Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Recurring Prompt Scheduler agent skill (loop)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The loop skill, called the Recurring Prompt Scheduler, lets an AI agent run a prompt again and again on a fixed schedule, such as checking a deploy every 5 minutes. It is written for people who want an agent to keep watching something without having to remember to ask. After this guide you will know how to install the skill, how to phrase a request, how intervals are converted to cron timing, and what to watch out for.
Recurring Prompt SchedulerXiaomiMiMo/MiMo-Code · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 2Confirm your runtime has a cron tool. The skill needs a cron tool for scheduling and the skill tool for slash commands. Without a cron tool, no recurring job can be registered.
- 3Write the interval and prompt. Start with an interval token such as 5m, or end with every 20m. Leave the interval out to use the 10m default.
- 4Let the prompt run once. After the job is registered, the prompt runs immediately so you see output before the first scheduled tick.
- 5Note the job id. Save the job id the agent reports so you can cancel the loop later.
- 6Cancel when finished. Run /loops cancel with the job id to stop the recurring job.
What the loop skill makes the agent do
The skill turns a line like [interval] <prompt> into a scheduled job. It reads the interval, converts it to a standard 5-field cron expression, and registers the job through a cron tool. The job then re-runs your prompt on that cadence.
Right after the job is registered, the agent runs the prompt once immediately so you see activity without waiting for the first scheduled tick. The agent also tells you the job id, which you can use to cancel the job later.
Install the loop skill
Download the ZIP from this page. You can install it in one of two ways.
For Claude Code, unzip it into your user skills folder ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill only for that project.
In the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Check what the runtime needs
The skill needs two things from your runtime. It requires a cron tool that can schedule jobs, and the skill tool, which the agent uses to invoke slash commands referenced in prompts.
If your runtime does not provide a cron tool, the skill cannot register a recurring job.
- A runtime that provides a cron tool for scheduling jobs
- The skill tool for invoking slash commands referenced in prompts
Trigger the skill with a request
You can type the slash command directly, or ask in plain language. The skill is triggered by phrasing such as "run X every N minutes/hours/days", "loop X", "babysit Y", "be proactive about Y every N", or by the /loop command.
The interval can come first as a token like 5m, or at the end as a clause like every 20m or every 5 minutes. If you give no interval, the default is 10m.
- Leading interval: 5m, 2h, 1d, 30s
- Trailing clause: every 20m, every 5 minutes, every 2 hours
- No interval: defaults to 10m
/loop 5m check the deploy
/loop check the deploy every 20m
/loop /standup every 2 hoursHow intervals become cron timing
Intervals that divide cleanly map to simple cron patterns. Minutes such as 5m become */5 * * * *, and hours such as 2h become 0 */2 * * *. Seconds are rounded up to whole minutes, with a minimum of 1m.
If an interval does not divide cleanly, the skill picks the nearest value that does and tells you what it rounded to. For example, 7m becomes 6m, and 90m becomes 2h. Cron fields are in UTC, so a daily job fires at midnight UTC, not your local midnight.
- 30s becomes 1m
- 7m becomes 6m, with an explanation
- 90m becomes 2h
- Daily jobs (1d) fire at midnight UTC
Cancel a loop
When the job is registered, the agent reports a job id. Use that id with the /loops cancel command to stop the job.
Do not ask the agent to list active jobs in its reply. Use /loops to see them.
/loops cancel <id>What people use it for
- Check a deploy every 5 minutes with /loop 5m check the deploy
- Monitor PR status by running a babysit prompt every 20 minutes
- Run a standup summary every 2 hours with /loop /standup every 2 hours
- Tidy an inbox on a 10-minute default cadence with /loop tidy inbox
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the loop agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What does the loop skill require to run?
It requires a runtime that provides a cron tool for scheduling jobs, and the skill tool for invoking slash commands referenced in prompts. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to the skill's listing.
Why does my 7m interval run every 6 minutes?
Cron cannot evenly space a 7-minute interval across the hour wrap, so the skill rounds to the nearest clean interval, 6m, and tells you so. Other rounded values include 90m becoming 2h.
What time zone do daily loops use?
Cron fields are UTC. A daily job fires at midnight UTC, not at your local midnight, so plan around UTC if timing matters.
How do I stop a recurring loop?
Use the job id the agent reported with /loops cancel <id>. Use /loops to see active jobs.
Is the loop skill free and what licence is it under?
The skill is listed under the MIT licence. This page does not state pricing, so check the source repository for any terms beyond the licence.
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Our verdict
Use the loop skill if you want an agent to repeat a check, such as a deploy, PR status, or build, on a schedule without asking again each time. Skip it for one-off tasks, for anything that needs exact local-time scheduling since cron runs in UTC, or if your runtime has no cron tool.
Download the skill