Cron Scheduler Tool

Schedule recurring tasks using cron expressions.

How It Works

This skill provides instructions for the Cron Scheduler tool node. Connect the Cron Scheduler node to Zeenie's input-tools handle or use as a workflow trigger.

cron_scheduler Tool

Create recurring schedules using cron expressions.

Schema Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
expression	string	Yes	Cron expression (5 fields)
timezone	string	No	Timezone (default: UTC)

Cron Expression Format

code

* * * * *
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └── Day of week (0-7, Sun=0 or 7)
│ │ │ └──── Month (1-12)
│ │ └────── Day of month (1-31)
│ └──────── Hour (0-23)
└────────── Minute (0-59)

Special Characters

Character	Meaning	Example
`*`	Any value	`* * * * *` (every minute)
`,`	List of values	`1,15 * * * *` (minute 1 and 15)
`-`	Range	`1-5 * * * *` (minutes 1-5)
`/`	Step values	`/15 * * *` (every 15 minutes)

Common Patterns

Pattern	Description	Cron Expression
Every minute	Runs each minute	`* * * * *`
Every 5 minutes	Runs at :00, :05, :10...	`/5 * * *`
Every 15 minutes	Runs at :00, :15, :30, :45	`/15 * * *`
Every hour	Runs at minute 0	`0 * * * *`
Every day at 9 AM	Morning job	`0 9 * * *`
Every day at midnight	Nightly job	`0 0 * * *`
Weekdays at 9 AM	Mon-Fri morning	`0 9 * * 1-5`
Every Monday	Weekly on Monday	`0 0 * * 1`
First of month	Monthly job	`0 0 1 * *`
Every Sunday at 6 PM	Weekly Sunday evening	`0 18 * * 0`
Multiple times daily	8am, noon, 6pm	`0 8,12,18 * * *`

Examples

Every day at 9 AM:

json

{
  "expression": "0 9 * * *",
  "timezone": "America/New_York"
}

Every 30 minutes:

json

{
  "expression": "*/30 * * * *"
}

Weekdays at 6 PM:

json

{
  "expression": "0 18 * * 1-5",
  "timezone": "Europe/London"
}

Every Monday at 10 AM:

json

{
  "expression": "0 10 * * 1",
  "timezone": "Asia/Tokyo"
}

First day of each month:

json

{
  "expression": "0 0 1 * *"
}

Response Format

Schedule created:

json

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Cron schedule created",
  "expression": "0 9 * * *",
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "next_run": "2025-01-31T09:00:00-05:00",
  "description": "At 09:00 AM, every day"
}

Schedule triggered:

json

{
  "success": true,
  "triggered": true,
  "message": "Cron schedule triggered",
  "expression": "0 9 * * *",
  "triggered_at": "2025-01-30T09:00:00Z"
}

Error Response

json

{
  "error": "Invalid cron expression: too few fields"
}

Timezone Reference

Timezone	Description
`UTC`	Universal Time (default)
`America/New_York`	Eastern US
`America/Los_Angeles`	Pacific US
`Europe/London`	UK
`Europe/Paris`	Central Europe
`Asia/Tokyo`	Japan
`Asia/Shanghai`	China
`Australia/Sydney`	Australia Eastern

Use Cases

Use Case	Expression	Description
Daily report	`0 9 * * *`	Generate daily reports
Hourly sync	`0 * * * *`	Sync data hourly
Weekly backup	`0 2 * * 0`	Sunday at 2 AM
Business hours check	`/30 9-17 * 1-5`	Every 30 min, 9-5 Mon-Fri
Monthly cleanup	`0 0 1 * *`	First of month

Common Workflows

Daily notification

•Set cron for desired time (e.g., 0 9 * * *)
•Cron triggers → workflow runs
•Send notification to user

Scheduled data sync

•Set cron for sync interval (e.g., 0 * * * *)
•Cron triggers → fetch data
•Process and store data

Weekly report

•Set cron for weekly (e.g., 0 10 * * 1)
•Cron triggers → generate report
•Send report via email/WhatsApp

Workflow-Based Scheduling

In this system, scheduling works through:

•Trigger Node: Use Cron Scheduler as workflow start
•Deployment: Deploy workflow to activate schedule
•Cancellation: Undeploy workflow to stop schedule

Each trigger creates independent workflow runs.

Best Practices

•Use UTC for global: Avoid timezone confusion
•Consider load: Don't schedule many jobs at :00
•Stagger jobs: Use :05, :10 instead of all at :00
•Test expressions: Verify with online cron tools
•Document schedules: Keep track of what runs when

Limitations

•Requires workflow deployment to activate
•Cannot schedule past events
•Minimum granularity is 1 minute
•Complex conditions need multiple schedules

Setup Requirements

•Connect the Cron Scheduler node to Zeenie's input-tools handle
•Or use as workflow trigger (first node)
•Deploy workflow to activate the schedule
•Undeploy to cancel the schedule