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

# Cron Routines

> Schedule recurring tasks with cron expressions

Cron routines fire on a repeating schedule using standard cron expressions. Use them for any task that should happen at a predictable time — daily reports, weekly cleanups, hourly checks.

***

## Creating a Cron Routine

Describe the schedule and task to the agent. It will call `routine_create` on your behalf:

```
Create a routine that runs every weekday at 9am and summarizes
what I worked on yesterday by reading my daily notes, then
writes a standup draft to memory at daily/standup.md.
```

***

## Execution Model

When a cron routine fires:

1. The routine engine creates a new agent job with the action prompt
2. The job runs through the full agent loop — LLM reasoning, tool calls, safety layer
3. Output is written to memory or sent via a channel notification (if configured)
4. The run is recorded in routine history, accessible via `routine_history`

Routine jobs run as standard jobs and count against `MAX_PARALLEL_JOBS`. If the limit is reached when a cron fires, the routine job queues as Pending.

***

## Configuration

```bash theme={null}
# Enable routines
ROUTINES_ENABLED=true

# Cron tick interval (how often the engine checks for due jobs)
ROUTINES_CRON_INTERVAL=60    # seconds

# Max routines running simultaneously
ROUTINES_MAX_CONCURRENT=3
```