Skip to content

Complete Guide to Claude Code Scheduled Execution - Automation with GitHub Actions Scheduled Workflows

Target Audience

  • Intermediate developers who want to run Claude Code periodically

Key Points

  1. How to configure GitHub Actions scheduled workflows
  2. Implementing automation scripts using Claude Code API
  3. Working workflow file code

The Core Problem

Attempting to run Claude Code periodically with cron leads to complex authentication management and error handling, making maintenance difficult. GitHub Actions scheduled workflows integrate secret management, log management, and error notifications, enabling safe automation within a modern CI/CD pipeline.

Solution

Step 1: Create GitHub Actions Workflow File

Create .github/workflows/claude-scheduled.yml and add the following code:

name: Claude Code Scheduled
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 9 * * 1-5'  # Weekdays at 9 AM
jobs:
  claude-automation:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run Claude automation
        env:
          ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
        run: python scripts/claude_automation.py

Step 2: Implement Automation Script

Create scripts/claude_automation.py and configure basic Claude API calls:

import os
import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key=os.getenv('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'))

def run_daily_analysis():
    response = client.messages.create(
        model="claude-3-sonnet-20240229",
        max_tokens=1000,
        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Please analyze today's tasks"}]
    )
    return response.content

if __name__ == "__main__":
    result = run_daily_analysis()
    print(result)

Step 3: Configure Secrets and Test Execution

Register ANTHROPICAPIKEY in GitHub repository settings and verify operation with manual trigger:

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 9 * * 1-5'
  workflow_dispatch:  # For manual execution

Common Issues and Solutions

SymptomCauseSolution
API authentication errorSecret configuration issueCheck API key in Settings > Secrets > Actions
Doesn't executeCron timezone issueConfigure in UTC time (JST-9 hours)
Logs not visibleprint statement not outputtingUse print(result, flush=True)
Advanced Configuration (For Advanced Users - Click to Expand) ## Advanced Schedule Configuration 
on:
  schedule:
    # Generate report every Monday at 9 AM
    - cron: '0 0 * * 1'
    # Daily check at noon
    - cron: '0 3 * * *'
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      task_type:
        description: 'Task type to run'
        required: true
        default: 'analysis'
        type: choice
        options:
        - analysis
        - report
        - cleanup
## Error Notification Configuration 
- name: Notify on failure
  if: failure()
  uses: 8398a7/action-slack@v3
  with:
    status: failure
    webhook_url: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK }}

Next Steps