MCP Crontab Explorer
About
A MCP Server exposing tools for fetching entries and viewing logs
Details
- Author
- jasona7
- GitHub stars
- 4
- Downloads
- 153
- Categories
- Other
Jump to
- List all crontab entries for the current user
- Search entries by keyword (case‑insensitive)
- Explain any cron expression in plain English
- Calculate the next N execution times
- Validate cron expression syntax
- Add or remove crontab entries
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
MCP Crontab ExplorerCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
Install via uvx mcp-crontab-server or from source with pip install -e .. Add it to your Claude Desktop configuration or use claude mcp add crontab for Claude Code. Run as a stdio server by default, or use --transport sse for SSE.
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp crontab explorer": {
"crontab": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-crontab-server"
]
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"crontab": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-crontab-server"
]
}
}MCP Crontab Server
An MCP server for exploring, explaining, and managing crontab entries. Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and any MCP client.
Standout features: Explain cron expressions in plain English and calculate upcoming execution times — no more guessing what /15 9-17 1-5 means.
Quick Start
Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"crontab": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-crontab-server"]
}
}
}
Claude Code
claude mcp add crontab -- uvx mcp-crontab-server
Install from source
git clone https://github.com/jalloway/mcp-crontab-server.git
cd mcp-crontab-server
pip install -e .
mcp-crontab-server
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| list_crontab | List all crontab entries for the current user |
| search_crontab | Search entries by keyword (case-insensitive) |
| get_cron_logs | Recent cron execution logs (journalctl / syslog) |
| explain_cron_expression | Explain a cron expression in plain English |
| next_runs | Calculate the next N execution times |
| validate_cron_expression | Check if an expression is syntactically valid |
| add_cron_entry | Add a new entry to the user's crontab |
| remove_cron_entry | Remove entries matching a pattern |
Example Conversations
"What does this cron expression mean?"
> explain_cron_expression("/15 9-17 1-5")
>
> Every 15 minutes, from 9:00 AM through 5:59 PM, Monday through Friday
"When will this job run next?"
> next_runs("0 2 0", count=3)
>
> Next 3 runs for '0 2 0':
> 1. 2026-03-01 02:00:00 Sunday
> 2. 2026-03-08 02:00:00 Sunday
> 3. 2026-03-15 02:00:00 Sunday
"Is this valid?"
> validate_cron_expression("60 ")
>
> Invalid: Value 60 out of range (0-59) in minute field
Development
```bash
pip install -e .
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