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Treat each Runner like an AI employee. Start with one narrow job, the sources that job needs, and writes on Ask.
Writes follow your tool permissions. Ask stages an Action Card for review. Allow acts without asking. Off blocks the tool unless a user-created Runner has its own override.

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Start with the tools for one job

Don’t connect everything on day one. If your first Runner is the Personal Assistant from Quickstart, start with these:

Gmail

Inbox triage, draft replies, follow-up tracking.

Google Calendar

Meeting prep, scheduling, conflict detection.
Those two are enough for the morning attention brief. A Pipeline Inspector would start with your CRM and Gmail. An Invoice Check would start with the folder, inbox, and sheet where invoices and agreements live. Connect the next app only when the next job needs it.
Quickstart setup: Gmail + Google Calendar. That’s it.
Keep different parts of your life in separate Projects: Each Project supplies its context as background to the sessions and Runners inside it. It doesn’t replace the instructions in a Runner’s saved prompt. Got work and personal Gmail? Connect both in Connected Apps with Add account and tell Runner which one to use: “Reply from my work email.”

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Start writes on Ask

Set the send tool to Ask and Runner stages an Action Card before anything goes out:
  1. Ask Runner to draft the email or message
  2. Read it, then make any changes
  3. Ask Runner to send it
  4. Approve or reject the Action Card
Later, you can move a specific send tool to Allow. That removes the review step, so do it on purpose.

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Turn one repeated job into a Runner

A one-off request shows you what Runner can do. The bigger payoff comes when you turn repeated work into a clear system. Name the sources, schedule, rules, what needs your approval, and what the result should contain. Then click Run now and read the first result. If you’re not sure which job to pick, start with the work tied to revenue, cost, or time.

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Save preferences that should stick

Tell Runner what you want it to remember: “When you draft emails for me, keep them under 5 sentences. Use a professional but friendly tone. Always end with a clear next step. Remember this.” Then check Memory. Once it’s saved, future sessions can use it.

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Be specific with names and dates

Runner works across multiple apps, so precision helps:

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Review the first three runs

Read the first few runs. Fix repeated job mistakes in the saved prompt, not only in one run’s session. Correct inaccurate background in Project context. Once a Runner is reliable, review it monthly. Check recent runs, pause work you no longer need, and confirm the schedule and permissions still make sense. Use a simple scorecard: If the answers keep being no, fix the prompt or pause the Runner.

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Your first week with Runner

Here’s a good first week. Each step builds on the last.

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What’s next?

Which AI employee should you add next?

Find the next job tied to revenue, cost, time, or customer delivery.

See AI employees by role

See examples for services, sales, operations, and more.