Why I built this
I kept opening terminals to run the same Claude Code prompts. Check this repo. Review that PR. Summarize those emails. Every time, the same ritual: open a terminal, type the prompt, wait, read the output.
I wanted to set it and forget it. Like a cron job, but for Claude. One fun tool to schedule Claude Code runs periodically and let it work while I do something else — or while I sleep. So I built a native macOS app to do exactly that.
What it does
Claude Cron is a native macOS menu bar app that schedules Claude Code prompts to run automatically. It uses launchd under the hood — the same system macOS uses for its own scheduled tasks.
You create a task, write what you want Claude to do, pick a project directory, choose your model, set a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom interval), and let it run. Every execution is logged. You can review what Claude did, what it found, and continue the conversation where it left off.
How it works
How do I run a Claude prompt automatically on a schedule?
Install Claude Cron, create a task with your prompt and a schedule, and it runs via launchd in the background -- even when the app is closed.
How do I create my first task?
Click the + button, give your task a name, write what you want Claude to do, pick a project directory, and set a schedule. That's it.
What schedule types can I choose -- daily, weekly, custom?
Daily, weekly, monthly, every N minutes, or manual. You can also set a specific time of day for daily and weekly tasks.
Can I pick which Claude model to use?
Yes. Choose Haiku for quick checks, Sonnet for everyday work, or Opus for deep analysis. Each task can use a different model.
How do I control what Claude is allowed to do?
Each task has a permission mode: default, plan (read-only analysis), accept edits, or full bypass. You can also configure allowed and disallowed tool lists.
Can a task resume a previous conversation?
Yes. You can set a task to resume the last session or fork from it, so Claude picks up right where it left off.
How do I see what happened during a run?
Every run is recorded with full output, timing, and status. Click any run in the history to review what Claude did or debug failures.
Is there a quick way to check tasks from the menu bar?
Yes. Claude Cron lives in your menu bar, giving you a quick glance at task status and recent runs without opening the full app.
Can I define tasks inside a project so they live with the code?
Yes. Tasks can be scoped to a specific project directory, so they stay alongside your code and can be shared with your team.
Does Claude Cron update itself?
It uses Sparkle for automatic updates. You'll get notified when a new version is available and can update with one click.
Get started
Download the latest DMG from GitHub Releases and drag Claude Cron to your Applications folder. Requires macOS 14.0 or later and the Claude Code CLI installed.
Download latest releaseMake sure claude is available in your PATH before creating your first task.