Setting Up Your First Scheduled Task
Setting Up Your First Scheduled Task
Less than five minutes from idea to running. Here is exactly how to do it.
- Create a scheduled task from start to finish
- Write a clear, specific task description Claude can execute reliably
- Test the task manually before setting it live
The setup is genuinely fast — most people are surprised by how little there is to it. Here is the exact process.
Step 1 — Open Scheduled Tasks
In Claude Cowork, click the clock icon in the left sidebar to open the Scheduled Tasks panel.
Step 2 — Create a new task
Click New Task and give it a name you will recognize — something like Friday Team Update.
Step 3 — Write your prompt
Describe exactly what Claude should do. Include any output format you want — Write a three-paragraph summary is better than Summarize.
Step 4 — Set the schedule
Choose how often it runs: daily, weekly, or a specific day and time. Friday at 9am is a common one for end-of-week updates.
Step 5 — Test it manually
Before saving, click Run Now to check the output. Review it, adjust the prompt if needed, then save and activate.
- Check emails and report back
- Do the weekly report
- Summarize what happened
- Check my Gmail for unread messages from the last 24 hours. List the three most urgent items and draft a reply for each.
- Draft a 3-bullet Friday update covering: what we shipped, what is blocked, what is next week.
- Summarize today calendar events in 2 sentences each, noting any prep I will need.
- Open Scheduled Tasks from the left sidebar.
- Click New Task and name it after the task you identified in the previous lesson.
- Write your prompt — be specific about format, length, and what to include.
- Set the schedule to match when you normally do this task.
- Click Run Now to test it. Adjust the prompt until the output looks right, then save.
| Task Description | The prompt you write telling Claude exactly what to do — the more specific, the better. |
| Recurrence | How often the task runs: daily, weekly, or on a specific day and time. |
| Output Format | Instructions in your prompt about how Claude should present the result — bullets, paragraphs, tables, etc. |
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