Scheduled tasks
Run prompts on a timetable
Scheduled tasks let Headmaster do a job for you on a timetable, without you being there. For example a morning briefing every weekday, a weekly report every Monday, or a check of a web page every hour. Each time a task runs, Headmaster works through your prompt as a fresh chat and delivers the result where you chose.
Where to find them
Choose Tasks in the sidebar. The page is titled Scheduled jobs and lists every task with its state and when it runs next. Use the search box to find one by name.
Creating a task
There are two ways.
From the Tasks page
- Choose New cron.
- Fill in the form (each field is explained below).
- Choose Create cron.
From a chat
Just ask: "Every weekday at 8am, summarise the top tech news for me." Headmaster creates the task for you. When you type something that sounds recurring, a Schedule this chip may also appear above the message box. Choose it, send your message, and Headmaster sets up the task.
The task form
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Name | Optional. A short label, such as "Morning briefing". |
| Prompt | Required. What Headmaster should do each time. Write it as a complete instruction, because the task does not see your other chats. |
| Frequency | When it runs. See the table below. |
| Deliver to | Where the result goes. This desktop shows it in the app. If you have connected messaging apps with a home channel set, they appear here too. |
| Model | Optional. Leave it on Default (global model) or pick a specific model for this task. |
Frequency options
| Option | When it runs |
|---|---|
| Daily | Every day at 9:00 AM. |
| Weekdays | Monday through Friday at 9:00 AM. |
| Weekly | Every Monday at 9:00 AM. |
| Monthly | The first day of each month at 9:00 AM. |
| Hourly | At the top of every hour. |
| Every 15 minutes | Every 15 minutes. |
| Custom | Anything else, written as a phrase or a cron expression. |
With Custom you can type plain phrases such as every hour, every 30 minutes or weekdays at 9am. You can also use a standard cron expression. Some examples:
| Cron expression | Means |
|---|---|
0 9 * * * | Every day at 9:00. |
30 7 * * 1-5 | Weekdays at 7:30. |
0 18 * * 5 | Fridays at 18:00. |
0 8 1 * * | The 1st of each month at 8:00. |
The five parts are minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week.
Managing tasks
Each task in the list shows:
- Its state: scheduled, running, paused, completed or last run failed.
- Last: when it last ran, and Next: when it runs next. If a run was missed, you see Overdue since: instead.
Open a task's actions to:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit | Change the name, prompt, schedule, delivery or model. Changes apply from the next run. |
| Pause / Resume | Stop it running for now, then start again later. |
| Trigger now | Run it once immediately, without changing the schedule. Great for testing. |
| Show runs | See the run history and each result. |
| Delete | Remove it permanently. It stops running at once. |
If a run fails, the task shows Last run failed: with the reason, and a Run again button.
Where tasks run
- Cloud tasks run in Headmaster Cloud. They keep running when your computer is off or asleep.
- Work mode tasks run on your own computer. They only run while the desktop app is open and your computer is awake. A run missed while it was off shows as overdue.
Pick Cloud for anything that must run on time, such as a daily briefing. Pick Work mode when the task needs files or apps on your computer. See Modes.
In Work mode the Tasks page can also show Blueprints, ready made tasks you can start from. Choose one, fill in the details and choose Schedule it.
Approvals and safety
A scheduled task runs with nobody watching, so there is no one to approve risky actions. Any step that would normally ask for your approval is blocked during a scheduled run, and Headmaster tries another way or reports that it could not finish. Tasks never wait for you.
So write prompts that do not need risky actions. If a task keeps failing on a blocked step, run that work in a normal chat instead, where you can approve it. See Approvals.
Memory in tasks
Tasks use your Memory, so a briefing can take your interests and projects into account. They also start fresh each time, without your previous chats, so put everything else the task needs in the prompt.
Writing good task prompts
- Be complete. "Check the BBC and Reuters front pages and list the five most important world stories in one line each." is better than "news please".
- Say the format. Bullet points, a table, a short email.
- Say what to do when there is nothing to report. For example "If nothing changed since yesterday, say so in one line."
- Test with Trigger now before relying on the schedule.
Examples
Morning briefing. Name: Morning briefing. Frequency: Weekdays. Prompt: "Give me a short briefing: the weather in London today, and the top three tech headlines with one line each."
Weekly review.
Frequency: Custom, 0 17 * * 5. Prompt: "Summarise what I worked on with you this week, based on what you remember, and suggest three priorities for next week."
Price watch. Frequency: Hourly. Prompt: "Check the price of the product at this link. Only tell me if it drops below 200 pounds."
Troubleshooting
A task did not run. Check its state. If it is paused, choose Resume. If it is a Work mode task, the app and computer must be on. A task that is overdue runs once they are back.
It says "Last run failed". Read the reason, fix the prompt or connection, then choose Run again. A common cause is a step that needed approval and was blocked.
"set a home channel first" next to a messaging app. That app needs a home channel before tasks can deliver there. Set one up in Messaging.
The result was not useful. Make the prompt more specific and use Trigger now to test again.
For other problems see Troubleshooting.