# A runbook for tasks that repeat

> State what runs when, how a schedule is written, who runs it, and what to do when a run is missed, in one file the AI reads first.

Page: https://videotomd.com/b/text-recurring-task-runbook/
Tool: Any AI · Tags: runbook, schedule, cron, operations, recurring · 638 words, about 829 tokens
Pills: free · ran in Claude Code · ran in Ollama · self-check · done check · checked 2026-10-12 · Any AI · Claude Code · Ollama · chat only · on demand · 14B+ · scheduler

## Recipe

- Kind: workflow
- Stage: not set
- Loads: on demand
- Works in: Any AI, Claude Code, Ollama
- Needs: chat only
- Bring: nothing
- Cost: free
- Model: 14B+
- Tested in: Claude Code, Ollama
- Checked: 2026-10-12
- For: scheduler

## When this is useful
- The nightly export did not run and nobody knows whether to run it now or wait.
- Three people and one AI share the same recurring chores and each describes the schedule differently.
- You want the AI to answer "what runs tonight?" from a file instead of from memory.


## Change it to
- Coding agent with a shell: add "run the command and append the log line yourself" to step 4; the harness rows give the path for the instruction.
- Calendar instead of cron: keep the words column, drop the cron column, and put the calendar event link in the command cell.
- Short version for a 7B model: three columns, task, words, if missed; no cron.


## If your AI needs to look something up
- Search: `posix crontab fields` and fetch https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/crontab.html when a cron expression is unclear; the five fields and ranges are on that page.


## Put it here

Loads on demand: paste or attach it when the task comes up. To have it every session, put it where your tool reads instructions:

- Any AI: Coding agent: save as AGENTS.md in the project root (read natively by Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Kiro, Devin, Cline, Roo, OpenHands, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Zed, Warp, Junie, Factory and Jules; Claude Code when no CLAUDE.md exists; Aider with --read). Chat: paste it first. Reload: new session. Check it loaded: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://agents.md/ (checked 2026-10-12).
- Claude Code: Save as CLAUDE.md in the project root, or .claude/CLAUDE.md. Other agents share the repo: put the shared rules in AGENTS.md and make CLAUDE.md one line, @AGENTS.md. Commit it. Start a new session: the file is read at launch. Reload: new session (or /memory to open the files). Check it loaded: /context lists the Memory files it read; /skills, /agents, /hooks list the rest; the InstructionsLoaded hook event fires once per loaded instruction file. Source: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory (checked 2026-10-12).
- Ollama: Put the text in a Modelfile as SYSTEM """...""" with FROM <model> and PARAMETER num_ctx <n>, then `ollama create <name> -f Modelfile` and run <name>. Chat-only: paste it as the first message instead. Reload: ollama create again. Check it loaded: `ollama show --modelfile <name>` prints the SYSTEM; `ollama ps` shows the loaded context size. Source: https://docs.ollama.com/modelfile (checked 2026-10-12).

## Access

Membership: plans at https://videotomd.com/pricing/, or email then a plan at https://videotomd.com/b/text-recurring-task-runbook/. A member's browser downloads the file there; an AI without that session needs the member to attach it.