Scheduling Recurring Tasks

Use cron expressions to schedule PhoneClaw automations that run automatically at specific times or intervals

Overview

PhoneClaw’s scheduler lets you run automations automatically at specific times or recurring intervals using cron expressions. This is perfect for social media posting, periodic data checks, or any task that needs to run without manual intervention.

Scheduled tasks run in the background even when PhoneClaw isn’t actively open. The scheduler checks for tasks every minute and executes them according to their cron schedule.

The schedule() Function

Schedule tasks using the ClawScript schedule() function:

schedule(taskDescription, cronExpression)

Parameters:

• taskDescription (string): A description or reference to your automation task
• cronExpression (string): A cron expression defining when to run

Example:

schedule("Tweet every hour", "0 * * * *")

Creating Scheduled Tasks

Understanding Cron Expressions

Cron expressions define when tasks run using 5 time fields:

┌───────────── minute (0 - 59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0 - 23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1 - 31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1 - 12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0 - 7) (0 and 7 are Sunday)
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

Special Characters

• * - Any value (every minute, every hour, etc.)
• , - Value list separator (1,15,30)
• - - Range of values (1-5)
• / - Step values (*/15 = every 15 units)

Common Cron Patterns

Every Hour

schedule("Hourly task", "0 * * * *")
// Runs at: 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, etc.

Every 30 Minutes

schedule("Half-hourly task", "*/30 * * * *")
// Runs at: :00 and :30 of every hour

Every Day at 9 AM

schedule("Morning task", "0 9 * * *")
// Runs daily at 9:00 AM

Every Weekday at 8 AM

schedule("Weekday morning", "0 8 * * 1-5")
// Runs Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM

Every Monday at Noon

schedule("Weekly Monday task", "0 12 * * 1")
// Runs every Monday at 12:00 PM

Twice Daily (9 AM and 6 PM)

schedule("Twice daily", "0 9,18 * * *")
// Runs at 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM every day

First Day of Every Month

schedule("Monthly task", "0 0 1 * *")
// Runs at midnight on the 1st of each month

Every 15 Minutes During Work Hours

schedule("Work hours", "*/15 9-17 * * 1-5")
// Runs every 15 minutes from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays

Use crontab.guru to test and validate your cron expressions with human-readable descriptions.

Real-World Scheduling Examples

Social Media Posting

Post to multiple platforms throughout the day:

const postToSocial = () => {
  speakText("Running social media post")
  
  // Post to Twitter
  magicClicker("Compose tweet button")
  delay(2000)
  magicClicker("Tweet text field")
  delay(500)
  // Type content
  magicClicker("Post button")
  delay(3000)
  
  // Switch to Instagram
  // ... Instagram posting logic
  
  speakText("Posted to all platforms")
}

// Post 3 times per day: 9am, 1pm, 6pm
schedule("postToSocial", "0 9,13,18 * * *")

Email Check Every 10 Minutes

const checkEmail = () => {
  speakText("Checking email")
  
  // Open email app
  magicClicker("Inbox or email app")
  delay(2000)
  
  // Check for urgent emails
  const hasUrgent = magicScraper("Are there any unread urgent emails?")
  
  if (hasUrgent.toLowerCase().includes("yes")) {
    speakText("Urgent email detected")
    // Handle urgent email
  }
  
  speakText("Email check complete")
}

// Check every 10 minutes during work hours
schedule("checkEmail", "*/10 9-17 * * 1-5")

Nightly Backup

const backupData = () => {
  speakText("Starting nightly backup")
  
  // Export data from various apps
  // Upload to cloud storage
  // Verify backup completed
  
  speakText("Backup completed successfully")
}

// Run every night at 2 AM
schedule("backupData", "0 2 * * *")

Weekend Morning Routine

const weekendRoutine = () => {
  speakText("Good morning! Starting weekend routine")
  
  // Check weather
  const weather = magicScraper("What is today's weather forecast?")
  speakText("Today's weather: " + weather)
  
  // Check calendar
  magicClicker("Calendar app")
  delay(2000)
  
  const events = magicScraper("What events are scheduled for today?")
  speakText("Today's events: " + events)
  
  speakText("Weekend routine complete")
}

// Run Saturday and Sunday at 8 AM
schedule("weekendRoutine", "0 8 * * 0,6")

Combining Multiple Schedules

Run different tasks on different schedules:

// Frequent: Check notifications every 5 minutes
const checkNotifications = () => {
  magicClicker("Notifications")
  delay(1000)
  const count = magicScraper("How many unread notifications?")
  speakText(count + " notifications")
}
schedule("checkNotifications", "*/5 * * * *")

// Hourly: Post social media updates
const postUpdate = () => {
  magicClicker("Create post")
  delay(2000)
  // Post content
}
schedule("postUpdate", "0 * * * *")

// Daily: Generate report at end of day
const generateReport = () => {
  speakText("Generating daily report")
  // Collect and compile data
}
schedule("generateReport", "0 17 * * 1-5")

// Weekly: Clean up on Sundays
const weeklyCleanup = () => {
  speakText("Running weekly cleanup")
  // Archive old data
}
schedule("weeklyCleanup", "0 0 * * 0")

speakText("All schedules configured")

Managing Scheduled Tasks

View All Tasks

From the MainActivity code, scheduled tasks are stored with:

{
  id: "unique-task-id",
  taskDescription: "Your task description",
  cronExpression: "0 * * * *",
  createdAt: 1234567890,
  lastExecuted: 1234567890,
  isActive: true
}

Task Status

Each task shows:

• Created At: When the schedule was created
• Last Executed: When it last ran
• Next Run: Calculated from cron expression
• Active Status: Whether it’s currently enabled

Disable vs Delete

To temporarily pause without deleting:

// This requires accessing task management
// Currently, use clearSchedule() to remove all
clearSchedule()

// Then re-add only the ones you want
schedule("Keep this one", "0 * * * *")

clearSchedule() removes ALL scheduled tasks. There’s no way to selectively remove individual tasks in the current ClawScript API.

Scheduler Behavior

How the Scheduler Works

From the PhoneClaw source code:

1. Cron Checker runs continuously in a coroutine
2. Checks every minute if any tasks are due
3. Compares current time against cron expressions
4. Executes matching tasks
5. Updates lastExecuted timestamp
6. Schedules next check

Execution Guarantees

• Tasks run within 1 minute of scheduled time
• If the device is asleep, tasks run when it wakes
• Missed tasks don’t run retroactively
• Only one instance of a task runs at a time

Battery Considerations

Frequent scheduled tasks can drain battery. Use reasonable intervals:

• Every 5+ minutes is generally safe
• Every 1-2 minutes may impact battery life
• Every few seconds is not recommended for production

Debugging Scheduled Tasks

Test Your Cron Expression

Before scheduling, verify your cron works:

// Set to run in 2 minutes from now
schedule("Test task", "*/2 * * * *")
speakText("Test scheduled for 2 minutes")

// Watch the Scheduled Tasks tab to verify it executes

Add Logging

Include speech feedback to confirm execution:

const myTask = () => {
  const now = new Date().toLocaleTimeString()
  speakText("Task running at " + now)
  
  // Your automation logic
  
  speakText("Task completed")
}

schedule("myTask", "*/15 * * * *")

Check Last Execution

View the Scheduled Tasks tab to see:

• When the task last ran
• If it’s running on schedule
• Any execution errors

Best Practices

Use Reasonable Intervals

❌ Too Frequent

schedule("Check", "* * * * *") // Every minute

Add Error Handling

const robustTask = () => {
  try {
    speakText("Task starting")
    
    magicClicker("Some button")
    delay(2000)
    
    const result = magicScraper("Did it work?")
    if (result.includes("success")) {
      speakText("Task succeeded")
    } else {
      speakText("Task may have failed")
    }
  } catch (error) {
    speakText("Error in scheduled task")
  }
}

schedule("robustTask", "0 * * * *")

Clear Old Schedules

Before creating new schedules, clear old ones:

// Remove all previous schedules
clearSchedule()

// Add new schedules
schedule("newTask1", "0 9 * * *")
schedule("newTask2", "0 18 * * *")

Use Descriptive Names

❌ Unclear

schedule("task1", "0 * * * *")

Troubleshooting

Task Not Running

• Verify cron expression at crontab.guru
• Check device isn’t in aggressive battery saving mode
• Ensure PhoneClaw accessibility service is enabled
• Check Scheduled Tasks tab for error messages

Task Runs at Wrong Time

• Verify device time zone is correct
• Cron uses 24-hour format (0-23 for hours)
• Day of week: 0 and 7 both mean Sunday
• Check if you meant AM vs PM

Multiple Tasks Conflict

• Stagger schedules by a few minutes
• Don’t schedule two tasks at exact same time
• Add delays between app switches

Battery Drain

• Reduce task frequency
• Combine multiple checks into one task
• Schedule during specific hours only
• Use */15 instead of */5 for intervals

Next Steps

Multi-App Workflows

Chain scheduled tasks across apps

ClawScript Functions

See all available automation functions

Voice Commands

Generate schedules with voice