Run recurring commands on your Mac without learning crontab

Clockwork gives scheduled commands a native menu bar, clear run history, and launchd reliability even after the app closes.

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v0.1.0 · 4.3 MB · macOS 14+

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Scheduled commandsruns via launchd · app can quit
history: last 50 runs

What Clockwork adds on top of launchd and cron

Plain controls, no crontab

Run a task on an interval, every day, or on selected weekdays without writing a crontab entry.

Tasks outlive the app

Clockwork registers native launchd jobs. The menu bar app is the editor and viewer, not a required background runner.

Read what the command returned

Inspect the exit code, stdout, and stderr from the latest 50 runs instead of wondering whether the task fired.

Separate attention from failure

A successful command can raise an orange attention event when its result needs a decision rather than a retry.

App and CLI share the same tasks

Add, update, pause, run, inspect, and delete tasks from either surface. Changes appear in both immediately.

Logs stay local

Task definitions, run history, stdout, and stderr remain under Application Support on your Mac.

A readable front end for the scheduler already in macOS

No root or helper process
Clockwork writes jobs into your user launchd session and does not need Full Disk Access or a privileged helper.
Signed and notarised by Apple
Public builds are signed with a Developer ID and notarised, so macOS can verify nothing changed since the build.
Common cron can be translated
The CLI explains common cron expressions with clockwork explain-cron, while schedules stay native intervals, daily times, or weekdays.
Disabled tasks keep their history
Disabling a task unregisters its launch agent but keeps the definition and run history for when you switch it back on.

Common questions about Clockwork

Does Clockwork need to stay open?

No. Enabled tasks run through your macOS launchd session after the app closes.

Is it a cron replacement?

For recurring commands on one Mac, yes. Clockwork supports intervals, daily times, and selected weekdays through launchd rather than arbitrary cron syntax.

Where are tasks and logs stored?

Task definitions, run history, stdout, and stderr stay under ~/Library/Application Support/Clockwork/. Nothing is uploaded.

How do I schedule a command on a Mac?

In Clockwork, add the command and choose an interval, daily time, or selected weekdays. It registers the task with your user launchd session.

Can I run a scheduled command immediately?

Yes. Run Now starts the same saved task on demand, and the result appears in its normal run history.

Can I see stdout and stderr?

Yes. Clockwork stores the exit code, stdout, stderr, and duration for the latest 50 runs of each task.

Does Clockwork require administrator access?

No. Tasks run in your user launchd session. Clockwork does not install a privileged helper or require Full Disk Access.

Schedule the command, close the app, and check the result when it matters.

Download for macOS

v0.1.0 · 4.3 MB · macOS 14+

Star on GitHub
0 stars · Open source
Verify the download