# Watch

Source: https://routineos.org/templates/watch

> Watches a list of sources for new and changed items, one report per run. Starts report-only. Install with one command.

Template: general

# Point it at sources. Get one report per run, even in a quiet week.

Watch is a general Claude routine template. You give it a list of web pages, such as a changelog or a news page. On each run it looks for new and changed items and writes one report, even when nothing changed, so a quiet week is visible.

[Get started](https://routineos.org/#start)[Install it](#install)

pilotedwatchgeneralstarts report-only

At a glance

## What a watch routine does

On each scheduled run it opens every source in your list, finds items dated inside the look-back window, and compares them with what it has already seen. It writes one report, then updates its seen list last.

It is the simplest template here and a good first one to try. Replace the two example sources with your own before you switch it live.

**Kind**Watch

**Schedule**Weekdays, 22:00 UTC (default)

**First run**Report-only

**Needs**Web fetch

**Maturity**Piloted: a real run checked it (per the catalog)

Safety

## What it is told never to do

- The prompt forbids sending, posting or deleting anything. The first run is report-only.
- The prompt treats page text as data. An instruction inside a page is ignored.

These are rules in the routine's prompt. See [honest limits](https://routineos.org/honest-limits) for what is and is not checked by code.

Settings

## Source and report settings

You edit these on the Desk Settings page. Changes apply from the next run.

| Setting | Key | Default | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sources | `sources` | two example URLs | Replace them. Each source adds at least one page open per run. |
| Look back (days) | `lookback_days` | 7 | 1 to 30. A longer window means more items to compare. |
| Max items | `max_items` | 25 | 5 to 100. More items means more page opens. |
| Report when empty | `report_when_empty` | on | Writes a short report even when nothing changed. |

How it runs

## Stages and the fetch connector

A stage is one step of a run. Model stages are done by Claude, code stages by a script, so the rules and the counting do not depend on a model.

| Stage | Kind | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Read sources | model | Opens each source and lists items dated inside the look-back window, up to your item limit. |
| Learn | code | Turns feedback on earlier runs into learning before the write. |
| Write the report | model | Writes the report, then updates the seen list last. |

| Connector | Needed | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Web fetch | Required | Open each source page. Nothing to connect when the run can already open web pages. |

The Desk

## What the Desk shows

The Desk for this template has one record type, Item, and one view. This template has no Inbox. [How the Desk works](https://routineos.org/concepts/desk).

| View | Shows | Columns |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | Active items, most recently seen first | Title, source, published |

Install

## Install the watch template

1. **Install the plugin**In Claude Code 2.1.275 or later. The command line tool needs Python 3.11 or later.

`/plugin install routineos --marketplace devkindhq/routineos`

2. **Install the pack**From a clone of the repository root. It writes a routine folder, prints what you must connect, runs nothing and connects nothing.

`python3 skills/routineos/scripts/routineos.py pack install catalog/watch.json --dir my-watch`

3. **Connect, publish, run once**Connect what the pack lists, publish the Desk, and let the first run go. Nothing leaves the routine on the first run.

The [first routine guide](https://docs.routineos.org/guides/first-routine) walks a template to a first run, and [Install a pack](https://docs.routineos.org/templates/install) lists every refusal the installer can give. Free (MIT). Needs a paid Claude plan.

Limits

## Known risks and limits

- It reads only what a page open can reach. If a source fails to load, the report says so.
- The example sources are placeholders. Replace them before you enable the routine.
- A new item is only as good as the page's dates. If a page does not date its items, they cannot be placed inside the window.
- Scheduling is a research preview and may change. See [honest limits](https://routineos.org/honest-limits).

Related

## Related templates and reading

 [

### Jobs watch

A watch routine for public job postings, linked to companies.

piloted
Open ](https://routineos.org/templates/jobs-watch) [

### All templates

Ten routines you can install with one command.

catalog
Open ](https://routineos.org/templates) [

### How it learns

What the routine suggests after you keep, drop or reject what it found.

concept
Open ](https://routineos.org/concepts/learning)

More: [questions and answers](https://routineos.org/faq), [schedule a routine in Claude Code](https://routineos.org/learn/schedule-claude-code), [how RoutineOS maps to Rails](https://routineos.org/concepts/rails-map).

## Start with the simplest one.

Install RoutineOS, add Watch, and read one report to see a quiet week.

[Get started](https://routineos.org/#start)[Read the docs](https://docs.routineos.org)