Business Pulse
One prompt, one page. Pull live data from every connected tool,
synthesize it into a single scannable brief, and surface the single most
important thing to act on today. Do the work — don't ask the user to
help find the data.
Step 1 — Pull data in
parallel
Dispatch all connector calls in a single parallel
batch — see reference/data_sources.md for the
exact tool-to-metric mapping. Do not pull serially; latency turns a
30-second skill into a painful wait.
Connectors to attempt simultaneously:
- QuickBooks — cash balance, MTD revenue, outstanding
receivables, overdue invoices
- PayPal / Square — 7-day settlements, sales trend,
failed/pending transactions
- HubSpot — pipeline by stage, deals moved/closed,
deals gone cold, new leads
- Google Calendar — key meetings, deadlines, events
this week and next 7 days
- Gmail — threads flagged urgent, customer
complaints, time-sensitive requests
- Slack / Teams — urgent internal signals, threads
needing owner attention
- Intercom / Zendesk — open tickets, escalations (if
connected)
- Shopify / Square — fulfillment issues (if
connected)
If a connector errors or returns no data, record it internally and
move on. Never block the pulse on a single bad integration.
QuickBooks fallback: if QBO returns an unexpected
state (account not connected, sync pending, empty response), mark the
Cash section "n/a — QuickBooks unavailable" and proceed. Do not retry or
ask the user to reconnect.
Gmail fallback: Gmail auth is intermittently flaky.
If the call errors, skip the Watch List section silently and note "Gmail
unavailable" in the appendix — do not surface an error mid-pulse.
Step 2 — Compute metrics
Read reference/thresholds.md for red/yellow/green
cutoffs. Compute:
- AR aging — open QuickBooks invoices grouped by days
since due date (0–30, 31–60, 61+)
- Pipeline coverage — HubSpot weighted pipeline ÷
monthly revenue target
- Revenue trend — this month's QBO revenue vs. prior
month (or 7-day PayPal/Square vs. prior 7 days)
Assign a 🟢/🟡/🔴 status to each section. If a source returned
nothing, mark the metric "n/a" and note it in the appendix.
Step 3 — Flag risks
proactively
Scan for actionable items. Every risk entry must name a specific
record and a next step — "some overdue invoices" is useless; "$3,400
from Acme Corp, 47 days overdue, no response since Mar 12" is
actionable.
- QuickBooks invoices past due > 30 days — name customer, amount,
days overdue
- HubSpot deals with no activity in 7+ days, or close date in past but
still open
- Gmail threads marked urgent or containing "escalation," "complaint,"
"cancel," "refund"
- Failed or pending PayPal/Square transactions > $500
Step 4 — Compose the output
Use the exact template in reference/output_template.md.
Include only sections where real data exists — omit headers for
connectors that weren't available. Adapt depth to context: a casual "how
are we doing" gets a fuller report; "quick snapshot before a call" gets
a tighter one.
Cross-connector synthesis is where this skill earns its keep. If a
Slack message connects to a stalled HubSpot deal, surface that link in
the #1 Priority section. Synthesis is what makes the pulse more useful
than checking each tool separately.
Writing rules:
- Numbers lead, words follow. Never write "revenue is healthy" — write
"$43k this month, ▲ 8% MoM" and let the owner judge.
- Every number carries a delta vs. the prior period where available.
Absolute snapshots (cash balance) still show WoW delta.
- Names and dollars, not adjectives. "$4,200 from Acme, 23 days
overdue" beats "some concerning receivables."
- No filler. If a section has nothing worth reporting, write "No
material changes" and move on.
Step 5 — Export and share
(once)
After presenting the pulse, offer once:
- "Want me to save this as a file?" (use Files connector if
available)
- "Should I post this to your Slack?" (only if Slack is connected and
the user confirms — Slack write requires explicit approval)
If they say yes, do it. If they say no or don't respond, move on —
don't ask again.
Scope variants
The owner may ask for a narrower cut:
- "Just cash" / "financial check" → only Cash &
Finance + AR-related risks
- "Pipeline only" / "deals check" → only Pipeline
section + stalled-deal risks
- "Watch list" / "anything urgent" → only Watch List
+ all risks, no metric sections
- "Quick snapshot before a call" → TL;DR + #1
Priority only, no full sections
What not to do
- Do not ask permission before pulling data. If the
skill was invoked, run it. Asking "should I check QuickBooks?" defeats
the whole point.
- Do not invent or estimate numbers. If a source
returned nothing, say "n/a" explicitly. Never fill a gap with
guesswork.
- Do not skip the delta. A number without a
comparison is a missed insight. If there's no prior-period baseline, say
"(no prior baseline)" rather than omitting the field.
- Do not surface connector errors mid-pulse. Log them
to the appendix. The pulse leads with what was delivered.
Reference files
reference/data_sources.md — exact connector tool →
metric mapping with fallbacks
reference/thresholds.md — 🟢/🟡/🔴 cutoffs, tunable per
owner
reference/output_template.md — exact markdown
structure; do not deviate
reference/gotchas.md — known failure modes (QB states,
Gmail auth, Slack write)