/loop Command (Scheduled Recurring Prompts) / Claude Code v2.1.71

What

A new /loop slash command that schedules prompts to run on a recurring interval, enabling automated monitoring, polling, and periodic tasks within a Claude Code session.

Usage

/loop 5m /babysit-prs
/loop 30m check the deploy
/loop 1h /standup 1
/loop check the deploy          (defaults to 10m interval)

Details

Supports intervals in seconds, minutes, hours, or days (e.g., 5m, 30m, 2h, 1d). Minimum granularity is 1 minute
Also supports standard 5-field cron expressions for precise scheduling (e.g., "/5 " for every 5 minutes, "30 14 * 1-5" for weekdays at 2:30pm)
Jobs are session-only by default (die when Claude exits), but can be persisted to .claude/scheduled_tasks.json to survive restarts
Recurring tasks auto-expire after 3 days
A small deterministic jitter is added to fire times to avoid thundering-herd effects
Only fires while the REPL is idle (not mid-query)
Uses file-based locking so only one Claude session runs the scheduler at a time
Three new internal tools: CronCreate, CronDelete, CronList

Evidence

Cron expression parser (search for "Standard 5-field cron expression") — _a6 at line ~449603. Loop command (search for "/loop")

Strings lifted out of the shipped bundle, so the claim above can be checked against them.

How sure we are

One source agreesOne thing we can check says the same as this entry.

Anthropic's release notes agreeAdded /loop command to run a prompt or slash command on a recurring interval (e.g. /loop 5m check the deploy)

See this entry in the whole of v2.1.71 →

The build it came inv2.1.71

6 Mar 2026 · 18 entries, this one is #2.

Either side of it

v2.1.70Older
v2.1.72Newer

Open the release →

Names in this entry

slash/loop
Skill. Run a prompt repeatedly while the session stays open. Omit the interval and Claude self-paces between iterations. Omit the prompt and Claude runs the built-in maintenance prompt or your loop.md. Example: /loop 5m check if the deploy finished. See Run prompts on a schedule. Alias: /proactive
toolCronCreate
Schema declarations across the bundle were shortened with no change to accepted values.
toolCronDelete
Cancels a scheduled job created by CronCreate, given its id, and returns Cancelled job <id>.. An unknown id fails with No scheduled job with id '<id>', and a subagent cannot delete a job owned by another agent. Enabled unless CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON is set to a true value (1, true, yes or on) or the tengu_kairos_cron flag (default on) is off.
toolCronList
CronCreate and CronList now show when each job will next run, and the CronCreate description now mentions a larger per-job delay

Anthropic's note

Upstream's own release notes for v2.1.71 name something this entry names, so the two are probably about the same change. Probably: the pairing is made on a shared name rather than on the words around it.

Added /loop command to run a prompt or slash command on a recurring interval (e.g. /loop 5m check the deploy)

Is this right?