-run a routine first.

  • A recurring unattended task (cron
  • SKILL.md covers The isolation model (why this…, How to author one, Test it before scheduling and Scheduling it
  • Calls git and pip
  • Test/dry-run a routine first

What it does

Routines is an agent skill from google/adk-recipes, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Use for a recurring unattended task (cron; pull data, open a PR, post a digest), or to test/dry-run a routine first. Explains authoring and testing via the routine tool.

Its SKILL.md is about 820 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Productivity & Automation, covering Scheduled and recurring tasks and Pull requests. The repository describes itself as: A collection of agent recipes, reference patterns, and vertical plugins built with Agent Development Kit (ADK). The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • A recurring unattended task (cron
  • Test/dry-run a routine first

Example prompts

  • “/routines”

Requirements

  • Python 3

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit c339821. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • git
    • pip

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git and pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Routines loads about 818 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 45 tokens; SKILL.md has 449 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~45
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~818

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from google/adk-recipes at commit c339821, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© google). 449 words, ~818 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/routines/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
routines
description
Use for a recurring unattended task (cron; pull data, open a PR, post a digest), or to test/dry-run a routine first. Explains authoring and testing via the routine tool.

Scheduling routines

A routine is a recurring task that runs unattended on a cron schedule, in a fresh sandbox isolated from the user's workspace, holding only the secrets the routine declares. Use it for "every morning, summarize X and report" / "weekly, bump deps and open a PR" — work that should happen without the user present. There is no one-off reminder tool: it cannot ask the user anything mid-run, so it is the wrong fit for a plain "remind me at 9pm" ping.

The isolation model (why this is safe)

  • The routine runs in its OWN sandbox (lhart-<id>), never the user's — so it cannot see their workspace, other projects, or undeclared secrets.
  • It receives ONLY the secret env vars listed in secrets: — that list IS the blast-radius boundary. Declare the minimum the task needs (check the "Available secret env vars" line for the names).
  • It is headless (nobody to approve mid-run): shell commands run normally in the isolated sandbox — git clone, pip install, build, commit/push all work, since the sandbox is the blast radius. Secret-exfiltration and known-destructive commands are still refused, and any non-shell action that would need approval is auto-denied — design the task to avoid those, or do an irreversible external step as a draft for the user to confirm later.
  • Outputs come back as artifacts in the routine's session — it cannot write into the user's workspace.

How to author one

Call routine(action="create", name=..., schedule=..., task=..., secrets=[...]):

  • schedule: a 5-field cron expression ("0 8 * * *" = daily 08:00 UTC).
  • task: a self-contained instruction — the routine has no memory of this chat and no access to the user's files, so state everything it needs.
  • secrets: the exact secret env names the task requires (e.g. ["GITHUB_PAT"]), or omit for none.
Show full SKILL.md (163 more words)Show less

Test it before scheduling

ALWAYS dry-run a routine before you create it:

routine(action="test", name=..., task=..., secrets=[...])

This runs the task ONCE right now under the routine's real isolation — its own lhart- sandbox, headless (shell runs; non-shell approvals denied), only the declared secrets — and blocks until it finishes, returning {success, status, output, ...}. Read the output: if the task didn't work (missing secret, needed an approval, wrong assumption), fix task/secrets and test again. A test schedules nothing (no schedule row, no chat session) — but it does provision the routine's real lhart- sandbox, which the scheduled routine then reuses, so pass the same name you'll create with. Then create.

Scheduling it

The tool asks the user to confirm before scheduling. On the first call it returns status: "awaiting_user_response" — stop, let the user decide, and do NOT claim the routine is scheduled until you get success: true with an id.

Use routine(action="list") to show scheduled routines and routine(action="cancel", id=...) to remove one (the user can also type /routines / /routines remove <id>).

© google, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in core/python/long-horizon-harness/horizon/builtin_skills/routines of google/adk-recipes.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit c339821

Compare with similar skills

Routines next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Routines compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Routines this skillgoogle/adk-recipes10k—~818Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
OpenObserve PR Briefopenobserve/openobserve22k—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassAGPL-3.0
Gh Issuestrpc-group/trpc-agent-go1.8k8 repos~8.7kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
PR Monitorespennilsen/pi1221 repos~935Automated safety check: PassMIT
Swampswamp-club/swamp644—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Jira Issue To PROpenHands/extensions158—~4.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Routines

What does Routines do?

A skill your agent uses for a recurring unattended task (cron; pull data, open a PR, post a digest), or to test/dry-run a routine first. Routines is an agent skill from google/adk-recipes, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Use for a recurring unattended task (cron; pull data, open a PR, post a digest), or to test/dry-run a routine first.

When should I use Routines?

Routines fits situations like: A recurring unattended task (cron; test/dry-run a routine first.

How do I install Routines in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add google/adk-recipes --skill routines -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (core/python/long-horizon-harness/horizon/builtin_skills/routines in google/adk-recipes) into .claude/skills/routines in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Routines in Codex?

Run `npx skills add google/adk-recipes --skill routines -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (core/python/long-horizon-harness/horizon/builtin_skills/routines in google/adk-recipes) into .agents/skills/routines in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Routines in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add google/adk-recipes --skill routines -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/routines, .gemini/skills/routines, .github/skills/routines and .opencode/skills/routines in your project.

What does Routines need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Routines needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git and pip). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Routines access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git and pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Routines safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Routines use?

Routines is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Routines use?

About 818 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Routines?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Routines: OpenObserve PR Brief (openobserve/openobserve, 22k stars), Gh Issues (trpc-group/trpc-agent-go, 1.8k stars), PR Monitor (espennilsen/pi, 122 stars) and Swamp (swamp-club/swamp, 644 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Routines?

google (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in google/adk-recipes, which has 10,421 GitHub stars. The repository holds 14 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: google/adk-recipes on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.