How to Turn a Schedule in a Guidance Rule Into a Sequence

Summary

Overview: Guidance rules shape the replies Pippin is already writing. They can't send messages on a timer. If you wrote a follow-up schedule into a guidance rule (for example "follow up 3 times, every 2 days, alternating email and SMS"), it won't run. Pippify spots these rules and lets you import the schedule into a real follow-up sequence.

Prerequisites:

• You are the Admin of the workspace.
• A turned-on guidance rule that reads like a follow-up schedule.

How Pippin Decides

1. When you save a guidance rule, Pippify checks whether the text looks like a schedule: things like "follow up 3 times", "after 2 days", "if no reply", "every other day" or "alternating email and SMS".
2. The Sequences page lists every turned-on rule that looks like this.
3. When you click Import, Pippin reads only the schedule out of the rule: the steps, the channel of each step and the wait between them. Wishes about what to say go into each step's instruction.
4. If the rule also describes Pippin's job (for example "You are a sales assistant for Acme Travel…"), Pippin offers to copy those sentences to your Mission.
5. Nothing is saved until you review the draft and click Save sequence.

Limits

• Pippin keeps to the sequence limits: up to 12 steps, each wait between 1 hour and 30 days.
• Only turned-on guidance rules are offered for import.
• The draft is Pippin's best reading of your text. Always check the steps before you save.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Spot the rule

• When you add or edit a guidance rule in Settings › AI Studio › Guidance and it reads like a schedule, a notice appears: That rule reads like a follow-up schedule — guidance rules can't send messages on a timer, so it won't run from here. Set it up in Sequences instead.
• Click Set it up in Sequences, or click the × to dismiss the notice.

Step 2: Import the schedule

1. In the left menu, click Sequences.
2. Find the notice We found a follow-up schedule in your guidance rules above your sequences. It lists each rule by title, with the start of its text.
3. Click Import next to the rule. The button shows Reading… while Pippin reads it.
4. The sequence builder opens, already filled in with a name, the steps and what happens After the final step.

Step 3: Review the draft

1. Check the Name, each step's channel and wait, and the instructions. Change anything that's wrong. See How to Create a Follow-Up Sequence.
2. Leave Disable the original guidance rule after saving (recommended — the schedule prose confuses the reply prompt) ticked, unless you want to keep the rule on.
3. If the rule also described Pippin's job, you see This rule also contains a job description for the AI: followed by the text. Click Copy it to the Mission field to put it in your Mission (in Settings › AI Studio › Guidance, the Mission section). This replaces the Mission text you have now. A success message confirms the copy.

Step 4: Save

1. Click Save sequence.
2. A message confirms "Sequence saved." If the original rule couldn't be turned off, you see "Sequence saved, but the original guidance rule could not be disabled — disable it in AI Studio." Turn the rule off yourself in Settings › AI Studio › Guidance.

Verify It Worked

Success criteria:

• The new sequence appears on the Sequences page.
• The original guidance rule is turned off, and the import notice no longer lists it.
• If this is your first sequence, it is the default (filled star).

Troubleshooting

Common errors

• "Could not read a follow-up schedule out of that rule. Build the sequence manually instead.": Fix: click New sequence and build the steps yourself.
• "Could not update the Mission field.": Fix: copy the text by hand into the Mission section.
• The banner doesn't appear: no turned-on rule looks like a schedule, or you are not the Admin.

Limitations & considerations

• If you close the builder without saving, nothing changes. The rule stays on and stays in the banner.
• Lines in the rule about tone or wording are not moved anywhere. Keep them in a guidance rule if you still want them.

Next Steps & Related Resources

• Next steps:
  • How to Choose the Default Sequence
  • How to Set the Follow-Up Sending Window
• Related articles:
  • How to Add Guidance Rules
  • How to Write Pippin's Mission
  • How to Create a Follow-Up Sequence

Need more help? For more information and assistance, please send an email to support@pippify.ai.

Last Updated: 10/15/2026