scheduling-rules

/scheduling-rules — Task Scheduling Reference

How Breadbrich Engels schedules and manages recurring/one-time tasks.

Task Types

Type	schedule_type	schedule_value	Example
Cron	cron	Cron expression (local time)	0 9 * * 1 (Mon 9am ET)
Interval	interval	Milliseconds or a unit suffix (ms/s/m/h/d)	6h, 30m, or 3600000 (every hour)
One-time	once	ISO timestamp (local, NO Z suffix)	2026-05-07T14:00:00

Interval values: bare number = milliseconds (3600000); suffixed number uses the unit (500ms, 45s, 30m, 6h, 2d, case-insensitive). Minimum 1 minute (a run takes ~50s, so sub-minute intervals are a runaway), maximum 365 days. Anything else — every 6h, 6hh, 30 seconds — is rejected and the task is not created or updated; a task already holding a bad interval gets paused instead of rescheduled.

⚠️ CRITICAL GOTCHA: Timezone Handling

• Cron: Uses LOCAL timezone (ET). 0 9 * * * = 9 AM ET. ✓
• Once: Also local time. Use 2026-05-07T14:00:00 (NO Z suffix). ✓
• Before sending any time-sensitive message: Verify current time if the task involves telling someone what time something is.

Script Gates

For recurring tasks, add a script to avoid unnecessary agent wake-ups:

{
  "script": "bash -c '...'",
  "prompt": "Do the thing",
  "schedule_type": "cron",
  "schedule_value": "0 9 * * *"
}

Script prints JSON: { "wakeAgent": true/false, "data": {...} }

• wakeAgent: false → agent sleeps, waits for next run
• wakeAgent: true → agent wakes with data + prompt

Always test scripts first in the sandbox before scheduling.

API Credit Conservation

Each wake-up uses API credits. For tasks > 2x/day:

1. Suggest a script gate
2. Help find minimum viable frequency
3. For LLM evaluation, suggest direct API calls in the script

Context Modes

Mode	Use When
group	Task needs chat history / conversation context
isolated	Self-contained task, all context in prompt