Routines

Run agents on autopilot with recurring schedules.

Routines let you define recurring tasks that agents execute automatically. Set a schedule, write a prompt, and Cohort handles the rest — no manual triggering required.

What Are Routines?

A routine is a cron job that sends a prompt to an agent on a recurring basis. Each routine has:

Agent — which agent runs the task
Prompt — what the agent should do on each run
Schedule — how often (interval or cron expression)
Label — a short name for the routine (auto-derived from the prompt, or set manually)

Creating a Routine

Navigate to System > Routines in the sidebar, then click the New Routine button at the top of the page.

1. Select an Agent

Choose which agent should execute this routine. The dropdown shows all agents connected to your gateway.

2. Write a Prompt

Describe what the agent should do on each run. This is the message sent to the agent every time the routine fires.

Tip: Be specific. A prompt like “Check for new customer support tickets and summarize any critical issues” is better than “Check tickets.”

3. Choose a Schedule

Two schedule types are available:

Interval

Pick a time unit (minutes, hours, days) and enter a number. The minimum interval is 1 minute.

Examples:

Every 5 minutes
Every 2 hours
Every 1 day

Cron Expression

For more control, use a standard 5-field cron expression. A live preview shows the next 5 run times so you can verify the schedule before saving.

Examples:

0 9 * * * — Daily at 9:00 AM
0 9 * * 1-5 — Weekdays at 9:00 AM
*/30 * * * * — Every 30 minutes
0 0 1 * * — First of every month at midnight

One-time runs

To have an agent do something once at a set time, such as a reminder on Saturday at 9:00 AM, ask the agent in chat. It schedules a one-time routine, which appears in your routines list with its date. It runs once at that time; after that it is switched off and does not run again. The New Routine form creates recurring routines only.

4. Set a Label

The label auto-fills from the first ~40 characters of your prompt. Edit it to customize. This label appears in the routines list.

Click Create to save.

Managing Routines

Enable / Disable

Click the toggle switch on any routine to enable or disable it. The change takes effect immediately. Disabled routines remain in the list but do not fire.

Run Now

Click the play button to force-run a routine immediately, regardless of its schedule. A spinner shows while the routine executes, with elapsed time displayed progressively.

Edit

Click the pencil icon to open the edit modal. You can change the agent, schedule, and label. Leave the prompt field blank to keep the existing prompt.

Delete

Click the trash icon to remove a routine. Deleted routines are removed from the gateway immediately.

Persistence

Routines persist across gateway restarts. Changes you make in the dashboard take effect immediately.