Anthropic has rolled out cloud scheduled tasks for Claude Code, adding a way to run recurring development jobs without keeping a local session open. Users can set schedules from the web interface or by using the /schedule command, allowing Claude to handle code reviews, dependency updates, and CI reruns in the cloud.
The update changes a core limitation of the earlier workflow. Claude Code already had a /loop command for repeated actions, but that system was tied to a local session and stopped once the window was closed. Scheduled Tasks moves execution to the cloud, so jobs continue even after the user disconnects.
Examples focus on repetitive developer work
Anthropic’s examples center on routine maintenance inside software teams. Claude can scan all open PRs each day and flag items that have been untouched for more than 2 days. It can also upgrade patch-version dependencies every Monday and open a PR, or rerun failed CI jobs each night; if tests keep breaking, it can automatically open a ticket.
There are two ways to set a task: configure it directly on the web or create it inside an existing session with /schedule. Users need to provide 3 inputs: the target code repository, the execution plan in a cron-style format, and the prompt for Claude. Under the hood, the feature uses the CronCreate, CronList, and CronDelete tool APIs.
Built-in expiration after 3 days
Anthropic has added a hard stop as a safety control. Every scheduled task expires automatically after 3 days, which prevents jobs from running indefinitely once created. To keep a task active, the user must extend it manually or confirm that it should continue.
The feature is being introduced inside the Cowork ecosystem, the collaboration framework for Claude Code desktop. Prompts for scheduled tasks are stored locally in the ~/.claude/scheduled-tasks/ directory, creating a partly managed setup: execution happens in the cloud, while configuration remains local.
The launch also fits into a broader stream of product updates from Anthropic. The source material points to Opus 4.6 with a 1 million-token context window, Claude Code Channels integrations for Telegram and Discord, and an off-peak double-usage promotion. With cloud scheduled tasks, Claude Code moves beyond a purely synchronous coding tool and toward an interactive agent that can be assigned timed jobs in advance.