> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ultraclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scheduled Tasks

> Schedule recurring tasks for your UltraClaw AI agent. Morning briefings, weekly recaps, and custom automations.

# Scheduled Tasks (Cron Jobs)

Your UltraClaw agent can run tasks on a schedule — morning briefings, weekly summaries, recurring reminders, and anything else you need done automatically. These are powered by cron jobs.

## How Cron Jobs Work

Each cron job has four components:

| Component          | Description                                                  |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Name**           | A descriptive label for the job (e.g., "Morning Briefing")   |
| **Schedule**       | A cron expression defining when the job runs                 |
| **Session Target** | Which channel receives the output (iMessage, Telegram, etc.) |
| **Payload**        | The instruction your agent executes when the job fires       |

When a cron job fires, your agent runs the payload in an **isolated session** — completely separate from any active conversation. This means scheduled tasks never interrupt or interfere with what you're currently discussing.

<Info>
  Cron jobs run in isolated sessions, so they never disrupt your active conversations. Your agent handles them in the background and delivers the results to your chosen channel.
</Info>

## Common Schedules

Here are some popular cron job configurations:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Morning Briefing">
    **Schedule**: Every day at 7:00 AM

    ```
    0 7 * * *
    ```

    **Example payload**: *"Check my Google Calendar for today's meetings. Check Gmail for anything urgent overnight. Check the weather. Give me a concise morning briefing."*
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Weekday Recap">
    **Schedule**: Monday through Friday at 6:00 PM

    ```
    0 18 * * 1-5
    ```

    **Example payload**: *"Summarize what we accomplished today. List any outstanding action items. Preview tomorrow's calendar."*
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Weekly Intel">
    **Schedule**: Every Monday at 10:00 AM

    ```
    0 10 * * 1
    ```

    **Example payload**: *"Research the latest news in my industry. Summarize the top 5 developments and any opportunities or risks I should know about."*
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Monthly Reminder">
    **Schedule**: 1st of every month at 8:00 AM

    ```
    0 8 1 * *
    ```

    **Example payload**: *"Remind me to review last month's QuickBooks reports, reconcile accounts, and check upcoming subscription renewals."*
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Cron Expression Reference

If you're not familiar with cron syntax, here's a quick guide:

```
┌───────────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0-6, Sunday=0)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *
```

| Expression       | Meaning                       |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------- |
| `0 7 * * *`      | Every day at 7:00 AM          |
| `0 18 * * 1-5`   | Weekdays at 6:00 PM           |
| `0 10 * * 1`     | Every Monday at 10:00 AM      |
| `0 8 1 * *`      | 1st of every month at 8:00 AM |
| `0 */4 * * *`    | Every 4 hours                 |
| `30 9 * * 1,3,5` | Mon, Wed, Fri at 9:30 AM      |

<Tip>
  All times are in your configured timezone. Set your timezone in the [dashboard](https://ultraclaw.ai/dashboard) under **Settings**.
</Tip>

## Setting Up a Cron Job

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Your Dashboard">
    Go to [ultraclaw.ai/dashboard](https://ultraclaw.ai/dashboard) and navigate to **Scheduled Tasks**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a New Job">
    Click **New Scheduled Task** and fill in the name, cron schedule, session target, and payload.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test It">
    Use the **Run Now** button to test your job immediately. Check the output to make sure it does what you expect.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate">
    Toggle the job to **Active**. It will run on the schedule you defined.
  </Step>
</Steps>

You can also set up cron jobs by asking your agent directly:

*"Set up a morning briefing cron job that runs every day at 7am. Check my calendar, email, and weather, then text me a summary."*

## Managing Jobs

From the **Scheduled Tasks** section of your dashboard, you can:

* **Enable / disable** individual jobs without deleting them
* **Edit** the schedule, payload, or session target
* **View run history** to see past outputs and any errors
* **Delete** jobs you no longer need

## Best Practices

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Be Specific in Payloads" icon="bullseye">
    Write payloads like you're giving instructions to a person. Include what to check, what to summarize, and how you want the output formatted.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Choose the Right Channel" icon="route">
    Send time-sensitive outputs to iMessage or Telegram for instant visibility. Use web chat for longer reports you'll review later.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Stagger Your Jobs" icon="clock">
    If you have multiple jobs, spread them out by a few minutes to avoid overlapping outputs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Combine With Integrations" icon="plug">
    Cron jobs become powerful when paired with [integrations](/integrations/overview) — pull from Google Calendar, Gmail, QuickBooks, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>