> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anyreach.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Timer trigger
> Run a workflow on a recurring schedule.
The Timer trigger fires a workflow at fixed intervals. It's backed by Temporal's durable timers, so executions are reliable and don't drift over time.
## Use cases
* Nightly reconciliation between two systems
* Hourly health check that alerts on failure
* Weekly summary report
* Daily cleanup of stale records
* Recurring outbound campaign batch
## Inspector
* The schedule is defined using a [CRON expression](#cron-syntax) that specifies exactly when the workflow should run (e.g., "every day at 9:00 am", "every 15 minutes").
* You can use the built-in AI assistant in the inspector to help you generate a valid CRON expression from plain English (e.g., “every Monday at 9am” → `0 9 * * 1`).
## Cron syntax
Standard 5-field cron:
```
* * * * *
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─ day of week (0-6, Sunday = 0)
│ │ │ └─── month (1-12)
│ │ └───── day of month (1-31)
│ └─────── hour (0-23)
└───────── minute (0-59)
```
Examples:
| Cron | Fires |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `0 9 * * *` | Every day at 9:00 am |
| `*/15 * * * *` | Every 15 minutes |
| `0 * * * *` | Every hour on the hour |
| `0 0 * * 1` | Every Monday at midnight |
| `0 0 1 * *` | First of every month at midnight |
| `0 9-17 * * 1-5` | Every hour between 9 and 5, weekdays |
## Timezone behavior
The schedule's timezone determines when "9am" means locally. Across DST transitions:
* If your timezone observes DST, "9am" follows the local clock
* UTC schedules ignore DST entirely — useful for consistent system-to-system syncs
## What's in ctx
When the Timer trigger fires, the workflow context includes:
```json theme={null}
{
"trigger": {
"type": "timer",
"scheduled_at": "2026-05-04T09:00:00Z"
}
}
```
Use `{{ trigger.scheduled_at }}` for time-bucketed queries — for example, "fetch records modified since the last tick."
## Execution mode
Timer triggers run **asynchronously** — the workflow runs in the background and can include Wait steps or long-running operations.
## Considerations
* **Minimum interval: 1 minute.** For sub-minute frequency, use an external scheduler or a workflow with internal Wait steps.
* **Only one execution at a time.** If the previous run is still in progress when the next tick fires, the new tick is queued.
* **Deploy to activate.** The Timer trigger only fires on a deployed workflow. A draft workflow does not run on the schedule.