Choosing a Tool

Instinct, Grok Bot, Muse, or Claude Code — here's how to think about which one fits how you actually want to work.

What about Instinct, Grok Bot, and Muse?

You can tackle these same kinds of tasks with Claude Code or Codex. They are general-purpose agents: research, planning, household admin, and ongoing workflows are all things you can use them for. You may need to set up the relevant tools, connections, or scheduling first.

Instinct, Grok Bot, and Muse package those same building blocks into different product experiences. Much of their appeal is convenience: how you reach the agent, how it keeps context, and how it keeps working in the background. Each makes certain ways of working easier; the examples below aren't exclusive to any one app.

One useful way to think about the difference is how you organize the conversation: one ongoing thread for whatever comes up, or dedicated threads for ongoing jobs. Here's how Hilary uses Instinct and Grok Bot, alongside a brief introduction to Muse.

Different ways to work with an agent
Tool	How you work with it	Example prompts
Claude Code, Cursor, Codex	Shape a workflow around your own files and instructions. You can see the context, change the process, and inspect the saved results. Features vary by app.	“Help me build a website for my Household OS workshop. Here are the pages and materials I want to include.” “Help me organize my business admin and figure out what needs my attention this week.” “Help me manage my returns. Track what I need to send back, the deadlines, and whether I've received each refund.”
Instinct	One ongoing conversation for whatever comes up. Hilary uses a single iMessage thread for everyday questions and searches, moving between unrelated topics as she would when texting an assistant.	“I am at Ocean Beach in SF. I have seen Ocean Beach shirts with a shark drawn on them. Where do I get that shirt?” “Can you ID these pants?” Attach a photo. “Where can I find the highest quality smoky quartz beads that are smaller than 7 mm, in cube or round shapes?” “Everyone sent their arrival details in our group chat. Can you organize them into a spreadsheet for our trip?” Inspired by this user's example →
Grok Bot	A dedicated conversation for each ongoing job. You give each Bot a role and keep returning to it. It retains context about that job, so you can pick up where you left off.	“Your job is to keep track of my kids' activities. Look for school and sports emails, summarize what we need to know, and keep dates and to-dos organized in a tracker.” See a related Family Bot example → “You're my customer-success assistant for my classes. Keep track of incoming questions, help me draft answers, and flag anything that still needs a response.”
Muse	Hand off personal plans and ongoing goals. Meta's personal agent has a computer and browser it can use in the background.	“Find some interesting events near me this weekend. Ask me what kinds of things I like and suggest a few options.” Inspired by this user's experience → “I want to make the recipe in this reel. Turn it into a grocery list.” Share the reel. “Help me plan a dinner-party menu. Ask about my guests' dietary preferences and how much time I have to cook.”

All three can use computers behind the scenes to help solve problems. They can work through steps, browse websites, and use tools to find information or complete a task. What they can do for you depends on the product and the access you choose to give it.

These are example prompts based on Hilary's use cases and the linked users' experiences. The thread comparison describes Hilary's way of using these tools. Muse's recipe examples come from Meta's introduction. Examples and product descriptions checked September 2026.

Hilary's take: don't worry about optimizing your choice until you've gotten bored with Claude Code or Codex. Pick one and use it for real things in your life. You don't need a different app for every kind of task.

We'll use Claude Code so you can see the files and instructions behind your workflow. Once you're comfortable enough to know what you'd like to make easier—texting a quick request, keeping an assistant focused on one job, or handing off background work—try another product experience. You can learn the core skills and get plenty of value before then.

Whichever app you choose, set your own boundaries for information and account access.

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