GitHub Actions Cron Expression Guide
GitHub Actions uses standard 5-field cron syntax in UTC — always. Converting your local time to UTC is the most common source of confusion. The builder above shows next run times in your local timezone.
Live Builder
Valid
MINMinute
0HRHour
9DOMDay of Month
*MONMonth
*DOWDay of Week
1-5In plain English
At 09:00 AM, Monday through Friday
English → Cron
Try: "every 5 minutes", "every weekday at 9am", "every Monday at 3pm", "every month on the 1st"
Next 10 Executions
UTC- 1Mon, May 18, 09:00 AM UTCin 3d
- 2Tue, May 19, 09:00 AM UTCin 4d
- 3Wed, May 20, 09:00 AM UTCin 5d
- 4Thu, May 21, 09:00 AM UTCin 6d
- 5Fri, May 22, 09:00 AM UTCin 7d
- 6Mon, May 25, 09:00 AM UTCin 10d
- 7Tue, May 26, 09:00 AM UTCin 11d
- 8Wed, May 27, 09:00 AM UTCin 12d
- 9Thu, May 28, 09:00 AM UTCin 13d
- 10Fri, May 29, 09:00 AM UTCin 14d
crontab entrybash
# Add to crontab with: crontab -e
0 9 * * 1-5 /path/to/your/script.shSyntax Overview
Field order
MIN
Minute
HR
Hour
DOM
Day of Month
MON
Month
DOW
Day of Week
0 14 * * 1-5Example: At 02:00 PM, Monday through Friday
⚠
GitHub Actions schedules run in UTC. Convert your local time before setting.
Common Expressions
0 0 * * *—Every day at midnight UTC (8pm EST)0 14 * * 1-5—Every weekday at 9am EST (14:00 UTC)*/30 * * * *—Every 30 minutes0 9 * * 1—Every Monday at 9am UTC0 6 * * *—Every day at 6am UTC (2am EST)0 0 1 * *—1st of every month at midnight UTCFrequently Asked Questions
Does GitHub Actions cron run in UTC or local time? ▾
Always UTC — there is no timezone setting for GitHub Actions schedule triggers. Convert your desired local time to UTC before writing the expression. For example, 9am US Eastern Standard Time = 14:00 UTC.
Why does my GitHub Actions scheduled workflow sometimes not run? ▾
GitHub Actions scheduled workflows may be delayed by 15-60 minutes (or longer during high GitHub load). They are not guaranteed to run at the exact scheduled time. For critical timing, use a dedicated external scheduler.
Can I disable a GitHub Actions scheduled workflow without deleting it? ▾
Yes — go to your repository's Actions tab, select the workflow, and use the "..." menu to disable it. Re-enable it the same way when needed.
Does GitHub automatically disable scheduled workflows on forked repos? ▾
Yes — GitHub disables scheduled workflows on forks by default to prevent unintended usage. The fork owner must manually enable Actions in the forked repo settings.
What is the minimum cron interval for GitHub Actions? ▾
GitHub Actions cron expressions have a 5-minute minimum interval. The GitHub documentation notes that "The shortest interval you can run scheduled workflows is once every 5 minutes."