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

# Automate Recurring Agent Tasks with Octop Cron Jobs

> Schedule your Octop agents to run prompts automatically. Use cron expressions or natural-language triggers to automate daily reports and reminders.

Octop lets you schedule your agents to run prompts automatically on a cron schedule — useful for daily summaries, morning briefings, or recurring checks. A cron job fires without any manual input, so your agents can deliver results while you focus on other work.

![Cron jobs](https://mintcdn.com/octop/P_aBdthWeK4YndCE/images/ui-tasks.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=P_aBdthWeK4YndCE\&q=85\&s=2686171225da04fcf06e49638b41be3f)

## How cron jobs work

Every cron job has four parts:

* **Name** — a display label in the task list. The web UI asks you to fill one in. The API can omit it and derive a label from the prompt.
* **Trigger** — when the job fires (a cron expression, an interval, or a one-time timestamp)
* **Prompt** — the message sent to the agent (up to 2,000 characters)
* **Task type** — `Agent` has the LLM process the prompt and generate a response; `Text` pushes the prompt directly as a plain message without LLM involvement

## Create a cron job

**1. Open the Tasks section**

Go to **Tasks** in the sidebar and select the agent the job belongs to.

**2. Start a new job**

Click **Create task**.

**3. Name the job**

Enter a display name so you can tell jobs apart in the list.

**4. Set the trigger**

Enter a cron expression (for example, `0 9 * * *` for 9 AM daily) or use an interval shorthand such as `interval:30` for every 30 minutes.

**5. Write the prompt**

Type your prompt in the prompt field. The limit is 2,000 characters.

**6. Choose the task type**

Select **Agent** to have the LLM process the prompt and generate a reply, or **Text** to send the prompt directly as a message.

**7. Save**

Click **Save**. The job is now active and will fire on the next matching trigger.

## Trigger formats

| Format | Example | Description |
| - | - | - |
| Cron expression | `0 9 * * *` | Standard 5-field cron — fires at 9 AM every day |
| Interval | `interval:30` | Fires every 30 minutes from the moment the job is saved |
| One-time | `date:2025-01-15T09:00:00` | ISO 8601 timestamp — fires once at the specified time |

## Monitor and run jobs

The task list shows each job's schedule, type, prompt, last run time, and last status, so you can confirm a job is firing as expected. Each row carries **Enable** and **Run now** actions — **Run now** triggers the job immediately without waiting for its next scheduled time, which is the quickest way to verify a new job works.

> [!TIP]
>
> For CLI create, list, delete, and `run-now`, see [Channel & cron commands](https://octop.mintlify.site/cli/channel-cron-commands.md#octop-cron).

> [!TIP]
>
> Set the `OCTOP_DEFAULT_TIMEZONE` environment variable or add a `"default_timezone"` key to your `config.json` to control which timezone Octop uses when evaluating cron expressions. Without this, the server's system timezone is used.


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