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Claude Cowork Schedule Feature — How to Automate Recurring Tasks
How to automate recurring tasks with Claude Cowork's schedule feature. Step-by-step /schedule command usage, 5 real-world examples, and important caveats — even beginners can follow along.
March 10, 2026 · AI Usage Guide
Do you find yourself creating the same report every Monday? If you’re spending 30 minutes every morning organizing news, Claude Cowork can do it for you. Cowork just added a scheduling feature. Set it up once, and tasks run automatically at scheduled times. No coding needed — just give instructions in natural language.Quick Summary
Prerequisites
You need three things to use the schedule feature.1. Claude Desktop App
The web version (claude.ai) won’t work. Only the desktop app supports this. Available on both Mac and Windows.2. Paid Plan
Available with Pro ($20/month) or higher. Max, Team, and Enterprise plans all support it.| Plan | Schedule Feature |
|---|---|
| Free | Not available |
| Pro ($20/month) | Available |
| Max ($100/month) | Available |
| Team ($25/month) | Available |
3. Enter Cowork Mode
At the top of the desktop app, you’ll see Chat, Cowork, and Code tabs. Just switch to the Cowork tab.Step 1: Create a Scheduled Task
There are two ways to do this.Method A: /schedule Command (Recommended)
Open a new task in Cowork and type this in the input field./schedule
A schedule setup screen will appear. Claude will ask you a few things.
- What task to perform
- How often to run it
- What specific time
Method B: Create from Sidebar
Click “Scheduled” in the left sidebar. Hit “+ New task” in the upper right. Enter the task name, instructions, and frequency directly.Step 2: Define the Task
The key is being clear about what you want Claude to do. Here’s the difference between good and bad instructions.Bad: Organize news for me
Good: Find 5 AI industry news items and organize them in a table with title, one-line summary, and source link. Save as a markdown file with the date as the filename.
The more specific, the better the results. Make sure to include these three things.
– Output format: table, markdown, Excel, etc.
– Save location: which folder to save to
– Scope/volume: how many items, what time period, what topic
Step 3: Set the Frequency
You can set the frequency using natural language.| Desired Frequency | How to Say It |
|---|---|
| Every morning | “Run every day at 9 AM” |
| Weekdays only | “Monday through Friday, 8 AM” |
| Once a week | “Every Monday at 10 AM” |
| Once a month | “The 1st of every month at 9 AM” |
| Manual only | Just don’t set a frequency |
Step 4: Manage and Edit
Manage all your schedules from “Scheduled” in the sidebar. Here’s what you can do.– View run history: When it last ran and what the result was
– Edit instructions: Change the task content or frequency
– Pause: Temporarily stop running
– Run now: Execute immediately before the scheduled time
– Delete: Remove tasks you no longer need
Real Example: Daily AI News Briefing
Let me show you a practical example of what schedules can do. This is a task that automatically compiles AI news every morning.Prompt Setup
Compile AI industry news every morning.
## Research Scope
– News from yesterday 9 AM to today 9 AM
– Keywords: “AI news”, “GPT update”, “Claude update”, “Gemini update”, “AI tool launch”, “LLM benchmark”
## Format
– Select up to 7 items ranked by importance
– For each: title, 2-3 line summary, key numbers, source link
– Add a “Today’s Highlight” one-liner at the top
– Add a “Worth Watching” comment at the bottom
## Save
– Save as markdown file
– Filename: “AI-News-YYYY-MM-DD.md”
– Location: workspace folder
Frequency was set to “every day at 9 AM.”
What the Output Looks Like
When the schedule runs, a file like this gets created.# AI News Briefing — 2026-03-11Today’s Highlight: GPT-5.4 launches with computer use feature## 1. OpenAI Releases GPT-5.4 Thinking
GPT-5.4 has been released.
Computer Use is the headline feature.
Achieved 75% on OSWorld benchmark.
Key numbers: 15% token efficiency gain, 33% error reduction
🔗 Source: https://openai.com/…
## 2. Anthropic Opens Claude Memory Import for Free
Claude’s memory feature is now available to free users.
Import ChatGPT and Gemini memories in 60 seconds.
Key numbers: Available on all plans including free
🔗 Source: https://anthropic.com/…
## 3. DeepSeek V4 Unveils 1T Parameter Model
MoE architecture with 32B active parameters.
Supports multimodal and 1M token context.
Key numbers: 1.8x inference speed improvement (self-reported)
🔗 Source: https://deepseek.com/…
—
Worth Watching: Major model updates were concentrated this week.
OpenAI and DeepSeek competing on computer use and multimodal,
while Anthropic focuses on user acquisition.
Files like this accumulate in your folder every morning at 9 AM. Just open them when you start your day.
Why This Approach Works
Clear time savings. No need to spend 30 minutes browsing news sites. Fewer missed stories. Multiple keywords cast a wider net. Records accumulate automatically. Date-stamped files let you track trends over time. Use this example as a base and just change the keywords or scope. Competitor monitoring, keyword tracking, exchange rate tracking — all work with the same structure.Important Caveats
Tasks Don’t Run When Your Computer Is Off
This is the biggest limitation. Your computer must be on and the app must be open for tasks to execute. If your laptop is closed or the app is quit, the task gets skipped. The good news: missed tasks run automatically when you power back on.Back Up Your Files
Cowork can directly modify files. If you’ve connected a folder with important files, make sure to back them up. The feature is still in research preview, so unexpected edits can happen.MCP Integration Makes It More Powerful
You can connect external tools like Slack, Drive, and Calendar through MCP. This enables things like “summarize Slack messages every morning.”5 Tips for Using Schedules Effectively
1. Test with manual execution first. Don’t go straight to automatic. Run it manually once, check the results, then switch to automatic.
2. Be as specific as possible with instructions. “Organize it in a table and save as markdown” produces much better results than “organize this.”
3. Include dates in filenames. For daily tasks, files pile up — dates make them distinguishable.
4. One task per schedule. Creating separate schedules for “find news” and “write a report” is more reliable than combining them.
5. Check run history regularly. Sometimes tasks don’t run properly. Make it a habit to check execution logs in the sidebar.
How Does It Compare to ChatGPT?
ChatGPT has a similar “Skills” feature, but the approach is different.| Feature | Claude Cowork Schedule | ChatGPT Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Setup method | Natural language + /schedule | Skill builder UI |
| Runtime | Desktop app (local) | Cloud (web) |
| File access | Direct local file access | Cloud files mainly |
| Integrations | MCP (Slack, Drive, etc.) | Plugins/GPTs |
| Runs when offline | No (app must be open) | Yes (runs on server) |
| Plan | Pro $20/month+ | Business $25/month+ |
FAQ
Q. Can I use the schedule feature for free?
A. No. It requires a Pro ($20/month) or higher subscription.
Q. What happens if my computer is off?
A. The scheduled task gets skipped. When you turn your computer back on, missed tasks run automatically. You don’t lose them completely.
Q. How many schedules can I create?
A. There’s no official limit. However, too many concurrent tasks can slow things down. Keeping it under 10 is stable.
Q. Can I connect Slack or Google Drive?
A. Yes, through MCP (Model Context Protocol). Add connectors to enable Slack and Drive access.
Q. How is this different from the previous Cowork guide?
A. The previous post covered Cowork basics. This one focuses specifically on the schedule (scheduled tasks) feature. Reading the basics first helps.
Wrap-Up
The schedule feature turns Cowork into a “daily coworker.” Setup takes 5 minutes. Those 5 minutes can save you 30 minutes every day. If you have recurring tasks, give it a try.Want to automate recurring tasks? Start with Cowork Schedules.
Official Sources
This article was written on March 10, 2026. Cowork is in research preview, so features may change. Check the official Claude help center for the latest info.
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