You can soon activate multi-step routines in Alexa with a single command

Saying “good morning” to your Echo could soon trigger a whole raft of commands. As part of the Amazon event in Seattle today, the company showed off a new API that lets developers build multi-step routines into simple Alexa commands.

In a demonstration, Amazon device VIP Dave Limp said “Alexa, good morning,” which triggered a sequence of events in the faux-home setting that Amazon set up in its headquarters for the event. First, the lights came on in the demonstration room. Then, a smart window shade rolled up, and Alexa began reading the news. Finally, a teakettle began to boil water.

To reverse the sequence, Limp said “Alexa, that’s too bright.” The lights turned off, the window shade went down, and the kettle stopped boiling the water. Developers will now be able to use the API to craft similar routines, Limp said. The updated API should be available shortly.