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build recipe

Automate a weekly report

Set up a repeatable report once in Claude Desktop, then have Claude regenerate it on demand — so you stop rebuilding it by hand every week.

medium ~20 min

you'll end up with A report Claude can re-run any time from fresh data, with an optional scheduled version for the Power Track.

The steps

  1. Make the report once in Claude Desktop, the way you like it

    Open your data folder in the Claude Desktop app and walk Claude through building the report you want. Review each draft in the diff and get the format right before you automate it.

    paste this to Claude
    Using this week's data file, build a weekly report with: the headline number, a short 'what changed' paragraph, and a table of the top 5 items. Save it as report.md.

  2. Capture the steps as a slash command

    Once the format is right, ask Claude to save the instructions as a reusable slash command so you don't re-explain them. This becomes your reusable recipe — in the Desktop chat or the terminal.

    paste this to Claude
    Save these exact steps as a slash command called /weekly-report so I can run the whole thing again with one word.

  3. Run it next week

    Drop the new data into the folder and type your saved command in the chat. Same format, new numbers, zero re-explaining.

    paste this to Claude
    /weekly-report

  4. Power Track — put it on a schedule

    Hands-off scheduling lives in the terminal Power Track, not on a Desktop button. There, a scheduled agent can run the command for you on a cadence.

    paste this to Claude
    Every Monday at 8am, run /weekly-report on the latest data and save the output with the date in the filename.
tips & best practices
  • Nail the format by hand once — automating a report you haven't proofread just scales the mistakes.
  • Save it as a slash command the moment the format is right, so you never re-explain it.
  • Have the scheduled run stamp the date into the filename so old reports don't overwrite each other.
  • Only let it run unattended after you trust the manual version — start supervised, then let go.

Questions people ask

Do I need to install anything?
Just the Claude Desktop app. You build the report once from a data file in your folder, then save the steps as a slash command you can re-run with one word. Nothing else to set up.
What if the report comes out wrong the first time?
Nail the format by hand before you automate it — automating a report you haven't proofread just scales the mistakes. Review each draft in the diff and tell Claude what to fix until the manual version is right, then save those exact steps.
Can I really have it run on a schedule unattended?
Yes, but scheduling is a Power-Track (terminal) feature, not a Desktop button. On Desktop you re-run the saved slash command yourself; in the Power Track a scheduled agent can run it automatically, like every Monday at 8am. Only automate after you trust the manual version, and have it stamp the date into the filename so old reports don't overwrite each other.
How long does it really take?
About twenty minutes to set up the first time — most of it getting the format right. After that, regenerating it is a single command, and the scheduled version (Power Track) takes no time at all.