Schedule Trigger

The Schedule Trigger allows workflows to execute automatically on a recurring schedule defined by a cron expression. This is the ideal trigger for periodic automation tasks such as daily reports, data syncs, and regular maintenance jobs.

Use Cases

Typical Applications

Scheduled Reports - Generate and send daily, weekly, or monthly reports
Data Synchronization - Periodically sync data between systems
Regular Maintenance - Clean up old records, refresh caches, archive logs
Periodic Checks - Monitor system health, check for expired items
Batch Processing - Process queued items at regular intervals
Knowledge Base Updates - Refresh knowledge base content on a schedule

Node Features

Basic Characteristics

Automatic Execution - No manual intervention required after setup
Cron-Based Scheduling - Flexible scheduling using standard cron expressions
Unique Per Workflow - Only one Schedule Trigger allowed per workflow
App-Level Timezone - Executes according to the app's configured timezone
Dry Run Support - Test manually with the Run button, ignoring the schedule

Built-in Output Fields

The Schedule Trigger produces a single output port (Head). The output data is empty by default — use the trigger solely as a workflow entry point.

Node Configuration

Basic Settings (Parameters Panel)

Cron Expression

The core configuration is a cron expression that defines when the workflow executes.

Format: Extended crontab syntax using 6 or 7 fields:

second minute hour day month weekday year

Fields are space-separated
Fields are parsed left-to-right as: second, minute, hour, day, month, weekday, year
The year field is optional (omit for 6-field syntax)

⚠️ Important: The system always parses the leftmost field as "second". If you write only 5 fields, they are interpreted as second minute hour day month (NOT Linux crontab's minute hour day month weekday). For example, 0 6 * * * does NOT mean "6:00 AM daily" — it means "6 minutes past every hour"! Always use 6 fields to avoid ambiguity.

Supported Syntax:

Feature	Example	Description
Exact value	`0 0 9 * * *`	At 9:00 AM daily
Wildcard `*`	`0 * * * * *`	Every minute (at second 0)
Step `/`	`0 /15 * * *`	Every 15 minutes
Range `-`	`0 0 9-17 * * *`	Every hour from 9 AM to 5 PM
List `,`	`0 0 9,12,18 * * *`	At 9 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM
Special `@`	`@daily`	Once per day at midnight

Special Expressions:

Expression	Equivalent	Description
`@yearly` / `@annually`	`0 0 0 1 1 *`	Once per year on Jan 1 at midnight
`@monthly`	`0 0 0 1 * *`	Once per month on the 1st at midnight
`@weekly`	`0 0 0 * * 0`	Once per week on Sunday at midnight
`@daily` / `@midnight`	`0 0 0 * * *`	Once per day at midnight
`@hourly`	`0 0 * * * *`	Once per hour at minute 0
`@minutely`	`0 * * * * *`	Once per minute
`@secondly`	`* * * * * *`	Once per second

Note: @reboot is not supported.

Common Examples:

Expression	Description
`0 0 9 * * 1`	Every Monday at 9:00 AM
`0 0 8,18 * * 1-5`	Every weekday at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM
`0 /5 * * *`	Every 5 minutes
`0 0 9-17 * * 1-5`	Every hour, 9 AM–5 PM, Monday–Friday
`0 0 0 1,15 * *`	Midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month
`0 0 6 * * *`	Every day at 6:00 AM
`@daily`	Once per day at midnight

Note: The cron input field does not support inline comments (e.g., # comment). Only enter the expression itself.

Reference: Full cron expression syntax at Crontab HexDocs

Timezone

The Schedule Trigger uses the app-level timezone setting. If no timezone is configured for the app, it defaults to your local timezone.

Advanced Settings (Settings Panel)

Node Description

Add a custom description to help team members understand the trigger's purpose:

yaml

nodeDescription: "Daily report generation - runs every weekday at 9 AM"

Testing & Debugging

Dry Run

The Schedule Trigger includes a Run button in its toolbar for immediate manual execution:

Click the Run button on the Schedule Trigger node
The workflow executes immediately, ignoring the cron schedule
View execution results to verify workflow logic

This is useful for:

Testing the workflow before letting it run on schedule
Manually triggering an off-schedule execution when needed

Tip: Dry run executions do not affect the cron schedule — the next scheduled run proceeds as normal.

Workflow Examples

Example 1: Daily Report

Schedule Trigger
  Cron: 0 0 9 * * 1-5 (weekdays at 9 AM)
  → HTTP Request Node
    URL: "https://api.example.com/reports/daily"
    Method: POST
  → Answer Node
    Answer: "Daily report generated and sent"

Example 2: Data Sync Every 30 Minutes

Schedule Trigger
  Cron: 0 */30 * * * * (every 30 minutes)
  → HTTP Request Node
    URL: "https://source-api.example.com/data"
    Method: GET
  → Code Node (transform)
    Code: |
      const source = $('HTTP Request').body;
      return source.items.map(item => ({
        id: item.uid,
        name: item.title,
        updated: item.modifiedAt
      }));
  → HTTP Request Node (sync to target)
    URL: "https://target-api.example.com/bulk-import"
    Method: POST
    Body: $('Code').output

Example 3: Weekly Knowledge Base Update

Schedule Trigger
  Cron: @weekly (Sunday at midnight)
  → HTTP Request Node (fetch latest docs)
    URL: "https://api.example.com/docs/latest"
    Method: GET
  → Knowledge Ingestion Node
    Document: $('HTTP Request').body
  → Answer Node
    Answer: "Knowledge base updated for the week"

Example 4: End-of-Month Cleanup

Schedule Trigger
  Cron: 0 0 0 28-31 * * (last days of each month)
  → Code Node (check if last day)
    Code: |
      const today = new Date();
      const lastDay = new Date(today.getFullYear(), today.getMonth() + 1, 0).getDate();
      return { isLastDay: today.getDate() === lastDay };
  → Conditional Branch
    Condition: $('Code').isLastDay === true
    → [Yes] → HTTP Request Node (run cleanup)
      URL: "https://api.example.com/maintenance/cleanup"
      Method: POST
    → [No] → End

Best Practices

1. Rename the Node for Clarity

The cron input field only accepts the expression itself — inline comments like # Every Monday are not supported and will cause a parse error. Instead, rename the node directly on the canvas to make the schedule obvious at a glance:

# Bad — generic name, unclear purpose
[Schedule Trigger]

# Good — rename to describe what it does
[Every Monday 9AM — Weekly Report]

Double-click the node title to rename it. The new name appears on the canvas and in execution logs, making it immediately clear what each trigger does.

2. Validate Before Publishing

Always use dry run to test the workflow before relying on the schedule:

1. Configure cron expression
2. Click "Run" for a dry run
3. Verify all nodes execute correctly
4. Publish the workflow
5. Monitor the first scheduled execution

3. Add Error Handling

Schedule Trigger
  → Try/Catch
    → Main workflow logic
    → [Error] → Send notification to admin

4. Consider Timezone

Ensure the app-level timezone is correctly set, especially for time-sensitive tasks:

Business hours reports → use the relevant business timezone
Midnight tasks → be aware of which midnight the cron refers to

5. Avoid Overlapping Executions

For long-running workflows, consider whether a new execution should start before the previous one finishes:

yaml

# If your workflow takes 10 minutes, don't schedule every 5 minutes
cron: "0 */5 * * * *"   # ⚠️ may cause overlap

# Instead, leave enough gap
cron: "0 */30 * * * *"  # ✓ safe for a 10-min workflow

Note: The # comments above are for documentation only — do not paste them into the cron input field.

FAQ

Q: How many Schedule Triggers can a workflow have?

A: Only one Schedule Trigger per workflow. If you need multiple schedules for the same logic, create separate workflows.

Q: What happens if a scheduled execution is missed?

A: The cron scheduler does not retroactively execute missed runs. If the system is down at the scheduled time, that execution is skipped. The next scheduled run proceeds as normal.

Recommendation: For critical tasks, add a monitoring workflow or external health check.

Q: Can I manually skip a scheduled execution?

A: No. The Schedule Trigger strictly follows the cron expression. To skip an execution, you can temporarily deactivate the workflow before the scheduled time and reactivate it afterward.

Q: How do I test a Schedule Trigger workflow?

A: Use the Run button (dry run) in the node toolbar. It executes the workflow immediately, bypassing the cron schedule, so you can verify logic and outputs without waiting.

Q: Does the Schedule Trigger output any data?

A: The Schedule Trigger currently outputs no data. Use it purely as a workflow entry point. If you need timestamp information, use a Code Node with new Date() in your workflow.

Q: Which timezone does the Schedule Trigger use?

A: It uses the app-level timezone setting. If not configured, it falls back to your local timezone. Check your app settings to confirm the correct timezone is set.

Q: Schedule Trigger vs external cron (e.g., Linux crontab + Webhook)?

Feature	Schedule Trigger	External Cron + Webhook
Setup	Built-in, no external systems	Requires cron and API call setup
Monitoring	Integrated with app logs	Separate monitoring needed
Timezone	App-level timezone	System timezone
Security	Internal execution	Exposes Webhook endpoint
Dry Run	Built-in Run button	Manual curl command

Recommendation: Use Schedule Trigger for straightforward periodic tasks within Atomemo. Use external cron + Webhook only when you need cross-system orchestration.

Q: Why did my `0 6 * * *` run every hour instead of at 6:00 AM?

A: Atomemo uses extended crontab syntax and always parses left-to-right as second minute hour day month weekday year. With 5 fields, the system parses:

Field	Value	Meaning
second	`0`	At second 0
minute	`6`	At minute 6
hour	`*`	Every hour
day	`*`	Every day
month	`*`	Every month

Result: 6 minutes past every hour.

Fix: Always write 6 fields. For 6:00 AM daily, use 0 0 6 * * * (sec=0 min=0 hour=6).

Next Steps

Webhook Trigger - Learn about HTTP-based triggering
Working with Nodes - Learn workflow design fundamentals
Expression Syntax - Learn how to use expressions in nodes

HTTP Request Node - Send HTTP requests in your workflow
Wait Node - Add delays between workflow steps
Crontab HexDocs - Full cron expression reference

Chat Trigger

Schedule Trigger ​

Use Cases ​

Typical Applications ​

Node Features ​

Basic Characteristics ​

Built-in Output Fields ​

Node Configuration ​

Basic Settings (Parameters Panel) ​

Cron Expression ​

Timezone ​

Advanced Settings (Settings Panel) ​

Node Description ​

Testing & Debugging ​

Dry Run ​

Workflow Examples ​

Example 1: Daily Report ​

Example 2: Data Sync Every 30 Minutes ​

Example 3: Weekly Knowledge Base Update ​

Example 4: End-of-Month Cleanup ​

Best Practices ​

1. Rename the Node for Clarity ​

2. Validate Before Publishing ​

3. Add Error Handling ​

4. Consider Timezone ​

5. Avoid Overlapping Executions ​

FAQ ​

Q: How many Schedule Triggers can a workflow have? ​

Q: What happens if a scheduled execution is missed? ​

Q: Can I manually skip a scheduled execution? ​

Q: How do I test a Schedule Trigger workflow? ​

Q: Does the Schedule Trigger output any data? ​

Q: Which timezone does the Schedule Trigger use? ​

Q: Schedule Trigger vs external cron (e.g., Linux crontab + Webhook)? ​

Q: Why did my 0 6 * * * run every hour instead of at 6:00 AM? ​

Next Steps ​

Related Resources ​