---
title: "Claude Code Scheduled Tasks for PMs"
description: "Choose between Claude Code cloud tasks, Desktop tasks and /loop for recurring PM work. See what each needs, its limits, and which fits a weekly digest."
canonical_url: "https://builderscamp.com/guides/tools/claude-code-scheduled-tasks-for-product-managers"
date_published: "2026-11-02"
date_modified: "2026-11-02"
author: "Guilherme Salgueiro"
publisher: "Builders Camp"
guide_class: "tools"
---

# Claude Code scheduled tasks for product managers: cloud, Desktop or /loop

**TL;DR:** Use a cloud task for recurring work that must run without your machine, a Desktop task when the job needs your local files, and /loop only for polling inside an open session. Cloud tasks run at most once an hour, Desktop tasks miss their slot if your computer sleeps and catch up once on wake, and /loop tasks expire after 7 days.

## Which Claude Code scheduling option should a product manager use?

Match the option to where the work has to run. Anthropic's [scheduling docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/scheduled-tasks) give the rule in three sentences: "Use cloud tasks for work that should run reliably without your machine. Use Desktop tasks when you need access to local files and tools. Use /loop for quick polling during a session."

Claude Code offers those three ways to schedule recurring or one-off work, and the differences decide which one fits a PM job such as a Monday digest or a launch-day status check. The table below is condensed from Anthropic's comparison, as published in November 2026.

| | Cloud | Desktop | /loop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Anthropic-managed cloud by default | Your machine | Your machine |
| Needs your machine on | No | Yes | Yes |
| Needs an open session | No | No | Yes |
| Access to local files | No (fresh clone) | Yes | Yes |
| Permission prompts | Auto mode by default | Configurable per task | Inherits from session |
| Minimum interval | 1 hour | 1 minute when Claude sets it, 1 hour in the forms | 1 minute |

The limit of any advice here is that these features change quickly. Check the linked pages before you build a workflow your team depends on.

## When should you use a cloud task?

Use a cloud task when the job must run while your laptop is closed and does not need files that live only on your machine. The [cloud sessions page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web) lists cloud scheduled tasks as one of the ways to start a cloud session, and says scheduled and triggered runs each run as a cloud session. The Desktop docs add that a cloud task can also start on API calls or GitHub events.

The trade-offs are in the table above. A cloud task works from a fresh clone rather than your machine, so files and unpushed work that live only on your laptop are not available to it, and the minimum interval is 1 hour. A weekly job that reads a repository folder of research notes fits. A job that reads a spreadsheet saved on your desktop does not.

## When is a Desktop scheduled task the right choice?

Choose a Desktop task when the prompt needs your local files, tools or connectors and you are comfortable keeping the app running. The [Desktop scheduled tasks page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop-scheduled-tasks) describes a local task as one that runs on your machine with direct access to your files and tools, but only fires while the app is open and your computer is awake.

Three details decide whether that is workable:

- If your computer sleeps through a scheduled time, that run is skipped. When the app starts or your computer wakes, Desktop starts exactly one catch-up run for the most recently missed time in the last seven days and discards anything older. Turning on Keep computer awake in settings prevents idle sleep, but closing the laptop lid still puts it to sleep.
- Each task starts a few minutes after its scheduled time, by a fixed offset, to stagger API traffic.
- Each task can run in its own isolated Git worktree if its folder is a Git repository. Select Worktree in the task's Edit form after you create it.

To create one, open the Code tab in Claude Desktop, click Scheduled in the sidebar and click New task. Enter a name and the instructions, then open Advanced settings and turn on Only on this computer, pick a local folder, choose a schedule preset and click Create. The docs say local scheduled tasks require Claude Desktop 1.1.5368 or later.

## What is /loop good for, and why does it stop?

Use /loop for polling inside a session you already have open, such as watching a deployment or a pull request. The docs describe session-scoped scheduled tasks as a way to re-run a prompt automatically on an interval within a Claude Code session, for example `/loop 5m check the deploy`.

It has three built-in limits. Tasks only fire while Claude Code is running and idle, so closing the terminal stops them. There is no catch-up: if a scheduled time passes while Claude is busy, the task fires once when Claude becomes idle, not once per missed interval. And recurring tasks expire: the [scheduling docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/scheduled-tasks) state that "Recurring tasks automatically expire 7 days after creation. The task fires one final time, then deletes itself." That bounds how long a forgotten loop can run, and is the reason a weekly PM job does not belong in /loop.

## How do you write a prompt that is safe to run unattended?

Write the prompt as if nobody will answer a question, because nobody will. Scope it to one output, name the folder it reads, and say where the result goes, for example a dated file in a notes folder.

Permissions matter more when you are not watching. A cloud task starts in auto mode by default, a Desktop task has permission settings per task, and a /loop task inherits your session's settings. Read the [permissions and safety guide](https://builderscamp.com/guides/tools/claude-code-permissions-and-safety) before you give an unattended task write access, and use the [hooks guide](https://builderscamp.com/guides/tools/claude-code-hooks-for-product-workflows) when you want a check to run on every change.

Start with a read-only digest: summarising last week's customer feedback or open pull requests. Move to tasks that change files only after a few clean runs. The [guide on which tasks to automate](https://builderscamp.com/guides/tools/which-tasks-to-automate) helps rank candidates.

## How does this fit with the desktop and terminal choice?

Scheduling is a reason to pick a surface, not a separate decision. Desktop tasks need the desktop app, and /loop needs an open Claude Code session. The [comparison of Claude Code on desktop, web and terminal](https://builderscamp.com/guides/tools/claude-code-desktop-vs-web-vs-terminal) lays out the surfaces side by side, and the [first-week guide](https://builderscamp.com/guides/tools/claude-code-first-week-for-product-managers) is the place to start if you have not used Claude Code yet.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do scheduled tasks run when my laptop is closed?

Only cloud tasks do. As documented in November 2026, a cloud task runs even when your computer is off. A Desktop task only fires while the app is open and your computer is awake, and a /loop task only fires while Claude Code is running and idle in your session.

### What happens if my computer sleeps through a Desktop task?

The scheduled run is skipped. When your computer wakes, Desktop starts one catch-up run for the most recently missed time in the last seven days, so a 9am task might run at 11pm. Anthropic suggests turning on Keep computer awake. Closing the laptop lid still puts it to sleep.

### How often can a task run?

Cloud tasks have a minimum interval of 1 hour. A /loop task can run as often as every minute. Desktop tasks can run every 1 minute when Claude sets the schedule, but the minimum in the app forms is 1 hour.

### Do /loop tasks last forever?

No. Recurring session-scoped tasks automatically expire 7 days after creation. The task fires one final time, then deletes itself. For longer schedules, cancel and recreate it, or use cloud or Desktop scheduled tasks.

### Can a scheduled task read files on my computer?

A Desktop task and a /loop task can, because they run on your machine. A cloud task works on a fresh clone of your repository, so it has no access to local files.

### Does a scheduled run start at the exact minute I set?

Not exactly. The Desktop docs say each task gets a small delay of a few minutes after the scheduled time to stagger API traffic, and the delay is deterministic, so the same task always starts at the same offset.

### Do I need to be a developer to set one up?

The app route uses a form, not code: open the Code tab, click Scheduled, click New task, enter a name and instructions, turn on Only on this computer under Advanced settings, pick a local folder and a schedule, then click Create. Local scheduled tasks need Claude Desktop 1.1.5368 or later.

## Sources

- [Claude Code docs: Run prompts on a schedule](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/scheduled-tasks)
- [Claude Code docs: Schedule recurring tasks in Claude Code Desktop](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop-scheduled-tasks)
- [Claude Code docs: Use Claude Code in the cloud](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web)

## How this guide was made

Researched from Builders Camp's bootcamp, track and masterclass material and the sources listed on this page, drafted with AI, and fact-checked against every source cited.