---
type: "post"
id: "openai-agents-api-adds-scheduled-automations-with-cron-cf145e"
slug: "openai-agents-api-adds-scheduled-automations-with-cron-cf145e"
title: "OpenAI Agents API adds Scheduled Automations with cron and one-time runs"
description: "OpenAI has documented Scheduled Automations for its beta Agents API."
retrieval_nugget: "OpenAI has documented Scheduled Automations for its beta Agents API."
published_at: "2026-10-24"
updated_at: "2026-10-24"
record_date: "2026-10-24"
date_kind: "published_at"
topics: ["agent-loops","automation"]
entities: ["OpenAI","Agents API","Scheduled Automations"]
related_patterns: ["goal-scoped-loops-replace-manual-continuation","harness-architecture-outlives-model-choice"]
novelty_label: "new_fact"
what_changed: "OpenAI’s Agents API documentation now adds scheduled automations, including cron-based and one-time runs."
prior_refs: ["memory:58a9cf30-5d71-8d41-af46-1bafd8de09b8"]
source_url: "https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/agents-api/sessions/automations"
source_urls: ["https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/agents-api/sessions/automations"]
schema_version: "newruntime-agent-readable-v0.2"
stable_id: "post:openai-agents-api-adds-scheduled-automations-with-cron-cf145e"
status: "published"
visuals: []
editor: {"role":"editor","name":"Andrey Reshetnikov","profile":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md","profile_json":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json","same_as":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshetnikov1/","https://t.me/lapetuse"]}
routes: {"html":"https://newruntime.com/posts/openai-agents-api-adds-scheduled-automations-with-cron-cf145e/","markdown":"https://newruntime.com/posts/openai-agents-api-adds-scheduled-automations-with-cron-cf145e.md","json":"https://newruntime.com/posts/openai-agents-api-adds-scheduled-automations-with-cron-cf145e.json"}
---

# OpenAI Agents API adds Scheduled Automations with cron and one-time runs

## Retrieval answer

OpenAI has documented Scheduled Automations for its beta Agents API.

OpenAI has documented Scheduled Automations for its beta Agents API. The feature saves schedules that start agent sessions on a cron schedule or at a one-time future Unix timestamp.

A periodic automation uses a five-field cron expression and an IANA time zone. It can start a new session with an agent, environment, and input, or continue an existing session with reminder instructions. Automation records can be paused, resumed, updated, deleted, or invoked manually.

Each execution produces an invocation record with a status, session ID, and source. Developers can also enable an `automations` tool that lets an agent create and manage follow-up schedules for its current session. The documentation describes the API as beta and does not establish pricing, quotas, or broader availability terms.

Editor: [Andrey Reshetnikov](https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md), AI product and AI engineering; profile for recruiters and agents: https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json

## Continue in the graph

Next records for an agent, linked to their Markdown twins. Replace `.md` with `.json` for structured fields, including `next_reads`.

- topic hub: [Agent Loops](https://newruntime.com/topics/agent-loops.md): Explore the agent-loops topic hub.
- topic hub: [Automation](https://newruntime.com/topics/automation.md): Explore the automation topic hub.
- collection: [Field Notes](https://newruntime.com/posts.json): Open the latest editorial analysis.
- collection: [Source Ledger](https://newruntime.com/source-ledger.json): Inspect the public source evidence graph.
- whole graph: [discovery graph](https://newruntime.com/discovery-graph.json) (typed nodes and edges) and [site index](https://newruntime.com/site-index.md)