| /loop (Local Session) | /schedule (Cloud) | Desktop Tasks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Your machine, inside an active CLI session | Anthropic cloud infrastructure | Your machine, via Desktop app |
| Machine required | Yes, session must be open | No, works with laptop closed | Yes, machine must be awake |
| Minimum interval | 1 minute | 1 hour | 1 minute |
| Local file access | Full access | No (fresh repo clone each run) | Full access |
| Trigger types | Time based only | Time, API endpoint, GitHub events | Time based only |
| Permission prompts | Inherits from session | None (fully autonomous) | Configurable per task |
| Persistence | Session scoped (7 day expiry) | Persistent in cloud account | Persistent across app restarts |
1
Quick polling
Use /loop for short lived monitoring: watching a deploy, babysitting CI, checking build status. Stops when you close the terminal.
2
Recurring local tasks
Use Desktop scheduled tasks when you need local file access and scheduled runs that survive session restarts, but do not need cloud independence.
3
Autonomous cloud jobs
Use /schedule routines for tasks that must run regardless of your machine state: daily PR reviews, weekly dependency audits, event driven automation.
Cloud routines are in research preview
Cloud routines (/schedule) run on Anthropic's managed infrastructure and keep working when your laptop is closed. This is a significant capability, but it is currently in research preview. Features, limits, and pricing may change. Routines require a claude.ai subscription (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) and Claude Code CLI v2.1.81 or later.
Choosing the right scheduling tier
If you need to poll something for 30 minutes while you work, use
/loop. If you need a daily task that runs on your machine with access to local files, use Desktop scheduled tasks. If you need a task that runs whether or not your computer is on, use /schedule cloud routines. All three can coexist, and you can start with /loop to prototype a task before promoting it to a cloud routine.