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How to Schedule Flows

Automate your workflows by scheduling flows to run at specific times

Updated this week

Note: Flow scheduling is currently in beta. Features and functionality may change as we continue to improve this capability.

What you'll learn

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

  • Understand what flow scheduling is and when to use it

  • Create a scheduled trigger for your flow

  • Configure scheduling options (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or custom)

  • Manage and edit scheduled flows

  • Use optional prompts with scheduled runs

What is flow scheduling?

Flow scheduling allows you to automate your flows by running them at specific times without manual intervention. Instead of manually triggering a flow each time you need it, you can set up a schedule that automatically runs the flow at your chosen frequency.

This is particularly useful for:

  • Regular reporting: Generate weekly reports on company metrics or performance data

  • Recurring analysis: Analyze usage patterns or trends on a daily or monthly basis

  • Automated data processing: Process incoming data at regular intervals

  • Periodic updates: Keep information current by running research or data collection flows regularly

Before you start

You should have:

  • An elvex account with Creator permissions

  • An existing flow that you want to schedule

How to create a scheduled trigger

Step 1: Open your flow

Navigate to the flow you want to schedule and open it in the flow builder.

Step 2: Access the schedule settings

At the bottom of the flow builder, click the Schedule button.

Step 3: Create a new schedule

Click the New schedule button to open the schedule configuration modal.

Step 4: Configure your schedule

Fill in the following fields:

Name (required)

Give your schedule a descriptive name that helps you identify its purpose (e.g., "Morning schedule" or "Weekly report trigger").

Description (optional)

Add additional context about what this schedule does or why it exists.

Submitted prompt (optional)

Enter a prompt that will be passed to your flow when it runs. This is useful if your flow requires specific input or instructions. If left empty, the flow will run with its default configuration.

Frequency (required)

Choose how often your flow should run:

  • Hourly: Runs every hour at the top of the hour

  • Daily: Runs once per day at your specified time

  • Weekly: Runs once per week on your chosen day and time

  • Monthly: Runs once per month on your selected date and time

  • Custom (advanced): Use cron syntax for more complex scheduling patterns

Time of day (required for Daily, Weekly, and Monthly)

Select the specific time when your flow should run. Times are displayed in your local timezone.

Step 5: Review next occurrences

The Next occurrences (local timezone) section shows you when your flow will run based on your configuration. Review these dates and times to ensure they match your expectations.

Step 6: Create the schedule

Click the Create button to activate your schedule. Your flow will now run automatically according to the schedule you configured.

Scheduling frequency options

Hourly

Runs your flow every hour at the top of the hour (e.g., 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM).

Best for: Frequent data updates, real-time monitoring, or high-frequency processing tasks.

Daily

Runs your flow once per day at your specified time.

Best for: Daily reports, overnight data processing, or end-of-day summaries.

Weekly

Runs your flow once per week on your chosen day and time.

Best for: Weekly performance reports, recurring team updates, or periodic analysis.

Monthly

Runs your flow once per month on your selected date and time.

Best for: Monthly reports, billing cycles, or long-term trend analysis.

Custom (advanced)

Use cron syntax to create complex scheduling patterns. This option gives you complete control over when your flow runs.

Examples of cron patterns:

  • 0 9 * * 1-5 - Every weekday at 9:00 AM

  • 0 */6 * * * - Every 6 hours

  • 0 0 1 * * - First day of every month at midnight

  • 0 12 * * 0 - Every Sunday at noon

Learn more about cron syntax:

Managing scheduled flows

Viewing active schedules

To see all schedules for a flow, open the flow and click the Schedule button. You'll see a list of all active schedules.

Editing a schedule

Click on an existing schedule to modify its settings. You can change the name, description, frequency, time, or submitted prompt.

Deactivating a schedule

To stop a schedule from running, click on it and then click the Deactivate button. The schedule will be paused but not deleted, so you can reactivate it later if needed.

Deleting a schedule

To permanently remove a schedule, deactivate it first, then delete it from your schedule list.

Tips for successful scheduling

  • Test your flow first: Always run your flow manually to ensure it works correctly before scheduling it

  • Consider timezone: Remember that scheduled times are based on your local timezone

  • Use descriptive names: Clear schedule names help you manage multiple schedules across different flows

  • Start with longer intervals: If you're unsure about frequency, start with daily or weekly schedules and adjust based on your needs

  • Monitor initial runs: Check the results of your first few scheduled runs to ensure everything works as expected

  • Use optional prompts wisely: If your flow needs different inputs for scheduled runs versus manual runs, use the submitted prompt field

What's next?

Now that you know how to schedule flows, you can:

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