About github actions cron generator
GitHub Actions can run on a schedule using cron syntax. All schedules use UTC, so local times must be converted.
Example
To run at 9:00 AM India time (UTC+5:30), schedule 03:30 UTC: cron '30 3 * * *'.
Limits
- The shortest interval is five minutes.
- Scheduled runs can be delayed during busy periods.
- Scheduled workflows in inactive public repositories may be disabled.
A worked example
To run a job every weekday at 9:00 AM India time, convert to UTC (03:30) and use '30 3 * * 1-5'. A nightly job at 1:00 AM IST is '30 19 * * *' in UTC, as it falls on the previous UTC day.
Things that surprise people
- Scheduled runs can start several minutes late when GitHub is busy.
- They run only on the default branch.
- In public repositories, schedules are paused after 60 days without repository activity.
