This guide gets you from zero to your first Buffy routine using ChatGPT (or an OpenClaw-style surface that talks to Buffy).
What you’ll need
- A Buffy account (sign up at buffyai.org).
- Access to Buffy via ChatGPT (or your OpenClaw project wired to the Buffy API). If you use OpenClaw, see Set up Buffy with OpenClaw first.
If you’re connecting Buffy to ChatGPT via MCP tools, start with Set up Buffy in ChatGPT (MCP).
Step 1: Connect Buffy
- Sign in at buffyai.org and open your account.
- In the Buffy dashboard, open Account (or Settings) and use the option to connect ChatGPT or your OpenClaw project. For OpenClaw, follow Set up Buffy with OpenClaw. You’ll typically authorize once so the agent can create activities and receive reminders on your behalf.
Step 2: Create your first routine
In ChatGPT, say something like:
“Weekdays between 7:30 and 8:00, I want a morning startup routine: drink water, 10 minutes of planning, then stretch. Remind me in Telegram.”
Buffy will:
- Create a routine with three steps and a time window.
- Schedule reminders for that window (e.g. in Telegram if you chose it).
You don’t need to name every field. Describe the routine and the window; Buffy turns it into activities.
Step 3: Respond to reminders
When the window opens, you’ll get a nudge (e.g. in Telegram):
“Morning startup window’s open. Water first—done now, or snooze 15m?”
Reply done, snooze 20, or skip. The same behavior core logs your response and may send a follow-up for the next step or go quiet until the next day.
Step 4: Check your daily view
Ask Buffy for a daily briefing (in ChatGPT or in the Buffy dashboard) to see what’s on today: habits in their windows, tasks with due dates, and routines. Everything comes from the same Activity model.
If something goes wrong
- Nothing happens when I create a routine? Check that you completed Step 1 (connected ChatGPT or OpenClaw to Buffy) and that your message includes a time window (e.g. "between 7:30 and 8:00"). Without a window, Buffy may not schedule reminders.
- I don't get reminders in Telegram/Slack? In the Buffy dashboard, open Account (or Settings) and confirm Telegram or Slack is connected. Reminders use the channel you chose when you created the routine.
What’s next?
- Add a task with a due date (“Ship the report by Friday”) and see it in the briefing. See Tasks and deadlines.
- Add a habit (e.g. “evening walk”) with its own window.
- Core concepts — activities, channels, memory, reminders.
- Blog: How to Get Started With Buffy Agent in 5 Minutes
- Blog: ChatGPT for Planning, Telegram for Execution