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Every 30 minutes

Turn topics in a sheet into researched video scripts

Each new topic in your sheet is researched and a 30-second video script is written in the next column, ready to record.

Runs
Every 30 minutes
Apps
Google Sheets, Perplexity
AI
Yes, uses the built-in AI allowance
Access
Perplexity key; Sheets read+write

Send this to your assistant

Create a ClickRuntime automation: every 30 minutes, for each new topic in my Video ideas sheet, research it with Perplexity and write a 30-second script with a hook, three points and a call to action in the next column.

Paste it into your assistant. It tells you what it will send or change before it runs live.

First time? Adding ClickRuntime to your assistant takes about two minutes.

Why use it

Why teams use this automation

Short videos need a steady supply of scripts, and each one needs facts that are right. Researching and writing a tight 30-second script takes far longer than recording it, which is why posting schedules slip.

Creators, marketing teams and small brands use it to keep a backlog of ready-to-record scripts, grounded in current sources, in the sheet they already plan from.

What you get out of it

  • A backlog that fills itself

    Add topics whenever ideas come up; scripts appear next to them.

  • Facts checked against sources

    Scripts are written from current research, and the sources are kept so you can double-check claims.

  • Written for the format

    Each script has a hook, three short points and a call to action, sized to about 30 seconds of speech.

  • Plan in one place

    Topics, scripts and status live in the same sheet you use to schedule filming.

How it works

What happens, step by step

  1. Every 30 minutes, ClickRuntime reads your sheet for topics that have no script yet.

  2. Perplexity researches each topic with current sources.

  3. AI writes a 30-second script with a hook, three points and a call to action.

  4. The script and its sources are written into the next columns.

Before it runs live

  • Connect your Google Sheets account and pick the spreadsheets it may use
  • Connect Perplexity

What you get

RunsEvery 30 minutes
Turn topics in a sheet into researched video scriptstoday, 9:00Succeeded
Google Sheets · Video ideasHook: Your coffee order is about to cost more. Here's why. 1) Arabica prices hit a 10-year high...

Build your own

Need it to work differently?

This template is a starting point. Copy the prompt and change it, or describe a different automation from scratch, with your own conditions, more apps or an AI step. Your assistant writes it, tests it and runs it on ClickRuntime.
  • Your own rules

    Conditions, thresholds, filters and exceptions, written the way you'd explain them to a colleague.

  • Any number of apps

    One automation can read from one app and update several others. Over 248 apps are ready, and anything with an API works too.

  • AI where it helps

    Summaries, classification, extraction and drafts use ClickRuntime's built-in AI, with no extra key.

  • On a schedule or on each event

    Runs as often as every 5 minutes, or the moment an app sends an event, and keeps track of what it already handled.

Changes you can ask for

  • Act only on the items that match your own rules, and skip the rest
  • Change what the AI looks for, or how it writes the result
  • Add another app, for example also send it to Slack
  • Combine it with other Google Sheets and Perplexity steps into one automation

Under the hood

The code that runs this automation

This is the Python script that runs each time the automation starts. Your AI assistant writes it for you when you send the prompt, and you allow each step in your assistant. To change how the automation works, describe the change to your assistant and it updates the script for you. For every function it can use, see the script reference.
video_scripts_from_researched_topics_in_a_sheet.pyexample
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from googleapiclient.discovery import build
from clickruntime import on_trigger, report_fetched, credentials, http, ai

SHEET_ID = "your-spreadsheet-id"

def sonar(prompt):
    r = http.post("https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {credentials.secret('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY')}"},
                  json={"model": "sonar", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": prompt}]}, timeout=90).json()
    return r["choices"][0]["message"]["content"], [s["url"] for s in r.get("search_results", [])]

@on_trigger
def run(event):
    sheets = build("sheets", "v4", credentials=Credentials(credentials.connection("google", "work")),
                   cache_discovery=False).spreadsheets().values()
    rows = sheets.get(spreadsheetId=SHEET_ID, range="Video ideas!A2:C").execute().get("values", [])
    new = [(i + 2, r[0]) for i, r in enumerate(rows) if len(r) == 1 and r[0]]
    report_fetched(len(new))
    if not new:
        return {"new": 0}
    for n, topic in new:
        facts, links = sonar(f"Give the key current facts about: {topic}. Short bullets with numbers where possible.")
        script = ai.generate(f"Write a 30-second video script (about 75 words) about '{topic}': a hook, three short points, "
                             f"a call to action. Use only these facts:\n{facts[:3000]}", max_output_tokens=250).text
        sheets.update(spreadsheetId=SHEET_ID, range=f"Video ideas!B{n}:C{n}", valueInputOption="RAW",
                      body={"values": [[script.strip(), "\n".join(links[:5])]]}).execute()
    return {"scripts": len(new)}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I change the length or style?
Yes. Ask for 15 or 60 seconds, a casual or expert tone, or a specific opening style.
Where are the sources kept?
In a column next to the script, so anyone on the team can check a fact before filming.
Does it write captions or hashtags?
It writes the spoken script by default. Captions and hashtags can be added in another column if you ask.
What permissions does it need?
Perplexity key; Sheets read+write. Nothing else in your accounts is used.
Does it need AI?
Yes. It uses ClickRuntime's built-in AI, so you don't need an OpenAI or Anthropic key. Every plan includes a monthly AI allowance.
How many runs does it use?
One run each time it checks. Checks that find nothing new and stop right away aren't counted.
Can I change how it works?
Yes. Describe the change to your AI assistant, for example a different schedule, channel or filter. It updates the automation, tests it and tells you what changed.

Set up “Turn topics in a sheet into researched video scripts” from your assistant

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