---
title: Monitors: Automate Recurring Agent Tasks
summary: Schedule cron, interval, file-watcher, or one-off triggers so an agent keeps working on its own, without you starting each run by hand.
date: 2026-09-10
---

# Monitors: Automate Recurring Agent Tasks

Schedule cron, interval, file-watcher, or one-off triggers so an agent keeps working on its own, without you starting each run by hand.

**Monitors** is the name you'll see in your dashboard for this feature. The instruction behind each one is called a standing order: a structured, versioned set of directions the agent follows every time it runs, not just a one-line cron command.

Four trigger types are supported:

- **Cron**: run at fixed times (e.g. every weekday at 9am), with an IANA timezone if you need one.
- **Interval**: run every N seconds, minimum 10.
- **File watcher**: run when a file or folder you've shared changes; filter by which kind of change (created, modified, moved, deleted) and by filename pattern.
- **Immediate**: fire once, right away (useful for kicking off a run from a webhook or another trigger).

## How it works

Create a Monitor from the agent's settings, choose a trigger type, and point it at the task you want repeated. Each run is a full agent invocation, with the same reasoning, tools, and memory as any other conversation, so it adapts to what it finds rather than replaying a fixed script. The agent reports back through its normal channels.

An agent can also create its own Monitor mid-conversation, if a task turns out to need ongoing watching rather than a one-time answer.

## Example

```
Trigger: cron
Schedule: 0 9 * * 1-5
Task: Summarize overnight support tickets and post to #support
```

## Related

- [Core Concepts](/en/docs/guides/core-concepts): standing orders as the structured instructions behind every agent's behavior
- [Agents](/en/docs/features/agents): scheduled execution alongside autonomy levels and configuration history