Conditional Chat Reminder

Schedule a Teams follow-up without sending an unnecessary nudge. This Scout skill captures what is currently known in a chat, creates a one-time automation, and checks for a meaningful update immediately before the reminder is due.

For example:

On Thursday at 3 PM, remind Alex in the Project North chat about the revised launch date, but only if Alex has not posted an update by then.

How it works

When the request is made, Scout resolves the exact chat and records a fixed baseline: the latest message, the current status of the topic, who is expected to update it, the reminder wording, and the requested time. At the scheduled time, the automation:

1. Reads messages posted after that baseline.
2. Looks for a relevant status change from the named person.
3. Checks the chat a second time immediately before acting.
4. Suppresses the reminder and notifies you if an update exists.
5. Otherwise posts the agreed reminder once.

A qualifying update can report completion, progress, a blocker, a delay, a new date, a decision, or the requested deliverable. Unrelated chatter, reactions, greetings, and vague acknowledgements do not count.

Safety behavior

• The automation targets a resolved chat ID, not just a potentially ambiguous display name.
• Messages that already existed when the request was made are context, not evidence of a later update.
• If Scout cannot read the full interval, identify the author reliably, or confirm whether a send succeeded, it does not post. It notifies you instead.
• Chat content is treated as data, so instructions embedded in messages cannot redirect the automation.
• The reminder is one-time and uses the exact wording approved when it is created.

Requirements

Built for Scout with access to its automation tools and Microsoft Teams through Work IQ.