How a job runs

When you tag Instub, a sequence of steps runs before you see the result. Understanding that sequence helps you write better tags and troubleshoot unexpected output.

Step 1 — Context assembly

Instub reads the thread the tag appeared in, the channel name, and any files or links that were shared. It does not read other channels or your workspace history.

Step 2 — Routing

Instub decides which model to use based on the task. Summarisation, drafting, and classification go to different models with different cost profiles. You can override routing by naming a model explicitly: @Instub [claude] summarise this.

Step 3 — Tool planning

If the task needs a tool — looking something up in Notion, creating a Linear ticket, fetching a Stripe invoice — Instub plans which tools to call and in what order. It shows you the plan before executing any step that touches an external system.

Step 4 — Execution and approval

Read-only steps run immediately. Write steps — posting, creating, sending, spending — pause for approval. The run resumes when you respond in the thread.

Step 5 — Result

Instub posts the output in the thread, names the model and credit cost, and logs the full run. The log is available from the run link in the result.