claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix Local routines: support custom cron expressions in the UI [1 participants]

Feature Request

Summary

Local routines in the Claude desktop app currently only support preset schedule intervals (e.g. Daily, Weekly). There is no way to enter a custom cron expression through the UI, even though the remote routines API already supports arbitrary cron expressions via the cron_expression field.

Current behavior

When creating a local routine, the schedule picker only offers fixed options (Daily, Weekly, etc.). There is no free-form cron input.

Desired behavior

Add a custom cron expression input option to the local routine schedule UI, equivalent to what the remote RemoteTrigger API already supports. For example, a user should be able to enter 0 10 23 4 * to fire once on April 23rd at 10 AM, or 0 9 * * 1-5 for weekdays only.

Why this matters

• Without custom cron support, one-time or non-standard schedules (e.g. "only on the 1st of each month", "once next Tuesday") are impossible via local routines.
• As a workaround, users have to add a date guard inside the routine prompt itself (e.g. "check today's date and exit if it's not April 23") — which is a poor UX and wastes a session startup just to do nothing.
• Remote routines already support this via cron_expression in the API, so the backend capability exists. The gap is purely in the local routine UI.

Suggested UI

A "Custom" option in the schedule picker that reveals a cron expression text field, with a human-readable preview (e.g. 0 10 23 4 * → "At 10:00 AM, on day 23 of April").

Also consider a "Run once" option that auto-disables the routine after the first firing, which would cover the most common one-shot use case without requiring users to know cron syntax.