> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aidocs.ethanbragdon.icu/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Schedules & Watchers

> Understand time-based and condition-based Starfire AI automation concepts, execution boundaries, and notification behavior.

# Schedules & watchers

Schedules and watchers let Starfire automation begin because of **time** or **a monitored condition**, rather than only because a person presses Send.

## Schedules

A schedule starts work at a defined time or recurrence.

Examples:

* generate a daily project summary
* run a weekly research refresh
* perform a recurring health check
* trigger an organization report

A scheduled workflow should still use the permissions, budgets, models, and tools available to its execution context at the time it runs.

## Watchers

A watcher checks for a condition and acts only when the condition is met.

Conceptually:

```text theme={null}
Check source / state
       ↓
Condition met?
   ┌───┴───┐
   no      yes
   ↓        ↓
stop    start task/workflow
```

Examples can include watching a project state, integration event, operational signal, or another supported source.

## Notification vs action

A watcher can be designed to notify a person, start a workflow, or request approval. Those are different levels of autonomy.

For sensitive workflows, a watcher detecting a condition should not automatically imply that a consequential action is authorized.

## Runtime identity

A scheduled or watched run needs a stable owner and execution context so Starfire can determine:

* who owns the run
* which organization policies apply
* which credentials/integrations can be used
* what budget is available
* where results should be delivered

## Failure and missed runs

Automation systems need explicit behavior for downtime, missed schedules, expired credentials, and repeated failures. A workflow should not silently create an unlimited backlog after being unavailable.

## Status

Schedules and watchers are part of the NEXUS automation direction and can be rolled out independently from basic custom agents.

<Note>
  The presence of this architecture in the docs does not mean every trigger source or cadence is enabled for every account.
</Note>