| name | scheduled-agents |
| description | Recurring/scheduled agent patterns — analytics with memory of prior runs, sentiment monitoring with parallel fan-out, and asset generation from repo + brand assets. Use when setting up a CronCreate-based agent that runs autonomously on a cadence.
|
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Bash, Glob, Grep, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent, CronCreate |
Scheduled Agents
Prerequisites
CronCreate is a Claude Code built-in tool (available in Claude Code ≥ 1.x with background tasks enabled). It is NOT a plugin-registered tool — no setup required. If CronCreate is unavailable in the user's environment, offer n8n (/cks:no-code) or a system cron calling /claude code as alternatives.
Overview
Scheduled agents run autonomously on a cadence, come back with results, and build on prior runs over time. Three patterns cover most recurring PM jobs. Each reads a state file for config, writes dated output, and updates the state file so the next run can build on it.
Core Mechanic — State File + Dated Output
Every scheduled agent follows this loop:
1. Read .agents/{name}/state.json ← config + last run's findings
2. Do the work (query, scrape, generate)
3. Write .agents/{name}/runs/{date}.md ← this run's output
4. Update state.json last_run + summary ← next run can diff against this
Memory comes from comparing current findings to last_output in state.json. The agent notes what's new, what changed, what's trending — not just raw data.
Template 1 — Analytics Agent
What it does
Queries a data source, surfaces outliers and trends, compares to prior run, reports what changed.
Interview questions (ask these in Step 2)
- "Where is your data? (Supabase, Postgres connection string, CSV, Google Sheets)"
- "What do you want to track? (e.g. signups, churn, feature adoption, revenue)" — offer examples from project context
- "What would make you act? (e.g. >10% drop in signups, any churn spike)" — threshold for a flagged finding
State file template
{
"agent_name": "analytics",
"template": "analytics",
"config": {
"data_source": "{connection or path}",
"metrics": ["{metric1}", "{metric2}"],
"alert_thresholds": { "{metric}": "{condition}" }
},
"last_run": null,
"last_output": null
}
Cron prompt template
Read .agents/analytics/state.json for config.
Query {data_source} for these metrics: {metrics}.
Compare to last_output — flag anything that crossed alert_thresholds or changed >10% week-over-week.
Write findings to .agents/analytics/runs/{today}.md with sections: Summary, Trends, Flags, Raw Numbers.
Update state.json: set last_run to today's date, last_output to a 3-sentence summary of key findings.
Template 2 — Sentiment Monitoring Agent
What it does
Fans out to multiple sources in parallel, collects brand/product mentions, synthesizes sentiment, flags spikes.
Interview questions (ask these in Step 2)
- "What sources should I monitor? (Reddit, Twitter/X, G2, Hacker News, Product Hunt, Slack community)" — multi-select
- "What search terms? (product name, competitors, category keywords)"
- "What matters most to flag? (negative sentiment, feature requests, competitor mentions, churn signals)"
State file template
{
"agent_name": "sentiment",
"template": "sentiment",
"config": {
"sources": ["{source1}", "{source2}"],
"search_terms": ["{term1}", "{term2}"],
"flag_on": ["{negative_sentiment}", "{competitor_mention}"]
},
"last_run": null,
"last_output": null
}
Cron prompt template
Read .agents/sentiment/state.json for config.
Fan out to these sources in parallel: {sources}. Search for: {search_terms}.
For each source: collect top mentions from the past 7 days.
Synthesize: overall sentiment score (positive/neutral/negative), top themes, flagged items matching {flag_on}.
Compare to last_output — note any new themes or sentiment shifts.
Write to .agents/sentiment/runs/{today}.md: Executive Summary, Sentiment by Source, Flagged Items, Notable Quotes.
Update state.json: last_run and last_output summary.
Fan-out pattern
Dispatch one sub-agent per source concurrently (single Agent() message), collect results, synthesize:
Agent(subagent_type="cks:deep-researcher", prompt="Search {source1} for {terms}. Return top 10 mentions with sentiment label.")
Agent(subagent_type="cks:deep-researcher", prompt="Search {source2} for {terms}. Return top 10 mentions with sentiment label.")
Wait for both. Merge. Synthesize.
Template 3 — Asset Generation Agent
What it does
Generates a recurring deliverable (demo deck, weekly report, changelog digest, customer brief) from repo state, brand assets, and prior output.
Interview questions (ask these in Step 2)
- "What's the deliverable? (conference demo, weekly changelog digest, customer onboarding deck, competitive brief)"
- "What should it read? (git history, PRD roadmap, brand file, specific docs)" — multi-select
- "What format? (Markdown report, slide outline for Canva, PDF brief)"
State file template
{
"agent_name": "assets",
"template": "assets",
"config": {
"deliverable_type": "{deck|report|digest|brief}",
"sources": ["{git}", "{prd}", "{brand}"],
"output_format": "{markdown|slide-outline|pdf-brief}"
},
"last_run": null,
"last_output": null
}
Cron prompt template
Read .agents/assets/state.json for config.
Read sources: {sources}.
Generate {deliverable_type} in {output_format} format.
If last_output exists, diff against it — only surface what's new since last run.
Write to .agents/assets/runs/{today}.md.
Update state.json: last_run and last_output summary.
Custom Template
For jobs that don't fit the three patterns above:
Interview questions
- "Describe the job in one sentence — what does it do?"
- "What does it read to do the job? (data source, web pages, repo files)"
- "What does it produce? (report, alert, file, message)"
Build the state file and cron prompt from the user's answers. Follow the same state-file + dated-output pattern.
Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "I'll just run it manually each week" | You won't. The operational tail kills momentum. Automate it once. |
| "The data changes too much for a template" | The template is the shape. The data fills in each run. |
| "I don't need the state file — I'll remember last week" | Memory across runs is the entire value. Without state.json, it's a one-shot report. |
| "CronCreate will wake Claude up at 3am" | Crons run at the time you set. Set it for your working hours. |
Verification
