/schedule

What it is and who can use it

A cloud scheduled task (formerly called a routine) is a saved configuration that bundles a prompt, one or more repositories, and connectors. It runs as a cloud session, uses shell commands and skills, and calls the connectors you included.

Per the official docs, it is available on the Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. You create one on the web at claude.ai/code/routines or with /schedule in the CLI. The alias is /routines. Web, desktop, and CLI share the same account storage.

A task belongs to your account and is not shared with teammates. Commits, PRs, and Slack messages are made under your GitHub and connected accounts.

Creating one from the CLI

Give it a description and Claude asks you for the schedule, repository, and prompt, then saves the task. If you get a reply telling you to authenticate, or saying it cannot connect to a remote account, the task was not created.

The prompt runs with no one watching each time, so write it specifically enough that it knows what to do and what counts as success.

/schedule daily PR review at 9am
/schedule tomorrow at 9am, summarize yesterday's merged PRs
/schedule list      # list tasks
/schedule update    # edit a task
/schedule run       # run now

Triggers and limits

• Schedule: a repeating schedule such as hourly, daily, or weekly, or a single specific time. A one-time task turns itself off after it runs.
• API: the task runs when you POST to its dedicated URL with a token. You can only add this on the web.
• GitHub events: the task runs when a PR is opened or a release is created. You add this on the web.
• The minimum interval is 1 hour, and cron expressions that run more often are rejected. Runs on the hour can start a few minutes late, so the docs recommend avoiding the top of the hour, for example by using 9:07.
• If you write a 5-field cron expression yourself, the time is in UTC (or the time zone from a CRON_TZ= prefix, if present).
• Scheduled runs are limited to 100 per hour per account.
• Changes are pushed to a branch with a claude/ prefix. Every run clones the repository fresh.

Compared with /loop and desktop scheduling

This follows the comparison table in the official docs. A cloud scheduled task keeps working when your computer and session are off, but it cannot access local files (it is a fresh clone) and its minimum interval is 1 hour. A desktop scheduled task needs your computer to be on and can use local files. /loop runs only inside an open session, has a 1-minute minimum interval, and a recurring task expires 7 days after you create it.

So if it has to run with your computer off, use /schedule. If it needs local files, use desktop scheduling. If you just want to watch a deploy for a while, /loop fits. For a script that runs once, use claude -p.

Real examples

/schedule daily at 9:07am, summarize yesterday's merged PRs in this repository

/schedule in 1 week, open a cleanup PR that removes the feature flag

Common mistakes and when not to use it

• A vague prompt runs off in odd directions when nobody is watching. Write down what counts as success.
• All connectors are included by default. Remove any with write access that you do not need.
• Files that exist only locally, and uncommitted changes, are not visible to the cloud session.
• It is a research preview, so behavior and limits may change. For important workflows, check the results regularly.
• The API trigger token is shown only once, when you create it. Save it somewhere safe right away.

FAQ