Getting started

How to talk to Butler

Real examples of what to ask and what to expect

Butler works like a conversation. You say what you need and it handles it. There is no app to open, no buttons to click, no menus to navigate. You just talk.

But if you are used to apps where you do everything yourself, it can take a moment to adjust. Here is a guide to the kinds of things you can ask, with real examples.

Email

This is what most people use Butler for. Instead of opening Gmail and scrolling through your inbox, you ask Butler what is there and tell it what to do.

You: What is happening in email?
Butler: 24 new emails since yesterday. 3 are urgent. The Q3 budget needs your approval, Sarah sent feedback on the mockups, and Anna invited you to a meeting on Thursday.

You: Draft a reply to Sarah saying the mockups look good, I will have final notes by Friday.
Butler: Finds the thread, drafts the reply. You review and send.

You: Archive everything from yesterday except anything marked urgent.
Butler: Archives 19 emails, leaves 3 in your inbox.

You: Summarize that long thread from Anna about the Q3 budget.
Butler: Reads the entire thread and gives you a one paragraph summary with the key decisions and action items.

Calendar

Your calendar is one of the most useful things to check through Butler. It saves you opening the calendar app every time you need to know what is ahead.

You: How is my calendar looking today?
Butler: You have 3 meetings today. A 10am standup, a 2pm client call, and a 4pm team review. You have a solid 2-hour block between 11 and 1.

You: Move my 3pm to Thursday at the same time.
Butler: Checks for conflicts on Thursday, moves the event, updates the invite, and notifies attendees.

You: Find 30 minutes for Anna this week.
Butler: Checks both calendars, finds three open slots, suggests the best one.

You: Prep me for the 2pm client call.
Butler: Gathers the relevant emails, meeting notes, and documents so you walk in prepared.

Tasks and projects

Butler creates tasks in whatever tool you use. Asana, Notion, Monday, Trello, Todoist. It adds the right details, sets due dates, and keeps things in sync.

You: Add "review Q3 budget" to Asana, due Friday.
Butler: Creates the task in your Asana project with the right date and details.

You: Create a meeting notes page in Notion for the client call.
Butler: Creates a new page in your Notion workspace with the meeting details already filled in.

Files and documents

You probably have files spread across Drive, Dropbox, Slack, Notion, and email. Butler searches all of them at once.

You: Find the budget file Sarah shared in Slack last month.
Butler: Searches across Drive, Slack, Notion, and email. Finds the exact file and tells you what is in it.

You: What was the key number from that spreadsheet David sent?
Butler: Finds the spreadsheet, reads the content, gives you the key figures without you opening it.

Business numbers

If you connect QuickBooks and Analytics, Butler can pull your business numbers without you opening any dashboards.

You: How are we doing this month?
Butler: Revenue is up 12% this month. Traffic dipped slightly but conversion improved. There are 3 unpaid invoices totaling $4,200.

You: How many unpaid invoices do I have?
Butler: Checks QuickBooks and tells you the number, amounts, and who owes what.

Tips that make it work better

Butler understands natural language, so you do not need to use specific commands. But a few things help.

Be specific about what you want done. "Draft a reply" works. "Handle it" is too vague.
Mention the person or tool when it matters. "The file Sarah shared" helps Butler narrow the search. "Add to Asana" is clearer than "add to my tasks."
You can correct it. If the draft is not right, say "Make it shorter" or "Change the tone to be more formal."
You can chain requests. "Summarize my inbox, then draft a reply to the urgent ones." Saves time.

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