Your first Muse task should be one job, with a clear finish, and with sending turned off. A good one: “Summarize this note in five bullets. Do not email anyone.” You can check the bullets against the note. You are not hoping Muse spent money correctly.
Meta’s getting-started guide splits a task into three beats. Describe what you need. Answer the questions Muse asks. Review what it did, and ask for a change if it missed.
Before the first message
- You are signed in with a Meta account, on the web or in the official app.
- You are on the Chat tab.
- You have not connected an inbox, a card, or a social account yet. Those can wait.
If you are not signed in yet, use the beginner tutorialfirst. The task itself starts only after the Chat tab is open.
Write the task so it can finish
Put four things in the message:
- The object. The note, the list, the file, or the question.
- The output. Five bullets, a table, a short paragraph, a reminder.
- The boundary. What it must not do. Meta’s own example of a boundary is “Only search my email, not my text messages.”
- Done. A result you can compare with the original in a minute.
This is a complete first task you can paste and then replace the topic:
“Here is what I need to do tomorrow: call the dentist, buy milk, and send the school form. Turn that into a checklist ordered by what has to happen first. Do not message anyone.”
Attach the real note if the task is about a file. Meta says you can upload a file or ask Muse to create one, and finished files go to the Library tab.
Work through the reply
- Send the message. You may add a detail before Muse finishes. The chat is not turn-by-turn.
- If Muse asks which form, or what time the call is, answer that. The question is the task continuing.
- Read every line of the checklist against your own note.
- If a step is wrong, say which one. “Move the school form above the milk” is a better correction than starting a new chat.
- Stop when the list matches. You do not have to give Muse a second job in the same breath.
A reminder can be the second task, once the first one looked right: “Remind me tomorrow at 8 to take the school form. Confirm the time back to me before you set it.” Then look under the Assistant icon, in Upcoming, and see whether the reminder is there.
What not to make the first task
- Anything that sends, posts, or pays. Meta’s business page says those wait for your approval, and the first session is a bad time to test that.
- “Handle my inbox.” That needs a connector and a much tighter instruction.
- A pile of unrelated jobs. Split them. Side chats exist so the main thread stays readable.
If the first task wobbles
- Muse asks questions you already answered. Reply with the fact again, in one line. Then tell it to continue from there.
- It offers to send the checklist to someone. Say no. Repeat the boundary.
- The result is confident and wrong. Correct the specific line. Meta warns that Muse can be inaccurate.
- Nothing happens and Usage looks empty. The free limit may be spent. Wait, or read the pricing guide before you upgrade on day one.
- You cannot find the reminder later. Assistant icon, then Upcoming. If it is missing, ask Muse to confirm whether it was set.
Questions about the first task
Do I need a connector?
Not for a checklist, a summary of text you paste, or a reminder. Connect an app when a later task needs that app.
Should I open a side chat?
For this first job, the main chat is enough. Open a side chat when a second project would get tangled with it. Menu, top left, then the pencil-and-note icon.
Can the first task be on my phone?
Yes. The Chat tab is the same place in the iPhone and Android apps.
What is a sensible second task?
One file. Upload a PDF and ask for a one-paragraph summary, with a sentence on what it might have missed. More ideas are in10 useful things you can do with Muse.
Sources
- How to get started with Muse, including “Ask for help with a task”
- Muse for small business, on approval before send or spend
This guide is independent. It is not written or endorsed by Meta.
Related guides
- How to use Muse AI
- 10 useful things you can do with Muse
- Muse AI for Mac, when the task involves files on the computer