Claude Code Introduces Routines: Beyond Simple Scheduling

What are Code Routines

Code Routines are saved Claude Code configurations that bundle a prompt, one or more repositories, and a set of Model Control Platform (MCP) connectors. They run on Anthropic‑managed cloud infrastructure, so they continue to operate even when the user’s notebook is closed.

Trigger methods

Scheduled trigger – executes on a periodic schedule (hourly, daily, weekdays, weekly). Supports preset frequencies and custom cron expressions, with a minimum interval of one hour.

GitHub event trigger – fires when a repository event occurs. Supports pull‑request, push, issue, release and other event types (about 20 types, see https://code.claude.com/docs/en/routines#supported-events). Filters can be applied on author, title, label, etc.

API call trigger – invoked via an HTTP POST to a dedicated endpoint. Context is passed through the text field, making it suitable for alert‑system or deployment‑pipeline scenarios.

Concrete use cases

Code review : a GitHub trigger runs a team’s review checklist automatically when a new pull request appears.

Alert handling : an API trigger is called by a monitoring tool when an error exceeds a threshold; Claude analyses the stack trace and suggests a fix.

Documentation maintenance : a scheduled trigger scans merged pull requests and flags documentation that needs updating.

Comparison with traditional cron

Event‑driven execution – beyond time‑based schedules, Routines can react to GitHub events or API calls.

Context awareness – the AI can understand code changes and decide whether to generate documentation, run tests, or take other actions.

Complex logic handling – not limited to script execution; Routines can analyse, make decisions, and generate content.

Integration capability – built‑in MCP support enables calls to various tools and services.

Creating a Routine

Web UI : visit http://claude.ai/code/routines.

CLI : run the /schedule command in any Claude session.

Desktop app : create a routine on the “Schedule” page.

Creation requires configuring the prompt, selecting repositories, choosing an environment, and adding connectors. To use GitHub triggers, the Claude GitHub App must be installed in the target repository.

Availability and limits

The feature is in a research preview; behaviour, limits, and the API may change. It is currently available only on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans and enforces a daily run quota per account.

Internal usage

Anthropic uses Code Routines internally for document maintenance, todo‑management, weekly report generation, issue‑template handling, and meeting‑note synchronization, reducing repetitive developer effort.