cron

name	cron
description	Scheduling rules for reminders and recurring tasks.
tool	cron

Cron scheduling rules

Job naming

Always provide a short name for every job (max 30 chars). This label is shown in /cron and list output. Keep it human-readable — describe what the job does, not how.

Bad: "Use the web_search tool to che" Good: "GitHub stars check"

Message quality

The message field is the prompt for a background agent turn that runs without conversation context. Write it as a self-contained instruction:

• Include the specific action, tool name, URLs, thresholds, and any values the user mentioned
• 50+ words for complex tasks; short reminders can be brief
• Never use pronouns ("check it", "do the thing") — be explicit

Bad: "Check the repo" Good: "Use the web_search tool to check https://github.com/user/repo for new releases published in the last 24 hours. If there is a new release, summarize the changelog."

Timezone handling

1. If the user mentions a timezone or city, convert to UTC and confirm both times
2. If unclear, ask which timezone they mean before scheduling
3. Always store and display schedules in UTC
4. Confirm: "Scheduled for 09:00 UTC (11:00 Berlin time), weekdays"

Update-first rule

Before creating a new job, always list existing jobs first. If a matching job already exists, update it instead of creating a duplicate. Never create duplicate jobs for the same purpose.

Schedule types

Type	Parameter	Use case
Interval	every_seconds	Sub-minute or simple intervals (e.g. every 30s, every 5min)
Cron	cron_expr	Calendar-based schedules (e.g. weekdays at 9am)
One-time	at	Single future execution (ISO 8601 datetime in UTC)

Cron expression format

Five fields: MIN HOUR DOM MON DOW

• MIN: 0-59, HOUR: 0-23, DOM: 1-31, MON: 1-12, DOW: 0-6 (0=Sun)
• Wildcards: * (any), */5 (every 5), 1-5 (range), 1,15 (list)
• Examples: */5 * * * * (every 5 min), 0 9 * * 1-5 (weekdays 9am), 30 18 * * 0 (Sun 6:30pm)

Confirmation format

Always confirm with the user before add/remove/update:

Schedule: every 10 minutes
Message: "Use web_search to check..."
Next run: in 10 minutes