How to Configure Microsoft Scout Heartbeats and Automations

Microsoft Scout can run tasks in the background without you sending a message every time. Instead of asking Scout to check a folder or draft a report every morning, you can set it up once and let it keep running on its own. This is done through two features: Heartbeats, which repeat a single prompt on a schedule, and Automations, which are discrete tasks triggered by a schedule, a condition, or a one-time run. This guide walks through setting up both, along with sub-agents for multi-step tasks, permissions, and how to check on what Scout has been doing while you were away.

What Are Heartbeats in Microsoft Scout

A heartbeat is a background mode where Scout repeats one prompt on a set schedule.

Scout runs the same prompt at a fixed interval until you change or turn it off. A common example is checking a SharePoint library for new uploads every hour.

What Are Automations in Microsoft Scout

Automations are separate from heartbeats and support more complex workflows.

Unlike a heartbeat, which uses a single repeating prompt, an automation is a discrete task with its own schedule, prompt, and optional multi-step workflow. Automations run in one of three ways:

• Schedule-triggered: runs at a specific time, such as every Monday at 9 AM
• Condition-triggered: runs only when a condition you set becomes true, such as a new file landing in a folder or a Teams message arriving
• One-shot: runs once and then deactivates

Microsoft Scout Heartbeats and Automations: Requirements

Microsoft Scout runs on GitHub Copilot Business or Enterprise credits, so a standard Microsoft 365 Copilot license alone is not enough to use it. Every background run through a heartbeat or automation draws on these credits, so confirm your organization is on the right plan before setting anything up. Scout also works within a configured workspace directory on your device, so confirm this is set up before opening the Heartbeat or Automations panel.

Method 1: Set Up a Heartbeat in Microsoft Scout

Open the Heartbeat panel in Scout to begin.

1. Write the prompt describing what Scout should do on each check-in
2. Set the interval: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours. A shorter interval catches things sooner but uses more of your token budget, so match the interval to how time-sensitive the task actually is
3. Set the working days and working hours during which the heartbeat stays active; outside these hours, Scout will not run the prompt
4. Open the permission policy screen for the heartbeat and confirm what it can access before saving

Heartbeats use a separate, more conservative permission policy than interactive sessions. Outbound messages sent by a heartbeat use only generic content, never private data, and tentative calendar events are treated as busy.

Method 2: Set Up an Automation in Microsoft Scout

Open the Automations panel to create a new automation.

1. Choose the trigger type: schedule-triggered for a fixed time, condition-triggered for something like a new file or message, or one-shot for a single run
2. Write the prompt and, if needed, add multi-step instructions
3. Select which model the automation should use; this affects quality and how much of your token budget each run uses, the same tradeoff covered under interval choice in Method 1, so simple tasks can use a lighter model while complex multi-step workflows benefit from a stronger one
4. Set the schedule or define the condition that triggers the run
5. Save the automation; it can be edited, paused, or deleted later from the same panel

A condition-triggered automation only runs when the condition is actually met, so it does not burn credits checking a folder or inbox on a timer the way a heartbeat does. If you are automating something that depends on an event rather than a schedule, a condition-triggered automation is usually the cheaper choice.

Before you let a new automation run unsupervised, trigger it manually and check the output. Confirm it is pulling the right data, following the order you expect, and not missing a permission it needs. Catching a problem here takes a minute; catching it after the automation has been running unattended for a week takes longer.

Method 3: Automate Multi-Step Tasks with Sub-Agents

This is a technique you apply inside an automation from Method 2, not a separate way to set one up. Use it when a single automation is doing too much for one prompt to handle cleanly.

1. Break the task into pieces that don’t depend on each other finishing first, such as summarizing a Teams thread, pulling supporting files from SharePoint, and drafting a follow-up email
2. In the automation’s prompt, describe each piece as its own step and name what it should hand off to the next step; Scout reads this breakdown and spins up a sub-agent per step automatically, so there’s no separate sub-agent field to fill in
3. Let the sub-agents run their piece, then combine the results into the final output

Splitting a job this way makes it easier to maintain, and a failure in one sub-agent doesn’t take down the whole automation. This also works well for automations that need to reach across Microsoft 365 apps, such as watching a Teams conversation, pulling related files from OneDrive, and drafting a status email once your calendar is clear, all in one workflow.

Since a multi-app automation like this touches several services at once, check its permissions before you turn it loose. That’s covered next.

Method 4: Manage Microsoft Scout Permissions for Heartbeats and Automations

Both heartbeats and automations run under Scout’s three-tier permission system for shell commands.

1. Go to Settings > Permissions
2. Choose which commands auto-approve and which are blocked
3. Mark any directories as sensitive paths that always require approval before access

Scout also has a workspace boundary that applies automatically: it cannot access files outside the configured workspace directory unless you explicitly grant permission. You can confirm which directory is set as the workspace from the same Settings > Permissions screen. This is separate from the sensitive path setting above and does not need to be turned on.

How to Check Heartbeat and Automation Logs in Microsoft Scout

Every heartbeat check-in is logged in the Heartbeat panel, showing what Scout did and when. Selecting an entry shows the full details of that run.

Automation runs are tracked separately in the Automations panel, next to the automation that triggered them. Use this to confirm a condition-triggered automation actually fired when expected, or to see the output from a scheduled run.

Treat this as an ongoing habit rather than a one-time check. Review logs and execution history periodically, especially as your tasks change. If an automation stops being useful or starts needing more access than it originally had, update it instead of leaving it running unattended. This is also usually where slow steps or repeated failures show up first.

Best Practices for Microsoft Scout Heartbeats and Automations

Keep each heartbeat limited to one task. A heartbeat trying to handle three things at once is harder to fix when something goes wrong.

Start with one or two heartbeats or automations that save real time each day, then add more once you are comfortable with how Scout handles them. Since these run continuously in the background, an ambitious set of them can add up on billing through token consumption and Work IQ calls for Microsoft 365 data.

Frequently Asked Questions

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