What you'll learn
In this guide, you'll learn how to:
Understand what agent scheduling is and when to use it
Create a scheduled trigger for your agent
Configure scheduling options (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or custom)
Manage and edit scheduled agents
Use optional prompts with scheduled runs
What is agent scheduling?
Agent scheduling allows you to automate your agents by starting conversations at specific times without manual intervention. Instead of manually starting a conversation with an agent each time you need it, you can set up a schedule that automatically starts a conversation with the agent 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 agents regularly
Before you start
You should have:
An elvex account with Creator permissions
An existing agent that you want to schedule
How to create a scheduled trigger
Navigate to the agent you want to schedule and open the agent settings.
At the bottom of the agent settings, click the Schedule button.
Click the New schedule button to open the schedule configuration modal.
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 agent when it runs. This is useful if your agent requires specific input or instructions. If left empty, the agent will start a conversation with its default configuration.
Frequency (required)
Choose how often your agent 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 agent should run. Times are displayed in your local timezone.
The Next occurrences (local timezone) section shows you when your agent will run based on your configuration. Review these dates and times to ensure they match your expectations.
Click the Create button to activate your schedule. Your agent will now start conversations automatically according to the schedule you configured.
Scheduling frequency options
Hourly
Runs your agent 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 agent once per day at your specified time.
Best for: Daily reports, overnight data processing, or end-of-day summaries.
Weekly
Runs your agent once per week on your chosen day and time.
Best for: Weekly performance reports, recurring team updates, or periodic analysis.
Monthly
Runs your agent 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 agent runs.
Examples of cron patterns:
0 9 * * 1-5- Every weekday at 9:00 AM0 */6 * * *- Every 6 hours0 0 1 * *- First day of every month at midnight0 12 * * 0- Every Sunday at noon
Learn more about cron syntax:
Crontab Guru - Interactive cron schedule expression editor
Cron Expression Generator - Visual cron expression builder
Managing scheduled agents
Viewing active schedules
To see all schedules for an agent, open the agent settings 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 agent first: Always start a conversation with your agent 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 agents
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 agent needs different inputs for scheduled runs versus manual runs, use the submitted prompt field