A Grok Bot routine is using stale data

Why it happens

The routine found a file or page and produced the expected format, so the run appears successful. It never checked whether the source was current. This is common with exported CSV files, cached dashboards and copied reports.

Add a freshness contract

Write four values into the routine:

• the authoritative source;
• the timestamp field it must read;
• the maximum acceptable age;
• what to do when the source is older than that limit.

Example:

Use only orders-export.csv when its modified time is less than 24 hours old. Put the source timestamp at the top of the report. If the file is older, produce no recommendations; alert the owner with the timestamp and stop.

Test the failure path

Run the workflow once with current data and once with an intentionally old copy. The second test should stop clearly, without drafting messages, updating records or presenting old numbers as current.

Routines best practices · Routine stopped running