Schedule trigger#
Use the Schedule trigger node run workflows at fixed intervals and times. This works in a similar way to the Cron software utility in Unix-like systems.
Examples and templates
For usage examples and templates to help you get started, refer to n8n's Schedule Trigger integrations page.
You must activate the workflow"
If a workflow uses the Schedule node as a trigger, make sure that you save and activate the workflow.
Timezone settings
The node relies on the timezone setting. n8n uses either:
- The workflow timezone, if set. Refer to Workflow settings for more information.
- The n8n instance timezone, if the workflow timezone isn't set. The default is
America/New York
for self-hosted instances. n8n Cloud tries to detect the instance owner's timezone when they sign up, falling back to GMT as the default. Self-hosted users can change the instance setting using Environment variables. Cloud admins can change the instance timezone in the Admin dashboard.
Schedule your workflow#
Select an interval in Trigger Interval. n8n displays options for the selected interval.
Example#
In this example, schedule a workflow to run once a quarter, at the end of the quarter, at 09:00.
- In Trigger Interval, select Months.
- Change Months Between Triggers to
3
. - To run the workflow at the end of the month, change Trigger at Day of Month to
28
. - Change Trigger at Hour to 9am. Leave Trigger at Minute as its default,
0
.
Note that the Schedule trigger uses the workflow timezone if available. Otherwise it uses the n8n instance timezone.
Generate a custom Cron expression#
If you need a custom time setting, select Trigger Interval > Custom (Cron).
To generate a Cron expression, you can use crontab guru. Paste the Cron expression that you generated using crontab guru in the Expression field in n8n.
Examples#
If you want to trigger your workflow every day at 04:08:30, enter the following in the Cron Expression field.
1 |
|
If you want to trigger your workflow every day at 04:08, enter the following in the Cron Expression field.
1 |
|
Why there are six asterisks in the Cron expression#
The sixth asterisk in the Cron expression represents seconds. Setting this is optional. The node will execute even if you don't set the value for seconds.
* | * | * | * | * | * |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
second | minute | hour | day of month | month | day of week |