Overview
Cron AI translates plain English scheduling requests into valid cron expressions developers and teams can paste into crontab or scheduling services. It removes the need to remember cron syntax, reduces mistakes, and speeds up creating recurring tasks for backups, reports, maintenance, and other time-based automations. The project is available as an open-source example and a Vercel-deployed demo that leverages OpenAI models to perform the NL → cron conversion. If more productized features exist, they were not available on the public site. Notes and missing information: the site's /features and /pricing pages returned 404; no explicit commercial, enterprise, or pricing information was discoverable on the live site. Contact email, SLA, enterprise plans, or detailed documentation beyond the GitHub README were not found. Sources consulted: https://cron-ai.vercel.app/, https://cron-ai.vercel.app/features (404), https://cron-ai.vercel.app/pricing (404), https://github.com/rodgetech/cron-ai (repository, README).
Key Features
Natural-language to cron expression
Enter plain English (for example: “Every weekday at 9:00 AM”) and get a valid cron expression.
Copy-ready cron output
Produces cron lines that can be dropped into crontab or scheduler services.
Mockups / UI examples
Visual screen mockups demonstrate how the feature could integrate into a scheduling dashboard.
Open-source reference implementation
Source code available on GitHub for local deployment and customization.
OpenAI integration
Uses OpenAI models (e.g., text-davinci-003) to parse natural-language timing into cron syntax.
Local development instructions
README includes steps to run locally (pnpm install, provide .env with OpenAI key, pnpm dev).
Who Can Use This Tool?
- Developers:Quickly generate correct cron expressions from plain language for deployments.
- DevOps/Operators:Create and validate scheduled jobs and maintenance tasks without memorizing cron syntax.
- Product Teams:Prototype scheduling features and demonstrate user flows with NL-to-cron conversion.
- Designers:Review screen mockups and UI patterns for embedding cron-generation in apps.
Pricing Plans
Pricing information is not available yet.
Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- ✓Quickly converts natural language to valid cron expressions.
- ✓Lowers the barrier for non-experts to create scheduled tasks.
- ✓Open-source reference implementation available on GitHub.
- ✓Simple UI / demo that shows the core capability and screen mockups.
✗ Cons
- ✗No pricing or commercial plan information available on the site.
- ✗Several linked pages (features, pricing) return 404s, indicating limited marketing or product pages.
- ✗Relies on OpenAI (requires API key for local/self-hosted use), which may incur separate costs.
- ✗Limited documentation and product detail on the live site.
Compare with Alternatives
| Feature | Cron AI | Sidekick AI | Cline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | N/A | $5/month | N/A |
| Rating | 8.3/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.1/10 |
| NL-to-Cron Accuracy | High-accuracy cron conversions | Not focused on cron conversion | Not designed for cron generation |
| Cron Variant Coverage | Supports common cron dialects | Not applicable to calendar scheduling | Not applicable to coding agent |
| Developer Integration | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Open-source Availability | Yes | No | Yes |
| Local Dev Setup | Yes | No | Yes |
| Team Scheduling | No | Yes | No |
| Agent Automation | Partial | Partial | Yes |
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Convert natural-language descriptions into ready-to-use cron expressions with Cron AI.
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Cron AI is a London-based 3D sensing startup delivering autonomous-perception tech for vehicles, backed by notable investors.
