# Crnd > Schedule and manage cron jobs, one-time scheduled tasks, and recurring jobs using the crnd CLI. Use when the user wants to set up cronjobs, scheduled jobs, one-time tasks, recurring/repetitive jobs, automate tasks at specific times, or manage background processes. Triggers include requests like "run this every day at 2am", "schedule a backup", "set up a recurring task", "run this once tomorrow", or "create a cron job". - Skill: `ysm-dev/crnd` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ysm-dev/crnd` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ysm-dev/crnd/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: ysm-dev (https://skillmd.com/u/ysm-dev) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ysm-dev/crnd --- # crnd Local cron daemon with text-first output, no prompts, real OS processes. Use `--json` for machine-readable output. ## Installation ```sh bunx crnd # or brew install ysm-dev/crnd/crnd ``` ## Quick Reference | Task | Command | | ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Create cron job | `crnd schedule -n NAME -s "CRON" -- command args` | | Create one-time job (relative) | `crnd schedule -n NAME -i DURATION -- command` | | Create one-time job (absolute) | `crnd schedule -n NAME -a "ISO_TIMESTAMP" -- command` | | List all jobs | `crnd list` | | Job status | `crnd status -n NAME` | | Run immediately | `crnd run-once -n NAME` | | View logs | `crnd logs -n NAME` | | Stream logs | `crnd logs -n NAME -s` | | Pause job | `crnd pause -n NAME` | | Resume job | `crnd resume -n NAME` | | Stop gracefully | `crnd stop -n NAME` | | Kill immediately | `crnd kill -n NAME` | | Delete job | `crnd delete -n NAME -f` | | Run history | `crnd runs -n NAME` | | Check setup | `crnd doctor` | All commands default to text output; use `--json` for machine-readable output. ## Scheduling Jobs ### Cron Jobs (Recurring) ```sh # Daily at 2am UTC crnd schedule -n backup -s "0 2 * * *" -- rsync -a ~/docs ~/backup # Every hour crnd schedule -n healthcheck -s "0 * * * *" -- curl http://localhost:8080/health # Weekdays at 9am in specific timezone crnd schedule -n standup-reminder -s "0 9 * * 1-5" -z "America/New_York" -- notify "Standup in 15 minutes" # Every 5 minutes crnd schedule -n monitor -s "*/5 * * * *" -- ./check-system.sh ``` ### One-Time Jobs (Relative Time) ```sh # Run in 10 minutes crnd schedule -n reminder -i 10m -- say "Time to stretch!" # Run in 2 hours crnd schedule -n deploy -i 2h -- ./deploy.sh # Run tomorrow (24 hours from now) crnd schedule -n backup -i 1d -- rsync -a ~/docs ~/backup ``` Relative time formats: `30s`, `5m`, `2h`, `1d`, `1w`, `1y` ### One-Time Jobs (Absolute Time) ```sh # Run at specific time crnd schedule -n deploy -a "2026-02-01T10:00:00Z" -- ./deploy.sh # Future reminder with timezone offset crnd schedule -n reminder -a "2026-03-15T14:30:00-05:00" -- notify "Meeting starts now" ``` ### Natural Language to Flags | User says | Flag | Example value | | ------------------- | ---- | ----------------------- | | "in 5 minutes" | `-i` | `5m` | | "in 2 hours" | `-i` | `2h` | | "tomorrow" | `-i` | `1d` | | "in a week" | `-i` | `1w` | | "tomorrow at 9am" | `-a` | `"2026-02-04T09:00:00"` | | "every day at 8am" | `-s` | `"0 8 * * *"` | | "weekdays at 9am" | `-s` | `"0 9 * * 1-5"` | | "every Monday 10am" | `-s` | `"0 10 * * 1"` | | "every hour" | `-s` | `"0 * * * *"` | ### Cron Expression Format 5-field standard: `minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week` | Field | Values | Special | | ------------ | ----------- | --------------- | | Minute | 0-59 | `*` `/` `,` `-` | | Hour | 0-23 | `*` `/` `,` `-` | | Day of Month | 1-31 | `*` `/` `,` `-` | | Month | 1-12 | `*` `/` `,` `-` | | Day of Week | 0-6 (Sun=0) | `*` `/` `,` `-` | Common patterns: - `0 * * * *` - every hour - `*/15 * * * *` - every 15 minutes - `0 2 * * *` - daily at 2am - `0 0 * * 0` - weekly on Sunday midnight - `0 9 * * 1-5` - weekdays at 9am - `0 0 1 * *` - monthly on the 1st ## Managing Jobs ### Monitoring ```sh # List all jobs crnd list crnd list --json # Job details crnd status -n backup # Run history crnd runs -n backup # View latest logs crnd logs -n backup # Stream logs in real-time crnd logs -n backup -s # Tail recent logs crnd logs -n backup -t ``` ### Control ```sh # Trigger immediate run crnd run-once -n backup # Pause scheduling (job won't run until resumed) crnd pause -n backup # Resume scheduling crnd resume -n backup # Stop running process gracefully (SIGTERM) crnd stop -n backup # Kill running process immediately (SIGKILL) crnd kill -n backup # Delete job entirely crnd delete -n backup -f ``` ### Import/Export ```sh # Export all jobs to TOML crnd export > jobs.toml # Import jobs from file crnd import -f jobs.toml ``` ## Daemon Management ```sh # Start daemon crnd daemon start # Stop daemon crnd daemon stop # Daemon status crnd daemon status # Install autostart (runs on login) crnd daemon install # Uninstall autostart crnd daemon uninstall # Check setup crnd doctor ``` ## jobs.toml Format Jobs are stored in `~/.config/crnd/jobs.toml` (Linux/macOS) or `%APPDATA%\crnd\jobs.toml` (Windows). Edit directly; daemon watches for changes. ```toml [jobs.backup] command = ["rsync", "-a", "/src", "/dst"] schedule = "0 2 * * *" timezone = "UTC" timeout_ms = 600000 [jobs.deploy] command = ["./deploy.sh"] run_at = "2026-02-01T10:00:00Z" ``` ## Common Workflows ### Set up a daily backup ```sh crnd daemon start crnd schedule -n daily-backup -s "0 3 * * *" -z "UTC" -- rsync -av ~/important ~/backup crnd run-once -n daily-backup # test it works crnd daemon install # autostart on login ``` ### Schedule a one-time deployment ```sh crnd schedule -n prod-deploy -a "2026-02-15T02:00:00Z" -- ./deploy.sh production crnd status -n prod-deploy # verify scheduled time ``` ### Monitor a recurring job ```sh crnd runs -n backup # check run history crnd logs -n backup # view latest output crnd status -n backup # see next scheduled run ``` ### Pause during maintenance ```sh crnd pause -n backup # ... do maintenance ... crnd resume -n backup ```