claude-code-cron

A GitHub template to run Claude Code on a cron schedule — no server required.

Quick start

1. Click "Use this template" to create your repo
2. Configure authentication (see Authentication)
3. Set your prompt (see Configuration)

The workflow runs automatically on schedule, or trigger it manually from the Actions tab.

Authentication

Add one of the following as a repository secret in Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions.

Option A — Claude Pro/Max subscription (recommended)

Uses your existing Claude subscription quota. Generates a token valid for 1 year.

# Run locally (requires Claude Code installed)
claude setup-token

Add the output as a secret named CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN.

Requires Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscription.

Option B — Anthropic API key

Billed per token. Get your key at console.anthropic.com.

Add it as a secret named ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.

If both secrets are set, the API key takes precedence.

Configuration

Prompt

Add CLAUDE_PROMPT as a repository variable (Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions > Variables):

CLAUDE_PROMPT=Review open issues in this repo and suggest which ones to tackle next.

You can also override it for a single run via Actions > Claude Code Cron > Run workflow.

Model

Optionally add CLAUDE_MODEL as a repository variable to choose which model to use. If not set, Claude Code uses its default model.

Check the Anthropic docs for the latest available model IDs.

Cron schedule

Edit the cron expression in .github/workflows/claude-cron.yml:

schedule:
  - cron: '0 6 * * *'  # every day at 6:00 UTC (default)

GitHub Actions always uses UTC. There is no timezone setting — you need to convert your local time manually:

Your local time	Offset	UTC value to use
6:00 Spain/Paris (winter)	UTC+1	0 5 * * *
6:00 Spain/Paris (summer)	UTC+2	0 4 * * *
6:00 New York (winter)	UTC-5	0 11 * * *
6:00 New York (summer)	UTC-4	0 10 * * *
6:00 London (winter)	UTC+0	0 6 * * *
6:00 London (summer)	UTC+1	0 5 * * *

Formula: UTC hour = local hour - offset. For example, 6:00 at UTC+2 → 6 - 2 = 4 → 0 4 * * *.

Note: if your region observes daylight saving time, the UTC equivalent shifts by 1 hour twice a year — there is no way to handle this automatically in GitHub Actions.

GitHub Actions cron may also be delayed by a few minutes during periods of high load.

Syncing with the template

Repos created from a template don't automatically receive updates. To pull in the latest changes:

# Add the template as a remote (one-time)
git remote add template https://github.com/susomejias/claude-code-cron.git

# Fetch and merge the latest changes
git fetch template
git merge template/main --allow-unrelated-histories

Resolve any conflicts, then commit and push. You can repeat the fetch + merge step anytime the template is updated.