How do I install the Cron Scheduler skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add dvcrn/cron-scheduler-2 in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Cron Scheduler skill do?

Manage cron jobs on macOS/Linux - list, add, remove, backup, and schedule recurring tasks It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.

Is Cron Scheduler safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Cron Scheduler?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Cron Scheduler free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Cron Scheduler?

dvcrn (@dvcrn) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Cron Scheduler by dvcrn — Agent Skill

Name: Cron Scheduler
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: dvcrn

File contents

Cron Scheduler Skill

A comprehensive skill for managing cron jobs on both macOS and Linux systems.

Features

List Jobs - View all cron jobs for the current user
Add Job - Create new cron jobs with schedule validation
Remove Job - Delete jobs by line number or pattern
Edit Crontab - Open crontab in your default editor
Next Runs - See when each job will execute next
Backup/Restore - Safely backup and restore crontab configurations
Service Control - Start/stop/status of cron daemon
Templates - Common schedule patterns for quick setup

Requirements

crontab command (pre-installed on macOS/Linux)
bash shell
Optional: cronnext for accurate next-run predictions (Linux)

Installation

# Make the script executable
chmod +x ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/cron-scheduler/scripts/cron-helper.sh

# Optional: Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/cron-scheduler/scripts:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Usage

List all cron jobs

cron-scheduler list
# or
cron-scheduler l

Add a new cron job

# Daily backup at 2am
cron-scheduler add "0 2 * * *" "~/scripts/backup.sh"

# Every hour
cron-scheduler add "0 * * * *" "~/scripts/hourly-task.sh"

# Every 5 minutes
cron-scheduler add "*/5 * * * *" "~/scripts/monitor.sh"

Remove cron jobs

# By line number (use 'list' first to see line numbers)
cron-scheduler remove 3

# By pattern (matches anywhere in the line)
cron-scheduler removep "backup"

Edit crontab directly

cron-scheduler edit
# or
cron-scheduler e

Show next run times

cron-scheduler next
# or
cron-scheduler n

Backup and restore

# Create backup
cron-scheduler backup

# List available backups
cron-scheduler restore

# Restore specific backup
cron-scheduler restore ~/.cron-backups/crontab_20240315_143022.bak

Manage cron service

# Check status
cron-scheduler service status

# Start cron (may require sudo)
cron-scheduler service start

# Stop cron (may require sudo)
cron-scheduler service stop

View templates

cron-scheduler templates
# or
cron-scheduler t

Cron Schedule Format

┌──────────── minute (0 - 59)
│ ┌────────── hour (0 - 23)
│ │ ┌──────── day of month (1 - 31)
│ │ │ ┌------ month (1 - 12)
│ │ │ │ ┌---- day of week (0 - 6, Sunday=0)
* * * * *

Common Examples

Schedule	Description
`0 0 * * *`	Daily at midnight
`0 2 * * *`	Daily at 2am
`0 * * * *`	Every hour
`/5 * * *`	Every 5 minutes
`0 9 * * 1-5`	Weekdays at 9am
`0 0 * * 0`	Weekly on Sunday
`0 0 1 * *`	Monthly on 1st

Platform Support

macOS: Uses launchctl for service management
Linux: Uses systemctl for service management

Safety Features

Temporary files used for atomic crontab modifications
Backup created before any destructive operations
Confirmation prompt before restore
Schedule validation before adding jobs

---name: cron-scheduler-2description: Manage cron jobs on macOS/Linux - list, add, remove, backup, and schedule recurring tasks--- # Cron Scheduler Skill A comprehensive skill for managing cron jobs on both macOS and Linux systems. ## Features 1. **List Jobs** - View all cron jobs for the current user 2. **Add Job** - Create new cron jobs with schedule validation 3. **Remove Job** - Delete jobs by line number or pattern 4. **Edit Crontab** - Open crontab in your default editor 5. **Next Runs** - See when each job will execute next 6. **Backup/Restore** - Safely backup and restore crontab configurations 7. **Service Control** - Start/stop/status of cron daemon 8. **Templates** - Common schedule patterns for quick setup ## Requirements - `crontab` command (pre-installed on macOS/Linux) - `bash` shell - Optional: `cronnext` for accurate next-run predictions (Linux) ## Installation ```bash # Make the script executable chmod +x ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/cron-scheduler/scripts/cron-helper.sh # Optional: Add to PATH echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/cron-scheduler/scripts:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc source ~/.zshrc ``` ## Usage ### List all cron jobs ```bash cron-scheduler list # or cron-scheduler l ``` ### Add a new cron job ```bash # Daily backup at 2am cron-scheduler add "0 2 * * *" "~/scripts/backup.sh" # Every hour cron-scheduler add "0 * * * *" "~/scripts/hourly-task.sh" # Every 5 minutes cron-scheduler add "*/5 * * * *" "~/scripts/monitor.sh" ``` ### Remove cron jobs ```bash # By line number (use 'list' first to see line numbers) cron-scheduler remove 3 # By pattern (matches anywhere in the line) cron-scheduler removep "backup" ``` ### Edit crontab directly ```bash cron-scheduler edit # or cron-scheduler e ``` ### Show next run times ```bash cron-scheduler next # or cron-scheduler n ``` ### Backup and restore ```bash # Create backup cron-scheduler backup # List available backups cron-scheduler restore # Restore specific backup cron-scheduler restore ~/.cron-backups/crontab_20240315_143022.bak ``` ### Manage cron service ```bash # Check status cron-scheduler service status # Start cron (may require sudo) cron-scheduler service start # Stop cron (may require sudo) cron-scheduler service stop ``` ### View templates ```bash cron-scheduler templates # or cron-scheduler t ``` ## Cron Schedule Format ``` ┌──────────── minute (0 - 59) │ ┌────────── hour (0 - 23) │ │ ┌──────── day of month (1 - 31) │ │ │ ┌------ month (1 - 12) │ │ │ │ ┌---- day of week (0 - 6, Sunday=0) * * * * * ``` ### Common Examples | Schedule | Description | |----------|-------------| | `0 0 * * *` | Daily at midnight | | `0 2 * * *` | Daily at 2am | | `0 * * * *` | Every hour | | `*/5 * * * *` | Every 5 minutes | | `0 9 * * 1-5` | Weekdays at 9am | | `0 0 * * 0` | Weekly on Sunday | | `0 0 1 * *` | Monthly on 1st | ## Platform Support - **macOS**: Uses `launchctl` for service management - **Linux**: Uses `systemctl` for service management ## Safety Features - Temporary files used for atomic crontab modifications - Backup created before any destructive operations - Confirmation prompt before restore - Schedule validation before adding jobs

Frequently asked questions

Cron Scheduler