Schedule automated tasks to run at specific times or intervals. Perfect for monitoring websites, collecting data regularly, or maintaining up-to-date information without manual intervention.
Schedule Types
- One-time - Execute once at a specific date/time
- Recurring - Repeat at regular intervals
- Cron-based - Use cron expressions for complex timing
- Event-driven - Trigger based on external events
Creating Schedules
Create schedules via the dashboard or API:
bash
POST /schedules
{
"name": "Daily Price Check",
"prompt": "Check product prices on competitor websites",
"schedule": {
"type": "recurring",
"interval": "daily",
"time": "09:00",
"timezone": "UTC"
},
"webhook_url": "https://your-app.com/price-updates",
"active": true
}Cron Expressions
Use cron expressions for precise scheduling:
json
{
"schedule": {
"type": "cron",
"expression": "0 */6 * * *",
"timezone": "America/New_York"
}
}Common cron patterns:
- 0 9 * * 1-5 - Weekdays at 9 AM
- 0 */2 * * * - Every 2 hours
- 0 0 1 * * - First day of each month
- 0 0 * * 0 - Every Sunday at midnight
Monitoring and Alerts
Set up monitoring to track changes and receive alerts:
bash
POST /schedules
{
"name": "Website Monitor",
"prompt": "Check if the homepage content has changed",
"schedule": {
"type": "recurring",
"interval": "hourly"
},
"monitoring": {
"enabled": true,
"alert_on_change": true,
"alert_threshold": 0.1 // 10% content change
},
"notifications": [
{
"type": "email",
"address": "alerts@yourcompany.com"
},
{
"type": "slack",
"webhook": "https://hooks.slack.com/..."
}
}Schedule Management
Manage your schedules programmatically:
bash
# List all schedules
GET /schedules
# Get schedule details
GET /schedules/{schedule_id}
# Update schedule
PUT /schedules/{schedule_id}
# Pause/resume schedule
POST /schedules/{schedule_id}/pause
POST /schedules/{schedule_id}/resume
# Delete schedule
DELETE /schedules/{schedule_id}Execution History
Track schedule execution history and performance:
bash
GET /schedules/{schedule_id}/executions
Response:
{
"executions": [
{
"id": "exec_123",
"started_at": "2025-01-01T09:00:00Z",
"completed_at": "2025-01-01T09:02:15Z",
"status": "completed",
"result": {...},
"duration": 135.2
}
],
"stats": {
"total_executions": 30,
"success_rate": 96.7,
"average_duration": 142.5
}
}Error Handling
Schedules include robust error handling:
- Automatic retries for failed executions
- Exponential backoff for temporary failures
- Alert notifications for persistent failures
- Automatic schedule pausing after repeated failures
Schedules respect rate limits and will queue executions if necessary.
Best Practices
- Use appropriate intervals to avoid overwhelming target websites
- Set up monitoring and alerts for critical schedules
- Test schedules with one-time executions first
- Use webhooks for real-time notifications
- Monitor execution history for performance optimization
- Consider timezone differences for global operations
Scheduled tasks can use all rtrvr.ai features including Sheets workflows, tools, and webhooks.