Scheduling & pipelines
Run workflows automatically on a cron schedule, or chain multiple workflows into a single pipeline run.
Two ways to run workflows without clicking Run each time.
Scheduled runs
Schedules are cron-style, same syntax as Unix cron. Run a workflow daily, weekly, monthly, or any custom cadence.
Creating a schedule
Two entry points:
- Per-agent schedule button (the clock icon on an agent card): schedules the workflow to run with focus on that agent.
- Settings → Automation → + New schedule: schedules the whole workflow.
The Schedule Config popup asks for:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Display name for the schedule. |
| Cron expression | Standard cron syntax (e.g. 0 9 * * 1 = every Monday at 9 AM). |
| Timezone | Defaults to your system timezone; override per schedule if needed. |
| Workflow file | Path to the .cerevisor to run. Defaults to the currently open workflow. |
| Run mode | Full workflow, or single-agent focus. |
| Enabled | Toggle on to activate. |
The popup shows:
- Human-readable preview of your cron expression ("Every Monday at 9:00 AM").
- The next 5 fire times so you can sanity-check.
Managing schedules
Settings → Automation lists every schedule. Each row shows:
- Workflow name and schedule name.
- Cron expression and human-readable preview.
- Next fire time.
- Enable/disable toggle.
- Edit and Delete buttons.
What happens when a schedule fires
When the cron expression matches the current time, Cerevisor:
- Loads the schedule's
.cerevisorfile fresh from disk. - Resolves providers + skills + permissions the same way as a manual run.
- Runs the workflow.
- Writes the result to the audit log under a session ID tagged "scheduled".
If Cerevisor isn't running at the scheduled time, the schedule is missed, there's no catch-up run on next launch. (You can change this behavior per schedule if needed.)
License gate
Scheduled runs are a Paid feature. Trial and Free users can create schedules but can't enable them.
Pipelines
A pipeline is an ordered chain of N workflows that run as one unit. Each workflow's output can feed into the next workflow's input.
When to use a pipeline vs. cross-workflow links
- Cross-workflow links (world view): visual, ad-hoc, you see the connections on the canvas.
- Pipelines: structural, ordered, scriptable, easier to schedule.
Use pipelines when the chain is stable and you want to invoke it as one thing. Use cross-workflow links when you're still exploring how the workflows interact.
Creating a pipeline
Title bar → Pipeline icon opens the Pipeline modal.
Configure:
- Steps: ordered list of workflows. Add a step with +; drag rows to reorder.
- Per-step input mapping: for each step (except the first), pick which upstream workflow's output feeds this workflow's input.
- Budget cap: total cost ceiling for the pipeline run. If reached, the run halts mid-pipeline.
- Share skills: toggle: if on, every step inherits the assigned skills from step 1; if off, each step uses its own.
- Share permissions: toggle: if on, every step inherits step 1's
WorkflowPermissions.
Click Run pipeline to start.
What happens during a pipeline run
The orchestrator:
- Loads the first workflow's
.cerevisor. - Runs it to completion.
- Extracts its output (the terminal agents' outputs, concatenated).
- Feeds that output as input to the next workflow's entry agent.
- Repeats until all steps complete or the budget cap is hit.
The Pipeline run is visible in the Execution Modal with one section per workflow step.
License gate
Pipelines are a Paid feature.
Scheduled pipelines
You can schedule a pipeline. Create the pipeline config, save it as a named pipeline, then create a schedule pointing at the pipeline file (.cerevisor-pipeline).
This is the closest Cerevisor gets to "DAG-of-DAGs" orchestration. It's pretty powerful when you've got it set up, scheduled weekly research → analysis → publish pipelines are the typical case.
Worth knowing
- Schedules and pipelines respect the global
WorkflowPermissionssettings. If your workflow is set to "ask" for destructive operations, a scheduled run will prompt at run time. For unattended scheduled runs, configure workflow permissions to "allow" the operations the workflow genuinely needs (and audit them via the audit log). - Cost monitoring matters for unattended runs. Set a per-workflow or per-pipeline budget cap to prevent runaway costs.
- Background-feature providers (Codex CLI, Cursor Agent) work fine for scheduled workflow execution. The scheduler goes through the same dispatch as manual runs.