automation-creator

name	automation-creator
description	Create, inspect, update, pause, resume, or delete Claude Code automations for reminders, recurring jobs, repo monitors, and thread follow-ups. Use when Claude needs to turn a natural-language task plus a schedule into a scheduled or recurring automation, avoid creating a duplicate automation, or adjust an existing automation's prompt, cadence, status, or workspace.

Automation Creator

Overview

Use this skill when the user wants a Claude automation created or maintained. The execution surface is Claude Code's built-in scheduling tools:

• CronCreate / CronList / CronDelete for cron-style jobs and one-shot reminders.
• ScheduleWakeup for self-paced, in-session follow-ups (the /loop dynamic mode).

Do not hand-write systemd timers, shell sleep loops, or external cron entries when these tools fit.

Workflow

1. Classify the request.

   • Use a follow-up (ScheduleWakeup, or a one-shot CronCreate with recurring: false) for requests attached to the current thread, like "remind me later", "check back in 30 minutes", or "continue this tomorrow".
   • Use a recurring CronCreate (recurring: true, the default) for detached recurring jobs.
   • If the user asks to view, pause, resume, edit, or delete an automation, inspect existing jobs first with CronList and update those instead of creating a duplicate.

2. Resolve the automation target.

   • List current session jobs with CronList. For durable jobs, inspect ./.claude/scheduled_tasks.json (or ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/).
   • Match by prompt intent, workspace, and cadence when possible.
   • Prefer deleting + recreating the closest existing job over stacking a second job with overlapping behavior. (There is no in-place update tool; CronDelete then CronCreate is the update path.)

3. Shape the automation prompt.

   • Describe only the task itself; make it self-sufficient and include the expected output format when useful.
   • Do not bake schedule, thread, or workspace details into the prompt text.
   • Do not ask the automation to write files or suppress output unless the user explicitly wants that.

4. Choose schedule and execution details.

   • Use a standard 5-field cron expression in the user's local timezone: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week. No timezone math needed — 0 9 * * * is 9am local.
   • When the requested time is approximate, avoid the :00 and :30 marks so fleet-wide jobs don't all fire on the same instant: prefer 57 8 * * * or 3 9 * * * over 0 9 * * *, and 7 * * * * over 0 * * * *. Use exact minutes only when the user clearly means a precise time.
   • For one-shot reminders, set recurring: false and pin minute/hour/ day-of-month/month to the target instant.
   • Default to session-scoped jobs. Set durable: true only when the user wants the automation to survive across Claude sessions (it persists to .claude/scheduled_tasks.json).

5. Execute with the tool.

   • CronCreate when there is no matching job and the user wants it now.
   • CronDelete + CronCreate to change a job's prompt, schedule, or scope.
   • CronDelete alone to remove a job the user clearly wants gone.
   • ScheduleWakeup for self-paced in-session loops where you decide the next check-in time.

6. Report back in plain language.

   • Confirm whether the automation was created, updated, paused, resumed, or deleted, and summarize cadence, scope, and status.
   • State the relevant lifetime limits: session jobs vanish when Claude exits; recurring jobs auto-expire after 7 days (one final fire, then deleted); durable: true survives restarts.
   • If you updated/recreated an existing job to avoid duplication, say so.

Prompt Writing Rules

• State the task, the source of truth, and the expected output.
• For reports, specify grouping, ranking, and evidence expectations.
• For monitors, state what condition should trigger action and what the follow-up should include. For watching live state (a log, a process, command output) prefer the Monitor tool over polling on a cron schedule.
• Keep the prompt stable enough that later schedule changes don't require rewriting the task intent.

Decision Hints

• "Remind me in 20 minutes to check CI" -> one-shot CronCreate (recurring: false) or ScheduleWakeup.
• "Every weekday at 9 AM, review open PRs in this repo" -> recurring CronCreate 3 9 * * 1-5.
• "Pause my daily summary" -> CronDelete the matching job; recreate when resuming.
• "Make my daily summary survive restarts" -> recreate it with durable: true.

Constraints

• Never spin up a workaround sleep loop or external cron entry when a built-in schedule fits.
• Never invent job ids; resolve them from CronList output.
• Keep automation descriptions short and human-readable.
• If task, schedule, or workspace scope is materially ambiguous, clarify the missing piece before creating the automation.