With Scheduled Tasks in Claude Cowork, you can automate recurring work — like getting a daily summary of your Slack messages or having a weekly report compiled automatically — by writing a prompt just once. This guide walks through what Scheduled Tasks are, how to create and manage them, and what they're actually useful for, based on Claude's official Help Center documentation.
🟢 Model references match the current lineup · model notice · Fable subscription
Fable 5 and 5.1 subscription (updated September 7, 2026): Claude Fable 5.1, released September 1, 2026, is the current Fable model and Fable 5 is now legacy. Plan terms are the same for both — Max and Team Premium plans include Fable at up to 50% of the weekly usage limit; Pro and Team Standard use usage credits (
What you'll be able to do after reading this
By the end of this guide, you'll be able to create a new scheduled task in Cowork, set it to run automatically at the cadence you want, and check the results once it runs. Setting one up for the first time takes about 5-10 minutes.
What you need before starting
To use Scheduled Tasks, you need a paid Claude plan, access to Cowork, and — if your task touches outside services — connectors set up for tools like Slack or Google Drive.
- A paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) — Scheduled Tasks are available on these plans.
- Access to Cowork — see the caution note below.
- (Optional) Connectors for any outside services your task needs, such as Slack or Google Drive.
- (Optional) If your task depends on local files or local apps, your computer and the Claude Desktop app need to be running when it's scheduled to run.
Caution: Claude Cowork is currently in beta and rolling out gradually on web and mobile, starting with the Max plan and expanding to other plans over time. Scheduled Tasks are designed to be available across Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise, but whether it actually appears in your account depends on this rollout — check your own screen to confirm.
Quick glossary
- Cowork — Claude's desktop, web, and mobile app for delegating actual work for Claude to carry out on your behalf.
- Scheduled Tasks — tasks you set up once that then run automatically on a recurring cadence.
- Connector — the link that connects Cowork to an outside service, such as Slack or Google Drive.
- Plugin — an add-on installed into Cowork to extend its capabilities.
- Session — one full run of a task, from start to finish. Every scheduled run starts a fresh session.
- Approval mode — a setting that controls whether a task needs human approval before it runs. Check the exact option labels on screen, since they can change.
Two ways to create a scheduled task
You can create a scheduled task by letting Claude build it for you through conversation, or by filling in each field yourself manually.
Method 1 — Create with Claude
- Click Scheduled in the left sidebar to land on the Scheduled tasks page.
- Click New task in the upper right, then choose Create with Claude.
- You'll see a prompt auto-filled asking Claude to create a scheduled task. Describe what you want, and Claude may ask multiple-choice questions to narrow it down.
- Once Claude has enough information, it will show you the task name, schedule, and what the task does. Click Schedule to confirm.
Success looks like: the new task appears on the Scheduled tasks page.
Method 2 — Set up manually
- Click Scheduled in the left sidebar.
- Click New task, then choose Set up manually.
- In the Create scheduled task modal, enter the task name, the prompt, the approval mode, how frequently it should run (hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays, or manually), and which model to use. Optionally, specify which folder Claude should work in.
- Click Save.
Success looks like: the new task appears on the Scheduled tasks page.
Caution: If a scheduled task requires local files or apps, it will only run locally — it won't fire if your computer is off or the Claude Desktop app is closed at that time.
| Method | Who fills in the details | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Create with Claude | Claude works out the name, cadence, and content through questions | First-time users, or anyone unfamiliar with the exact field names |
| Set up manually | You enter the name, prompt, approval mode, cadence, and model yourself | When you already know exactly what you want and want to set it up quickly |
How Scheduled Tasks actually work
A scheduled task saves your prompt as the task's instructions, then starts a brand-new Cowork session to carry them out every time its cadence comes around. Each run can use the same connectors and plugins you've already set up in Cowork, so a task can search Slack, query files, run web research, or generate reports on its own.
Because scheduled tasks run remotely, they fire at the scheduled time even if your computer is asleep or the Claude Desktop app is closed — with the exception of tasks that depend on local files or apps. Once a run finishes, you can review its results just like any other Cowork task.
Real ways to put Scheduled Tasks to use
Scheduled Tasks map directly onto the kind of reporting, organizing, and research work that repeats every day or week.
| Use case | What it does |
|---|---|
| Daily briefing | Summarizes Slack messages, emails, or calendar events from the past 24 hours. |
| Weekly report | Compiles data from Google Drive, spreadsheets, or connected tools into a formatted summary. |
| Recurring research | Tracks a topic, competitor, or industry news on a regular cadence. |
| File organization | Periodically sorts, cleans up, or processes files in a designated folder. |
| Team updates | Generates status updates or standup summaries from project management tools. |
Managing your scheduled tasks
Everything for managing scheduled tasks lives in one place: the Scheduled menu in the sidebar.
- View every scheduled task you've created.
- Review upcoming and past runs.
- Click into an individual task to edit its instructions or cadence.
- Pause a task, or resume one you'd paused.
- Delete a task.
- Run a task on demand, without waiting for its next scheduled time.
For Team and Enterprise organizations, admins control access to Cowork itself through an admin toggle.
Common issues and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A scheduled task didn't run | It depends on local files or apps, and your computer or the Claude Desktop app wasn't running at the scheduled time | Retry with your computer on and the Claude Desktop app open, or rebuild the task around connectors so it can run remotely. |
| The Scheduled menu isn't showing up | Your organization is on Team/Enterprise and an admin has turned off Cowork access, or the beta rollout hasn't reached your plan yet | Ask your organization admin about access, or check the official Help Center for the current rollout status. |
| You want to tie a scheduled task to a specific folder on your computer | Scheduled tasks can't be tied to a local folder by design | Use connectors (Slack, Google Drive, etc.) or files saved to your Claude account instead. |
Taking it further
Once you're comfortable creating a basic scheduled task, try running several of them for different purposes at once — for example, a daily briefing plus a weekly competitor research task on a different cadence. As results accumulate, you can compare them side by side in the run history on the Scheduled tasks page. Approval mode is also worth exploring if you'd rather review a task's plan before it runs automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Which plans can use Scheduled Tasks?
Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise paid plans. Since Cowork itself is still rolling out in beta, it's worth checking your own account to confirm it's actually available.
Q. Will a scheduled task still run if my computer is off?
Yes — scheduled tasks run remotely, so they fire at the scheduled time even if your computer is asleep or the Claude Desktop app is closed. The exception is tasks that depend on local files or apps, which only run while your local environment is on.
Q. Can I tie a scheduled task to a specific folder on my computer?
No — scheduled tasks work with built-in schedule options and with connectors and files saved to your Claude account, and can't be tied to a folder on your computer.
Q. Can I edit a scheduled task's cadence or content after creating it?
Yes — click into any task on the Scheduled tasks page to edit its instructions or cadence at any time, and you can also pause, resume, or delete it.
Scheduled Tasks in Claude Cowork turn a single prompt into an ongoing piece of automation for recurring work. Since the feature is still rolling out in beta, check your own screen as you go to see exactly what's available to you.
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