> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zerotwo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# One-time vs. Recurring Tasks

> Understand when to use one-time tasks and how to set up daily, weekly, and custom cron schedules.

ZeroTwo tasks come in two types: **one-time** (runs once at a specific moment) and **recurring** (runs on a repeating schedule). The right choice depends on the nature of the work.

## One-time Tasks

A one-time task runs at a specific date and time, then automatically moves to **Completed** status.

**Best for:**

* Work tied to a specific deadline or event
* Future research you want ZeroTwo to handle without you prompting
* One-off automations triggered by upcoming dates

**Examples:**

```
On April 1st at 9:00 AM:
Research the latest features announced at Google I/O this week and write
a 5-bullet executive summary.
```

```
On March 31st at 11:00 PM:
Draft a Q1 review summary covering completed milestones and
format it ready to paste into a Slack status update.
```

**Setting a one-time schedule:**

1. In the task creation panel, select **One-time**
2. Use the date picker to select the date
3. Use the time picker to select the time
4. ZeroTwo runs at that time in your configured timezone — verify it in **Settings → General → Timezone**

## Recurring Tasks

A recurring task runs repeatedly on a schedule until you **pause** or **delete** it. This is how you automate ongoing workflows.

**Best for:**

* Regular reports and briefings
* Periodic data checks and summaries
* Reminders that repeat on a cycle
* Anything you'd want to do "every Monday" or "every day at 8am"

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Daily">
    Runs every day at a specified time.

    **Setup:** Select **Daily** in the schedule picker → choose a time (e.g., 8:00 AM).

    **Example tasks:**

    * "Every day at 8:00 AM: Search for top tech headlines from the past 24 hours and write a concise summary."
    * "Every day at 6:30 PM: Check my Google Calendar for tomorrow and list all events with start times."
    * "Every day at 9:00 AM: Check my inbox and list any unread emails flagged as important."
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Weekly">
    Runs once per week on a specified day and time.

    **Setup:** Select **Weekly** → choose a day of the week → choose a time.

    **Example tasks:**

    * "Every Monday at 8:00 AM: Summarize top AI news from the past 7 days."
    * "Every Friday at 5:00 PM: Pull my GitHub commits from this week and write a brief status summary."
    * "Every Sunday at 7:00 PM: Review my notes from the week and suggest a top focus area for next week."
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Custom (Cron)">
    Advanced scheduling using a **cron expression** — run every 15 minutes, on the first of each month, on weekdays only, or any combination.

    **Setup:** Select **Custom** → enter a cron expression.

    **Cron expression format:**

    ```
    ┌───── minute (0–59)
    │ ┌───── hour (0–23)
    │ │ ┌───── day of month (1–31)
    │ │ │ ┌───── month (1–12)
    │ │ │ │ ┌───── day of week (0–7, 0 and 7 = Sunday)
    │ │ │ │ │
    * * * * *
    ```

    ZeroTwo uses **5-field standard cron syntax**. All times are evaluated in your configured account timezone.

    <Tip>
      Use [crontab.guru](https://crontab.guru) to build and validate cron expressions visually before entering them in ZeroTwo.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Cron Schedule Examples

| Schedule                    | Cron expression | Natural language      |
| --------------------------- | --------------- | --------------------- |
| Every Monday at 9am         | `0 9 * * 1`     | Weekly Monday morning |
| Twice daily (9am and 5pm)   | `0 9,17 * * *`  | Twice daily           |
| First of each month at 10am | `0 10 1 * *`    | Monthly briefing      |
| Every weekday at 8am        | `0 8 * * 1-5`   | Weekday mornings      |
| Every Friday at 5:30pm      | `30 17 * * 5`   | Friday wrap-up        |
| Every 4 hours               | `0 */4 * * *`   | Throughout the day    |

## One-time vs. Recurring at a Glance

| Property         | One-time                                     | Recurring                                  |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Runs             | Once at a specified date + time              | Repeatedly on a schedule                   |
| After running    | Moves to Completed                           | Stays active until paused or deleted       |
| Best for         | Deadlines, future triggers, one-off research | Ongoing reports, briefings, regular checks |
| Schedule options | Specific date + time                         | Daily, Weekly, or custom cron              |
| Can be paused    | N/A — already ran                            | Yes, toggle off without deleting           |

## Pause vs. Delete for Recurring Tasks

**Pause** a recurring task when you want to stop it temporarily — for example, pausing a daily briefing task while you're on vacation. The task retains all its settings and can be resumed at any time from the **Paused** tab on `/tasks`.

**Delete** a task when you no longer need it at all. Deletion is permanent — the task configuration cannot be recovered. Any results already delivered to your chat history remain accessible.

<Tip>
  When in doubt, pause rather than delete. You can always resume a paused task; you cannot recover a deleted one.
</Tip>

## Timezone Reminder

All task schedules — daily, weekly, and cron — run in your **configured account timezone**.

If you schedule a task for "8:00 AM" but your account is set to UTC while you're in New York (UTC-5), the task runs at 3:00 AM your local time.

Check and update timezone: **Settings → General → Timezone**

<Info>
  ZeroTwo does not automatically update your timezone when you travel. If you move across time zones, update your timezone setting manually to keep tasks running at the intended local time.
</Info>