CuePilotCuePilot gets your Tesla's cabin ready before you drive. Free forever.
CuePilot is a web app for Tesla owners that turns on your car's air conditioning or heat automatically — on a schedule, at every stop while you run errands, or ahead of an appointment on your calendar — so the cabin is comfortable the moment you get in.
Free forever · no credit card · 2-minute setup · controls climate only
What CuePilot does
CuePilot connects to your Tesla through Tesla's official Fleet API and controls one thing: the cabin climate. You tell CuePilot when you need the car ready — a recurring weekday schedule, a one-off date and time, a tap before you head out on errands, or an event on your calendar — and it pre-conditions the cabin for you, then turns the climate back off on its own.
It checks the car's actual cabin temperature first, so it heats when the car is cold, cools when it's hot, and skips mild days entirely instead of wasting range. CuePilot never unlocks, drives, opens, or charges your car.
Built and operated by Recherche Solutions LLC. Independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by Tesla, Inc.
We're not trying to replace the Tesla app
You can already open the Tesla app and tap to pre-condition, or set a schedule so the cabin's ready by 8 am. That's genuinely useful — and for a plain home or work routine, CuePilot just hands that schedule to Tesla's own system (free). We built CuePilot for the three everyday problems the app simply doesn't solve.
What the app can't do · #1
🛒 Stay cool through a whole errand run
Groceries, the dog, a hot day, five stops. The Tesla app can pre-cool before you leave the house — but the moment you park at the first store it does nothing. To keep the cabin safe at every stop you'd have to open the app and start the climate every single time.
Errand mode does it for you: tap once, and every time you park CuePilot turns on Pet Mode so the whole cabin stays cool — groceries don't cook, pets stay safe — then it shuts off when you get home. We use Pet Mode, not Camp Mode, on purpose: Camp Mode is for sleeping in the car and turns Sentry off, while Pet Mode is built for leaving the car — so your security keeps watching while you're in the store.
“Just bring a cooler.” A cooler won't keep a dog safe, won't stop your seats and screen from hitting 130°, and you still haul it in and out of every store. Errand mode keeps the actual car livable — hands-free.
What the app can't do · #2
🌡️ Skip the days you don't need it
A Tesla schedule runs at the same time every day whether the cabin needs it or not — burning range to “cool” a car that's already 70°. CuePilot checks your car's real cabin temperature and only runs when it's actually too hot or too cold, and picks heat vs. cool for you. Comfortable when it matters, nothing wasted when it doesn't.
What the app can't do · #3
🗓️ Ready for an appointment on any date
Need the cabin cool for a 3 pm doctor's appointment this Friday? The Tesla app only does repeating weekly schedules — it can't target a single future date. CuePilot lets you set a one-off for any future date & time, so the car's ready right when you leave. Free — a few every month.
Don't want to set it yourself? On Plus, CuePilot reads your calendar (with your consent) and uses AI to spot which events you actually drive to. When an event has a destination — like the doctor's office address — it looks up the travel time and turns on your AC about 10 minutes before you need to leave, so the cabin's perfect as you walk out the door. No schedule to set at all.
The honest comparison
| Tesla app | CuePilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tap to pre-condition right now | ✅ | ✅ |
| “Ready by” schedule at home / work | ✅ | ✅ |
| One-off schedule for any future date & time | — | ✅ |
| Only run if the cabin actually needs it | — | ✅ |
| Pick heat vs. cool from the real cabin temperature | — | ✅ |
| Auto-cool at every parked stop on an errand run | — | ✅ |
| Keep pets safe across a multi-stop trip, hands-free | — | ✅ |
| AI reads your calendar & auto-schedules for appointments (Plus) | — | ✅ |
We're independent and not affiliated with Tesla. Tesla keeps adding features — this reflects what each does today.
Your car stays yours
We get it — handing any app access to your Tesla deserves a hard look. Here's exactly where you stand:
- 🔐You sign in with Tesla, not us. We never see your password — it's Tesla's official login, and you approve the connection on Tesla's own screen.
- ❄️Climate only. CuePilot turns the AC/heat on or off and sets the temperature — that's it. It never unlocks, drives, opens the trunk, or touches charging.
- ✍️Every command is cryptographically signed. Your car only obeys commands signed by the key you approved — there's no back door.
- ↩️Revoke in two taps, anytime. Tesla app → Security & Privacy → Third‑Party Apps → remove CuePilot. And since it's free, there's nothing to cancel.
- 🛰️Location is off by default. CuePilot decides from your cabin temperature, not where you are. GPS is only used if you opt in to “stop Errand mode at home.”
- 🏢A real, named company. Built and operated by Recherche Solutions LLC — we never sell or rent your data.
How CuePilot uses your Google Account
Connecting a Google Account is optional. It powers a single feature: having CuePilot pre-condition your car ahead of appointments on your calendar (Plus plan).
- What we request: your email address and read-only access to your Google Calendar.
- What we do with it: we read the start time and location of upcoming events to work out when your car needs to be ready, and schedule the climate accordingly.
- What we never do: we never create, edit, or delete calendar events, and we never sell your data or use it for advertising.
- Disconnecting: remove Google access anytime from your CuePilot profile, or at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
CuePilot's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Try the stuff Tesla can't — free forever
The free plan isn't a trial. Set recurring home & work schedules, create smart one-off pre-conditions, and run Errand mode — free, forever. No credit card to start, cancel anytime. If it's not for you, you've lost nothing.
How it works
- 1. Connect once. Sign in through Tesla's official login. Your tokens are encrypted, and CuePilot can only control climate — never driving, charging, or unlocking.
- 2. Tell it when. Pick a template or build a schedule — or just tap Errand mode before you head out.
- 3. Relax. CuePilot pre-conditions your cabin automatically — and turns off on its own.
Built on the official Tesla Fleet API with cryptographically signed commands. Works on Tesla vehicles with firmware 2024.26.4 or newer.
Tesla is a trademark of Tesla, Inc. CuePilot is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tesla, Inc.
Common questions
- Is it safe to connect my Tesla?
- Yes — and you stay in control. You sign in through Tesla's own login, so we never see your password, and you approve the connection on Tesla's screen. CuePilot only controls climate — it never unlocks, drives, or charges your car — and every command is cryptographically signed by the key you approve. You can revoke access in two taps in the Tesla app anytime, and since the plan is free there's nothing to cancel. It's built on the official Tesla Fleet API.
- Isn't this just what the Tesla app already does?
- The Tesla app pre-conditions your car manually or on a fixed schedule, and CuePilot uses Tesla's own scheduler for your basic home/work routine. CuePilot adds what the app can't: Errand mode keeps the cabin cool automatically every time you park during a multi-stop errand run; weather-smart schedules skip mild days instead of running regardless; and it can pre-condition before a calendar appointment using live traffic. The free plan is free forever — no trial, no credit card.
- How do I make my Tesla turn on the AC automatically?
- Connect your Tesla to CuePilot once, then set a schedule (for example, weekdays at 5pm) or a temperature rule (cool if the cabin is above 75°F). CuePilot turns on the AC automatically so the car is comfortable when you leave.
- Can CuePilot keep my Tesla cool while I'm parked running errands?
- Yes — this is the main thing the Tesla app can't do. Tap Errand mode before you head out and CuePilot turns on Pet Mode every time you park, keeping the cabin cool between stops so groceries and pets stay safe. We use Pet Mode rather than Camp Mode on purpose — Camp Mode turns Sentry off, while Pet Mode is built for leaving the car, so your Sentry security keeps working. It all shuts off when you get home.
- What does CuePilot do with my Google Calendar?
- Connecting a Google Account is optional, and powers one feature: calendar-driven pre-conditioning on the Plus plan. CuePilot requests read-only access to your calendar and uses the start time and location of upcoming events to decide when to turn on your car's climate. It never creates, edits, or deletes events, and calendar data is never sold or used for advertising. You can disconnect Google at any time from your CuePilot profile or from your Google Account permissions page.
- Is CuePilot really free?
- Yes. The free plan is free forever, not a trial, and needs no credit card. You can set recurring home and work schedules, create smart one-off pre-conditions, and run Errand mode on the free plan. Paid plans add higher limits and calendar-driven pre-conditioning.