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cron-writer skill

/skills/lxgicstudios/cron-writer

This skill converts natural language schedule descriptions into accurate cron expressions and previews upcoming run times for verification.

npx playbooks add skill openclaw/skills --skill cron-writer

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: cron-writer
description: Convert natural language to cron expressions. Use when you need to schedule tasks.
---

# Cron Writer

Cron syntax is one of those things that looks simple until you actually need to write one. Five asterisks staring back at you and you can't remember which field is the day of week. This tool converts plain English like "every Tuesday at 3pm" into the exact cron expression. It even shows you the next few run times so you can verify it's right.

**One command. Zero config. Just works.**

## Quick Start

```bash
npx ai-cron-gen "every day at midnight"
```

## What It Does

- Converts plain English schedule descriptions to cron expressions
- Shows the human-readable meaning of the generated expression
- Lists the next scheduled run times for verification
- Handles complex schedules like "every other Friday" or "first Monday of each month"
- Works instantly with zero configuration

## Usage Examples

```bash
# Simple schedule
npx ai-cron-gen "every day at midnight"

# Complex schedule
npx ai-cron-gen "every weekday at 9am and 5pm"

# Specific pattern
npx ai-cron-gen "first Monday of every month at 10:30am"
```

## Best Practices

- **Verify with the next runs output** - Always check the preview to make sure the schedule is what you wanted
- **Be specific about time zones** - Cron expressions don't include timezone info. Know what zone your server runs in
- **Test edge cases** - Schedules like "every other week" can be tricky. Double-check with the preview
- **Copy directly into crontab** - The output is ready to paste straight into your crontab or scheduler

## When to Use This

- Setting up a new cron job and can't remember the syntax
- Configuring CI/CD scheduled pipelines
- Building a task scheduler and need to validate cron expressions
- Documenting existing cron jobs in human-readable format

## Part of the LXGIC Dev Toolkit

This is one of 110+ free developer tools built by LXGIC Studios. No paywalls, no sign-ups, no API keys on free tiers. Just tools that work.

**Find more:**
- GitHub: https://github.com/LXGIC-Studios
- Twitter: https://x.com/lxgicstudios
- Substack: https://lxgicstudios.substack.com
- Website: https://lxgic.dev

## Requirements

No install needed. Just run with npx. Node.js 18+ recommended.

```bash
npx ai-cron-gen --help
```

## How It Works

The tool sends your schedule description to an AI model that understands cron syntax and time patterns. It generates the cron expression, explains what it means in plain English, and calculates the next several run times so you can verify the schedule is correct.

## License

MIT. Free forever. Use it however you want.

Overview

This skill converts plain English schedule descriptions into precise cron expressions and verifies them with upcoming run times. It’s a zero-configuration tool that generates a human-readable interpretation and a preview of the next scheduled executions. Use it when you need accurate cron syntax quickly and reliably.

How this skill works

You provide a natural-language schedule like "every Tuesday at 3pm" and the tool uses a scheduler-aware model to produce the matching cron expression. It also returns a plain-English explanation of the expression and lists the next several run times so you can confirm the schedule. No installation or configuration is required beyond running the command.

When to use it

  • When you need to create a cron expression but can’t remember the fields
  • Setting up scheduled CI/CD pipelines or automated tasks
  • Validating or documenting existing cron jobs in human-readable form
  • Designing a task scheduler and wanting to test complex recurrence rules
  • Quickly generating cron entries to paste into a crontab or scheduler

Best practices

  • Always verify the previewed next run times to confirm the schedule
  • Specify or be aware of the server timezone—cron expressions don’t include timezone info
  • Be explicit in descriptions for complex patterns (e.g., "first Monday of month at 10:30")
  • Test edge cases like "every other week" or month-end rules with the next runs output
  • Copy the generated expression directly into your crontab or scheduler after verification

Example use cases

  • Generate a cron for "every day at midnight" and paste it into crontab
  • Create expressions for multiple triggers like "weekdays at 9am and 5pm"
  • Verify cron rules for production backups or nightly jobs
  • Document project schedules by converting cron lines to plain English
  • Prototype complex recurrence rules such as "first Monday of every month"

FAQ

Does the generated cron include timezone information?

No. Cron expressions do not carry timezone data. Confirm the server or scheduler timezone when deploying the expression.

How can I verify a complex schedule is correct?

Use the preview of the next several run times returned by the tool and test edge cases explicitly in your description.