Scheduling Flows

Automate your trading strategies by scheduling when your flows should run. Set up one-time executions or recurring schedules that run on specific patterns.

Schedule Dialog

What is Flow Scheduling?

Flow scheduling allows you to:

✅ Run flows at specific times automatically
✅ Set up recurring schedules (daily, weekly, custom patterns)
✅ Schedule multiple executions for different time periods
✅ Monitor execution status in real-time
✅ Edit or delete schedules anytime

Perfect for:

Market open/close strategies
Daily analysis routines
Weekly portfolio rebalancing
Custom trading schedules

Quick Start

Creating Your First Schedule

Open Your Flow - Navigate to the flow you want to schedule
Access Schedules - Click the dropdown in the top bar
Create New Schedule - Select “Create New Schedule” option
Configure Schedule - Set start time, end time (optional), and recurrence
Start - Click “Start” to create the schedule

Your flow will now run automatically at the scheduled time!

Schedule Types

One-Time Schedule

Executes your flow once at a specific time.

Use Cases:

Test a strategy at market open tomorrow
Run analysis after earnings release
Execute special event trading logic

Configuration:

Start Time: When the flow should start (required)
End Time: When the flow should stop (optional)
No End Time: Flow executes until manually stopped or completion

Example:

Start: Tomorrow 9:30 AM
End: Tomorrow 4:00 PM
Result: Flow executes from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM tomorrow

Recurring Schedule

Executes your flow repeatedly based on a pattern.

Use Cases:

Daily market monitoring
Weekly portfolio analysis
Custom interval strategies

Configuration:

Start Time: When recurring schedule begins
Repeat Pattern: How often to execute (cron expression)
Duration: How long each execution should last (in minutes)

Example:

Start: This Monday 9:30 AM
Pattern: “Market Open (9:30 AM)” - executes every weekday at 9:30 AM
Duration: 390 minutes (6.5 hours until market close)
Result: Flow executes every weekday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Schedule Configuration

Start Time

Required for all schedules

Must be at least 1 minute in the future
Use datetime picker to select exact time
Displayed in your local timezone

Quick Presets:

In 5 minutes
In 15 minutes
In 1 hour
In 2 hours
This Monday 9:00 AM
This Friday 5:00 PM
Next Monday 9:00 AM

End Time (Optional)

For one-time schedules:

When specified: Flow stops at this time
When null: Flow schedules until completion or manual stop

Important: If you don’t set an end time, make sure your flow has proper completion logic (like a condition that stops the flow).

Repeat Pattern (Recurring Only)

Choose from presets or create custom cron expressions.

Built-in Presets:

Pattern	Cron Expression	Description
Market Open (9:30 AM)	`30 9 * * 1-5`	Every weekday at 9:30 AM
Market Close (4:00 PM)	`0 16 * * 1-5`	Every weekday at 4:00 PM
Pre-Market (8:00 AM)	`0 8 * * 1-5`	Every weekday at 8:00 AM
Every Monday (9:30 AM)	`30 9 * * 1`	Every Monday at 9:30 AM
First Monday Monthly	`30 9 1-7 * 1`	First Monday of month at 9:30 AM

Custom Cron Expression:

Format: minute hour day month weekday

Examples:

0 */2 * * * - Every 2 hours
15 14 * * 1 - 2:15 PM every Monday
0 9 1 * * - 9:00 AM on 1st of every month
30 9,16 * * 1-5 - 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM weekdays

Cron Components:

minute: 0-59
hour: 0-23 (24-hour format)
day: 1-31
month: 1-12
weekday: 0-6 (0=Sunday, 1=Monday, …, 6=Saturday)

Special Characters:

* - Any value (every minute/hour/day)
*/X - Every X units (e.g., */15 = every 15 minutes)
X-Y - Range (e.g., 1-5 = Monday through Friday)
X,Y - Multiple values (e.g., 9,16 = 9 and 16)

Duration (Recurring Only)

Required for recurring schedules

Specifies how long each execution should last (in minutes).

Important Rules:

Must be greater than 0
Must be at least as long as the cron interval
Example: If cron executes every 30 minutes, duration must be ≥ 30 minutes

Common Durations:

60 minutes (1 hour) - Short analysis windows
390 minutes (6.5 hours) - Full trading day (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM)
120 minutes (2 hours) - Extended analysis sessions
30 minutes - Quick monitoring cycles

What Happens:

Flow starts at the cron time
Executes for the specified duration
Automatically stops after duration expires
Next occurrence starts at the next cron time

Managing Schedules

View All Schedules

Open Flow - Navigate to your flow
Schedules Dropdown - Click the dropdown in top bar
See All Schedules - All scheduled and active executions are listed

Schedule Statuses:

🔵 Waiting - Scheduled, not started yet
🟢 Running - Currently executing
⚪ Completed - Finished successfully
🔴 Failed - Execution failed

Edit a Schedule

Open Schedule Dialog - Click “Create New Schedule”
Find Your Schedule - Look for the schedule you want to edit
Modify Settings - Change start time, end time, pattern, or duration
Save Changes - Click “Start” to apply changes

What You Can Change:

Start and end times
Recurring pattern (cron expression)
Duration for recurring schedules
Enable/disable recurrence

Delete a Schedule

Method 1: From Schedule Dialog

Open “Create New Schedule” dialog
Find the schedule you want to remove
Click the trash icon next to the schedule
Click “Start” to apply changes

Method 2: From Schedules Dropdown

Click Schedules dropdown
Select the schedule you want to delete
Delete from the schedule details view

Important: Deleting a schedule removes it permanently. If it’s currently executing, it will be stopped.

Stop a Running Schedule

View Schedule - Select the running schedule from Schedules dropdown
Stop Manually - Use the stop button in the schedule interface
Verify Stopped - Status should change to “Completed”

Multiple Schedules

You can create multiple schedules for the same flow!

Use Cases

Different Time Periods:

Schedule 1: Monday-Wednesday 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Schedule 2: Thursday-Friday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Different Strategies:

Schedule 1: Pre-market analysis (8:00 AM - 9:30 AM)
Schedule 2: Trading session (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM)
Schedule 3: After-hours review (4:00 PM - 5:00 PM)

Testing vs Production:

Schedule 1: Test run tomorrow 10:00 AM (1 hour)
Schedule 2: Production recurring (every weekday 9:30 AM)

Overlap Prevention

The system prevents overlapping schedules:

✅ Non-overlapping times - Allowed
❌ Same time periods - Blocked with error message
⚠️ Infinite duration - Cannot have other schedules after it

Example Error:

“This schedule overlaps with schedule #2”

Solution: Adjust start/end times so schedules don’t overlap.

Advanced Patterns

Market Trading Hours

Full Trading Day (6.5 hours):

Pattern: 30 9 * * 1-5 (9:30 AM weekdays)
Duration: 390 minutes
Result: Executes every weekday 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Multi-Session Strategy

Pre-Market + Trading:

Schedule 1: 0 8 * * 1-5 (8:00 AM), 90 min duration
Schedule 2: 30 9 * * 1-5 (9:30 AM), 390 min duration

Hourly Monitoring

Check Markets Every Hour:

Pattern: 0 * * * * (every hour at :00)
Duration: 5 minutes
Result: Brief 5-minute execution every hour

Weekly Analysis

Every Monday Morning:

Pattern: 0 9 * * 1 (9:00 AM Monday)
Duration: 60 minutes
Result: 1-hour execution every Monday

End of Month Reports

Last Day of Month:

Pattern: 0 17 28-31 * * (5:00 PM on days 28-31)
Duration: 30 minutes
Add logic to check if it’s actually month-end

Monitoring Schedules

Real-Time Status Updates

Schedules automatically update their status:

Waiting → Flow is scheduled but not started
Running → Flow is currently executing
Completed → Flow finished successfully
Failed → Flow encountered an error

View Schedule Details

Select Schedule - Click on a schedule in the Schedules dropdown
See Graph State - View the flow execution in real-time
Check Logs - Monitor node outputs and errors
Track Progress - See which nodes are active

Execution History

All completed executions are preserved with:

Execution logs
Final state
Error messages (if failed)
Duration and timing information

Troubleshooting

”Scheduled start time must be at least 1 minute in the future”

Problem: Trying to schedule a run too close to current time

Solutions:

Increase start time by at least 1 minute
Use quick presets like “In 5 minutes”
Check your system clock is correct

”This schedule overlaps with schedule #X”

Problem: Two schedules have overlapping time periods

Solutions:

Adjust start/end times to eliminate overlap
Delete one of the overlapping schedules
Use different time windows for each schedule

”Cron expression is required for recurring schedules”

Problem: Recurring schedule enabled but no pattern set

Solutions:

Select a preset pattern from dropdown
Enter a custom cron expression
Disable “Repeat on a Schedule” if you want one-time run

”Duration must be at least X minutes (cron interval)”

Problem: Duration is shorter than cron interval

Solutions:

Increase duration to match or exceed cron interval
Example: If cron is every 2 hours, duration must be ≥ 120 minutes
Change cron pattern to less frequent interval

Schedule Not Starting

Problem: Schedule reaches start time but doesn’t execute

Solutions:

Check Runner Status: Ensure runner service is running
Verify Flow State: Make sure flow is in “READY” state
Check Logs: Look for error messages in system logs
Retry Schedule: Delete and recreate the schedule

Flow Not Stopping at End Time

Problem: Flow continues past scheduled end time

Solutions:

Manual Stop: Stop the schedule manually from UI
Check Flow Logic: Ensure flow doesn’t have infinite loops
Review Components: Some components may not respect stop signals
Set Shorter Duration: Use more conservative time limits

Best Practices

Testing Schedules

Before Production:

✅ Test with “In 5 minutes” schedule first
✅ Verify flow executes and stops correctly
✅ Check logs for any errors
✅ Confirm expected behavior
✅ Then create production schedule

Naming Schedules

The schedule ID becomes the schedule name. Use descriptive patterns:

market-open-strategy-monday
daily-analysis-recurring
test-schedule-2024-01-15

Duration Guidelines

Choose appropriate durations:

Short Analysis: 5-30 minutes
Hourly Monitoring: 5-10 minutes
Full Trading Day: 390 minutes (6.5 hours)
Extended Session: 480 minutes (8 hours)

Cron Patterns

Start Simple:

Use preset patterns when possible
Test custom cron expressions carefully
Verify timing before production use

Common Mistakes:

❌ 0 9 * * * - Runs EVERY DAY including weekends
✅ 0 9 * * 1-5 - Runs weekdays only
❌ Forgetting timezone differences
✅ Test timing with “In 5 minutes” first

Resource Management

Avoid Conflicts:

Don’t overlap schedules unnecessarily
Limit concurrent executions on same account
Monitor API rate limits
Use testnet for experimental schedules

Examples

Example 1: Daily Market Monitoring

Goal: Monitor markets every weekday during trading hours

Configuration:

Pattern: Market Open (9:30 AM) - 30 9 * * 1-5
Duration: 390 minutes
Start: Next Monday

Result: Flow executes Monday-Friday, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM automatically.

Example 2: Weekly Portfolio Review

Goal: Review portfolio every Monday morning

Configuration:

Pattern: Every Monday (9:30 AM) - 30 9 * * 1
Duration: 60 minutes
Start: This coming Monday

Result: 1-hour execution every Monday at 9:30 AM.

Example 3: Pre-Market Analysis

Goal: Analyze pre-market data before trading

Configuration:

Pattern: Pre-Market (8:00 AM) - 0 8 * * 1-5
Duration: 90 minutes
Start: Tomorrow

Result: Executes weekdays 8:00-9:30 AM for pre-market analysis.

Example 4: Hourly Price Checks

Goal: Check prices every hour during market hours

Configuration:

Pattern: Custom - 0 9-16 * * 1-5
Duration: 5 minutes
Start: Tomorrow

Result: Quick 5-minute executions at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00… 4:00 PM on weekdays.

Example 5: End of Day Summary

Goal: Generate daily summary at market close

Configuration:

Pattern: Market Close (4:00 PM) - 0 16 * * 1-5
Duration: 30 minutes
Start: Today

Result: 30-minute execution starting at 4:00 PM every weekday.

Security Considerations

API Keys and Schedules

Important: Scheduled flows use the account configured in flow settings.

✅ Verify correct account before scheduling
✅ Use testnet accounts for experimental schedules
✅ Monitor schedules regularly
✅ Delete schedules if changing API keys
✅ Review active schedules periodically

Production vs Testnet

Recommended Approach:

Test schedule on testnet first
Verify timing and execution
Check resource usage
Then deploy to production account
Monitor closely for first few executions

FAQ

Q: Can I schedule a flow that’s already executing?
A: No, the schedule dialog is disabled during active executions. Stop the current execution first.

Q: What happens if I edit a flow that has schedules?
A: Schedules use the flow version they were created with. New edits create new versions, so existing schedules continue with the original version.

Q: Can I have multiple recurring schedules?
A: Yes, as long as they don’t overlap. You can have different patterns for different days/times.

Q: What if my schedule misses the start time (e.g., system down)?
A: Missed schedules are not retroactively executed. The next occurrence will execute as scheduled.

Q: How do I know if a schedule is working?
A: Check the Schedules dropdown. You’ll see the status change from “Waiting” to “Running” at the scheduled time.

Q: Can I schedule flows on different versions?
A: Yes, each schedule is tied to a specific flow version. Different versions can have different schedules.

Q: What’s the maximum duration for a schedule?
A: There’s no hard limit, but consider resource usage. Most trading strategies use 6-8 hours maximum.

Q: Do schedules work with dry run mode?
A: No, schedules execute actual flows. Use the dry run feature separately for testing.

Q: Can I export/import schedules?
A: Not currently. You need to manually recreate schedules if copying flows.

Q: What timezone are schedules in?
A: Schedules use your local timezone. The system converts to UTC internally.

Next Steps

Need Help?

If you encounter issues with scheduling:

Check the troubleshooting section above
Verify your flow is in READY state
Review system logs for errors
Test with a simple schedule first
Join our community for support

Remember: Always test schedules with testnet accounts first before using real trading accounts!