# Scheduler

The Visor scheduler provides a generic, frontend-agnostic system for executing workflows and reminders at specified times. It supports both static schedules defined in YAML configuration and dynamic schedules created via AI tool at runtime.

## Overview

The scheduler operates in two modes:

1. **Workflow Schedules**: Execute a named workflow/check from your configuration
2. **Simple Reminders**: Post a message or run it through the visor pipeline (e.g., for AI-powered responses)

Output destinations (Slack, GitHub, webhooks) are handled by **output adapters**, making the scheduler truly frontend-agnostic. When running with Slack, the `SlackOutputAdapter` automatically posts results back to the appropriate channel or DM.

## Configuration

> **Storage & Cloud Databases**: For detailed database configuration (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL, SSL/TLS, connection strings, cloud provider examples), see [Scheduler Storage](scheduler-storage.md).

Add scheduler settings to your `.visor.yaml`:

```yaml
scheduler:
  enabled: true
  storage:
    path: .visor/schedules.json
  default_timezone: America/New_York
  check_interval_ms: 60000  # How often to check for due schedules

  # Limits for dynamic schedules (created via AI tool)
  limits:
    max_per_user: 25
    max_recurring_per_user: 10
    max_global: 1000

  # Permissions for dynamic schedule creation
  permissions:
    allow_personal: true      # Allow schedules via DM or CLI
    allow_channel: true       # Allow channel schedules (Slack)
    allow_dm: true            # Allow DM schedules to other users
    allowed_workflows:        # Glob patterns for allowed workflows
      - "report-*"
      - "status-*"
    denied_workflows:         # Glob patterns for denied workflows
      - "admin-*"
      - "dangerous-*"

  # Static cron jobs (always allowed, bypass permissions)
  cron:
    daily-standup:
      schedule: "0 9 * * 1-5"  # Weekdays at 9am
      workflow: daily-standup
      timezone: America/New_York
      output:
        type: slack
        target: "#engineering"

    weekly-report:
      schedule: "0 10 * * 1"   # Mondays at 10am
      workflow: weekly-report
      inputs:
        team: platform
      output:
        type: slack
        target: "#platform-team"
```

## Static Cron Jobs

Static cron jobs are defined in your configuration file and always run regardless of permission settings. They're ideal for recurring organizational tasks:

```yaml
scheduler:
  cron:
    security-scan:
      schedule: "0 2 * * *"  # Daily at 2am
      workflow: security-scan
      output:
        type: slack
        target: "#security-alerts"

    backup-status:
      schedule: "0 6 * * *"  # Daily at 6am
      workflow: backup-check
      inputs:
        notify_on_failure: true
```

### Cron Expression Format

Standard 5-field cron expressions:
- `* * * * *` - minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week
- `0 9 * * *` - Every day at 9:00 AM
- `0 9 * * 1-5` - Weekdays at 9:00 AM
- `*/15 * * * *` - Every 15 minutes
- `0 0 1 * *` - First day of every month at midnight

## Dynamic Schedules (AI Tool)

Users can create schedules dynamically through the AI tool. The AI is responsible for:

1. **Extracting timing**: Converting natural language to cron expressions or ISO timestamps
2. **Determining targets**: Using the current channel context (channel ID from conversation)
3. **Identifying recurrence**: One-time vs recurring schedules

### Example Interactions

```
User in DM: "remind me to check builds every day at 9am"
AI: [calls schedule tool with action=create, reminder_text="check builds",
     cron="0 9 * * *", target_type="dm", target_id="D09SZABNLG3"]

User in #security: "run security-scan every Monday at 10am"
AI: [calls schedule tool with action=create, workflow="security-scan",
     cron="0 10 * * 1", target_type="channel", target_id="C05ABC123"]

User in DM: "remind me in 2 hours to review the PR"
AI: [calls schedule tool with action=create, reminder_text="review the PR",
     run_at="2026-02-08T18:00:00Z", target_type="dm", target_id="D09SZABNLG3"]
```

### AI Tool Parameters

The AI generates structured parameters:

| Parameter | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| `reminder_text` | What to say when the schedule fires |
| `workflow` | Alternatively, a workflow to execute |
| `target_type` | "channel", "dm", "thread", or "user" |
| `target_id` | Slack channel ID (C... or D...) |
| `cron` | For recurring: cron expression |
| `run_at` | For one-time: ISO 8601 timestamp |
| `is_recurring` | Boolean flag |

### Permission Controls

Dynamic schedules respect the `permissions` configuration:

- **allow_personal**: Controls personal schedules (DM context or CLI)
- **allow_channel**: Controls channel schedules (Slack channels)
- **allow_dm**: Controls DM schedules to other users
- **allowed_workflows**: Glob patterns that workflows must match
- **denied_workflows**: Glob patterns that block workflows (checked first)

```yaml
permissions:
  allow_personal: true
  allow_channel: false     # Disable channel schedules
  allow_dm: false          # Disable DM schedules
  allowed_workflows:
    - "report-*"           # Only allow report workflows
```

### Schedule Types and Context Restrictions

The scheduler determines schedule type based on context and enforces restrictions:

| Context | Allowed Schedule Type |
|---------|----------------------|
| CLI | personal only |
| Slack DM | personal only |
| Slack channel | channel only |
| Slack group DM | dm only |

**Context-Based Enforcement**: When creating a schedule from a DM, you can only create personal schedules. When in a channel, you can only create channel schedules. This prevents cross-context leakage (e.g., personal reminders shouldn't appear when listing schedules in a public channel).

### List Filtering

When listing schedules, only schedules matching the current context type are shown:
- In a DM: Only personal schedules
- In a channel: Only channel schedules
- In a group DM: Only dm/group schedules

This protects privacy - personal reminders created in a DM won't be visible when someone lists schedules in a public channel.

## CLI Commands

### Start the Scheduler Daemon

```bash
visor schedule start [--config .visor.yaml]
```

Runs the scheduler daemon that checks for and executes due schedules.

### List Schedules

```bash
visor schedule list [--user <userId>] [--status <status>] [--json]
```

Shows schedules. Use `--json` for machine-readable output.

### Create a Schedule

```bash
visor schedule create <workflow> --at "<expression>" [--inputs key=value] [--output-type slack] [--output-target #channel]
```

Examples:
```bash
# One-time schedule
visor schedule create daily-report --at "tomorrow at 9am"

# Recurring schedule
visor schedule create standup --at "every weekday at 9am" --output-type slack --output-target "#team"

# With inputs
visor schedule create backup-check --at "every day at 2am" --inputs environment=production
```

### Cancel a Schedule

```bash
visor schedule cancel <id>
```

### Pause/Resume

```bash
visor schedule pause <id>
visor schedule resume <id>
```

## Output Adapters

When a schedule executes, results can be routed to different destinations:

### Slack Output

```yaml
output:
  type: slack
  target: "#channel-name"  # or @username for DM
  thread_id: "1234567890.123456"  # Optional thread
```

### GitHub Output

```yaml
output:
  type: github
  target: "owner/repo"
```

### Webhook Output

```yaml
output:
  type: webhook
  target: "https://example.com/webhook"
```

### No Output

```yaml
output:
  type: none
```

## Integration with Slack

When running the Slack bot, the scheduler automatically starts and integrates with the Slack frontend:

```typescript
// In socket-runner.ts
import { Scheduler, createSlackOutputAdapter } from '../scheduler';

// Create scheduler
this.genericScheduler = new Scheduler(this.visorConfig, schedulerConfig);

// Set execution context so scheduled reminders can use the Slack client
this.genericScheduler.setExecutionContext({
  slack: this.client,
  slackClient: this.client,
});

// Register Slack output adapter for posting results
this.genericScheduler.registerOutputAdapter(
  createSlackOutputAdapter(this.client)
);

await this.genericScheduler.start();
```

### Execution Context

The scheduler uses an execution context to pass runtime dependencies to workflow executions:

- **`slackClient`**: The Slack API client for posting messages
- **`cliMessage`**: For simple reminders, this bypasses `human-input` prompts

### First Message Seeding

For simple reminders, the scheduler seeds the `PromptStateManager` so that `human-input` checks can consume the reminder text as if the user sent it:

```typescript
const mgr = getPromptStateManager();
mgr.setFirstMessage(channel, threadTs, reminderText);
```

This ensures reminders run through chat workflows smoothly without blocking for user input.

## Natural Language Parsing

The scheduler understands various time expressions:

### One-time
- "in 2 hours"
- "in 30 minutes"
- "tomorrow at 9am"
- "next Monday at 3pm"
- "Friday at noon"

### Recurring
- "every day at 9am"
- "every Monday at 9am"
- "every weekday at 9am"
- "every hour"
- "every 30 minutes"
- "every month on the 1st at midnight"

## Schedule Lifecycle

1. **Created**: Schedule is stored with status `active`
2. **Due**: When current time >= nextRunAt, schedule is picked up
3. **Executing**: Workflow runs with schedule context
4. **Completed**:
   - One-time: status changes to `completed`
   - Recurring: `nextRunAt` is updated, status stays `active`
5. **Paused**: Schedule is skipped during checks
6. **Failed**: Increments `failureCount`, may be retried

## Simple Reminders (No Workflow)

When a schedule has no `workflow` specified but includes `workflowInputs.text`, it runs as a "simple reminder":

1. The reminder text is treated as if the user sent it as a new message
2. It runs through the full visor pipeline (all configured checks)
3. The AI processes it and posts the response back via the Slack frontend
4. The `SlackOutputAdapter` detects when the pipeline handled output and avoids double-posting

This allows reminders like "check how many Jira tickets were created this week" to get an AI-generated response rather than just echoing the reminder text.

```yaml
# Example: Schedule created via AI tool
# When this fires, it runs through the pipeline and posts the AI response
{
  "workflowInputs": { "text": "How many PRs were merged today?" },
  "outputContext": { "type": "slack", "target": "D09SZABNLG3" }
}
```

### Response Continuity (previousResponse)

For **recurring** simple reminders, the scheduler saves the AI response after each execution. On subsequent runs, the previous response is included in the context, allowing the AI to reference or build upon its earlier answer.

**How it works:**
1. Reminder fires and runs through the visor pipeline
2. AI generates a response, which is posted to Slack
3. The response text is saved as `previousResponse` in the schedule store
4. On the next run, the reminder text includes the previous response:
   ```
   <original reminder text>

   ---
   **Previous Response (for context):**
   <AI's previous response>
   ---

   Please provide an updated response based on the reminder above.
   ```

**Example use case:**
```
User: "Every day at 9am, tell me how many Jira tickets were created"

Day 1: AI responds with "5 tickets were created yesterday"
Day 2: AI sees previous response and can say "8 tickets today (up from 5 yesterday)"
```

This feature enables continuity for status updates, progress tracking, and any recurring reminder where historical context is valuable. The AI can:
- Compare current data to previous runs
- Track trends over time
- Provide delta/change information
- Reference what was said before

**Note:** One-time schedules do not save previousResponse since they only execute once.

## Architecture

### File Structure

```
src/
├── scheduler/                    # Generic scheduler module
│   ├── index.ts                  # Public exports
│   ├── schedule-store.ts         # Schedule persistence facade
│   ├── schedule-parser.ts        # Natural language parsing utilities
│   ├── scheduler.ts              # Generic scheduler daemon
│   ├── schedule-tool.ts          # AI tool for schedule management
│   ├── cli-handler.ts            # CLI command handlers
│   └── store/                    # Storage backends
│       ├── index.ts              # Backend factory
│       ├── types.ts              # Backend interface & config types
│       └── sqlite-store.ts       # SQLite backend (OSS)
│
├── enterprise/
│   └── scheduler/
│       └── knex-store.ts         # PostgreSQL/MySQL/MSSQL backend (Enterprise)
│
└── slack/
    └── slack-output-adapter.ts   # Posts results to Slack
```

### Key Components

| Component | Purpose |
|-----------|---------|
| `Scheduler` | Main daemon that checks for due schedules and executes them |
| `ScheduleStore` | Singleton for persisting schedules to JSON |
| `ScheduleOutputAdapter` | Interface for output destinations |
| `SlackOutputAdapter` | Implements output posting for Slack |
| `schedule-tool` | AI tool definition and handler |

### Execution Flow

1. User creates schedule via AI tool or CLI
2. `ScheduleStore.create()` persists schedule
3. `Scheduler` either sets up cron job (recurring) or setTimeout (one-time)
4. When schedule fires:
   - With workflow: Runs named workflow via `StateMachineExecutionEngine`
   - Without workflow: Runs reminder text through full visor pipeline
5. `SlackOutputAdapter.sendResult()` posts results (unless pipeline already handled it)

## Troubleshooting

### Schedule Not Running

1. Check scheduler is running: `visor schedule start`
2. Verify schedule status: `visor schedule list`
3. Check workflow exists in config
4. Verify permissions allow the schedule type

### Reminder Not Posting to Slack

1. Verify the execution context includes Slack client:
   ```typescript
   scheduler.setExecutionContext({ slack: client, slackClient: client });
   ```
2. Check that `SlackOutputAdapter` is registered:
   ```typescript
   scheduler.registerOutputAdapter(createSlackOutputAdapter(client));
   ```
3. For simple reminders, verify the pipeline has a `human-input` check and AI check
4. Check logs for `[SlackOutputAdapter] Skipping post` - this means the pipeline already handled output

### Personal Reminders Showing in Channel

If personal reminders appear when listing in a channel, ensure:
1. The `allowedScheduleType` context is being set correctly based on channel type
2. The schedule's `outputContext.target` correctly identifies the channel type

### Permission Denied

1. Check `permissions` config matches schedule type
2. Verify workflow matches `allowed_workflows` patterns
3. Ensure workflow doesn't match `denied_workflows`

### Timezone Issues

1. Set explicit timezone in config: `default_timezone: America/New_York`
2. User timezone is captured when schedule is created
3. All times stored as UTC internally

## API Reference

### Schedule Interface

```typescript
interface Schedule {
  id: string;                          // UUID v4
  creatorId: string;                   // User who created
  creatorName?: string;                // User display name (for messages)
  creatorContext?: string;             // "slack:U123", "github:user", "cli"
  timezone: string;                    // IANA timezone
  schedule: string;                    // Cron expression (empty for one-time)
  runAt?: number;                      // Unix timestamp (one-time only)
  isRecurring: boolean;
  originalExpression: string;          // Natural language input (for display)
  workflow?: string;                   // Workflow/check ID (undefined for simple reminders)
  workflowInputs?: Record<string, unknown>;  // For reminders: { text: "..." }
  outputContext?: ScheduleOutputContext;
  status: 'active' | 'paused' | 'completed' | 'failed';
  nextRunAt?: number;
  lastRunAt?: number;
  runCount: number;
  failureCount: number;
  lastError?: string;                  // Last error message if failed
  previousResponse?: string;           // AI response from last run (recurring only)
  createdAt: number;                   // Creation timestamp
}
```

### ScheduleOutputContext

```typescript
interface ScheduleOutputContext {
  type: 'slack' | 'github' | 'webhook' | 'none';
  target?: string;
  threadId?: string;
  metadata?: Record<string, unknown>;
}
```
