claude-cron-automation

Claude Code Cron Automation

Problem

Running Claude Code in cron requires solving three challenges that don't apply to interactive sessions:

1. cron's minimal PATH doesn't include nvm/node or user binaries
2. Shell aliases and functions (like dsccpro) are unavailable
3. Third-party API backends need explicit environment variables

Context / Trigger Conditions

• Setting up automated daily/weekly Claude Code tasks via cron
• claude -p non-interactive mode with API backends other than Anthropic
• /insights, /doctor, or custom prompts need to run on a schedule
• cron environment lacks DEEPSEEK_API_KEY, node, or wechat-reminder in PATH
• Need to deliver results via wechat-reminder (Feishu/WeChat)

Solution

1. Crontab Entry Pattern

Always use zsh -l (login shell) to source the user's full environment:

7 22 * * * /bin/zsh -l '/absolute/path/to/script.sh'

The -l flag ensures .zshenv, .zprofile, and .zshrc are sourced, making API keys and PATH available.

2. Script Self-Setup (Defense in Depth)

Even with zsh -l, include a self-setup section in the script for robustness:

#!/bin/zsh
set -euo pipefail

# Auto-discover nvm/node (covers cron's minimal PATH)
for nvm_dir in "$HOME/.nvm" "/usr/local/nvm"; do
    if [[ -s "$nvm_dir/nvm.sh" ]]; then
        export NVM_DIR="$nvm_dir"
        break
    fi
done

NODE_BIN="$HOME/.nvm/versions/node/$(ls "$HOME/.nvm/versions/node/" 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1 || echo '')/bin"
export PATH="$NODE_BIN:$HOME/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:$PATH"

# Verify essentials
command -v claude >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "claude not found"; exit 1; }

3. Third-Party API Env Vars (Non-Interactive)

Shell aliases like dsccpro don't work in scripts. Use the raw env var pattern that _claude_with_api expands to:

# DeepSeek API (replaces dsccpro alias)
REPORT=$(
    env -u ANTHROPIC_API_KEY \
        ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic" \
        ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="${DEEPSEEK_API_KEY}" \
        API_TIMEOUT_MS=600000 \
        ANTHROPIC_MODEL="deepseek-v4-pro[1m]" \
        ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="deepseek-v4-pro[1m]" \
        ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="deepseek-v4-pro[1m]" \
        ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="deepseek-v4-pro[1m]" \
        ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL="deepseek-v4-pro[1m]" \
        CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL="deepseek-v4-pro[1m]" \
        CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1 \
        CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1 \
        claude -p "$PROMPT" \
            --print \
            --output-format text \
            --dangerously-skip-permissions \
            --add-dir "$HOME/.claude/projects" \
            --add-dir "$HOME/.claude/usage-data" \
            2>&1
)