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Scheduled Tasks

Scheduled Tasks is the module for automation triggered by a recurring schedule. You pick the schedule, and the task runs its action steps at each scheduled time without an incoming email, form submission, or PSA event.

Use Scheduled Tasks when:

  • You need to periodically synchronise data between systems (for example, push a value from another source into Autotask custom fields).
  • You want a nightly housekeeping run that closes stale tickets, archives old records, or emails a report.
  • You are building a scheduled outbound notification (daily digest, weekly summary, end-of-month reminder).
  • You need to keep data fresh that would otherwise go stale until a user triggers a lookup.

If the trigger is an inbound email, see Email Processing. If it is a public form submission, see Forms. If it is a change inside your PSA, see PSA Workflows.

How It Works​

A scheduled task has three parts:

PartPurpose
Name and descriptionHow the task appears in the console list and history.
ScheduleA cron-style cadence that controls when the task fires (for example, hourly, daily at 02:00, weekdays at 08:00).
Action stepsThe ordered work the task performs each time it fires. Available actions depend on your subscription and the task's trigger.

Each run starts with no data​

Because nothing triggers a scheduled task except the clock, each run starts with no email, form, or event data to work from. Start the task with a query (HTTP request, API call, or data lookup) that fetches the records the rest of the task works through.

Every run appears in History​

Each time the schedule fires, the task's action steps run in order and the run appears in History with the scheduler trigger type. Each step can save its results in {{custom.name}} for later steps to use. The history entry shows whether the run completed or failed. See Exceptions and Retries for what happens on failure.

Variables Available in Scheduled Tasks​

Variable groupSet byPurpose
metaSystemProcessing run and schedule details (meta.history.id, meta.scheduler.id, meta.scheduler.name)
customYouWorking data within the task

Scheduled Tasks do not have email, input, global, or output variables. Each run starts fresh; nothing carries over from one run to the next.

Full details: Variables.

The Console​

Click Apps in the top bar, then click Scheduled Tasks. Use the Scheduled Tasks sidebar to open:

  • Home: landing page with a snapshot of your tasks.
  • All Tasks: list, create, edit, and run tasks.
  • Task History: review every run, with the full execution log and replay.

Every task in the All Tasks list has a Run button that runs the task once right away, so you can verify the logic without waiting for the next scheduled run. This is a real run: its action steps make real changes, such as updating Autotask records. After you confirm, the console opens the run's history entry.

Typical Patterns​

Iterate and update​

  1. Query the source system for records that need an update.
  2. Use the Iterate action to walk the list.
  3. For each record, run the write API call.

The Scheduled Banner Updates tutorial is a complete worked example.

Query and notify​

  1. Query a system for records matching some criteria.
  2. Use the result to build an email, Slack message, or Teams notification.
  3. Send the notification and stop.

Time-window cleanup​

  1. Query records older than N days/weeks/months.
  2. Close, archive, or flag each one.
  3. Record a summary in the history log.

Start Here​

  • Core Concepts: how triggers, action steps, and variables work together.
  • Expression Builder: filter which iterations of a scheduled task do the real work.
  • Actions library: action reference, including HTTP, iteration, AI, and PSA actions. Your subscription determines which actions you can use.

Tutorials​