> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.noclick.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agent scheduling with alarms

> Let an agent schedule its own future wake-ups with the alarm node, one-off or recurring, and continue the conversation when they fire.

The **Alarm** node lets an agent schedule its own future runs. Wire it from its top handle into the agent's bottom handle, like a tool, or add it from the agent's **Add tool** palette. The agent gets four tools:

| Tool             | What it does                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `schedule_alarm` | Set an alarm: a countdown (`30s`, `5m`, `2h`, `1d`), a specific ISO 8601 datetime, or a recurring cron expression (`0 9 * * 1`). Includes a message the agent will receive when it fires |
| `list_alarms`    | List active alarms with their schedule IDs, next run times, and messages                                                                                                                 |
| `cancel_alarm`   | Delete an alarm by schedule ID                                                                                                                                                           |
| `update_alarm`   | Enable or disable an alarm, or change its message                                                                                                                                        |

## What happens when an alarm fires

The workflow runs and the agent wakes with the stored message delivered as an event in its turn, alongside its standing instructions from the **Message** field. The alarm also carries the [conversation key](/agents/conversations) that was active when it was scheduled, so the agent resumes the same conversation with full context of why it set the alarm.

The alarm node's config panel shows an **Active Alarms** viewer so you can inspect and audit what the agent has scheduled.

<Frame caption="An alarm node wired into an agent, with the Active Alarms viewer open">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/noclickinc/M99Xyd8Ho6Jf17gu/images/agents/scheduling-1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=M99Xyd8Ho6Jf17gu&q=85&s=6aee91c303313b50fc5dd91480d120f5" alt="Alarm node connected to an agent showing scheduled alarms" width="2580" height="1596" data-path="images/agents/scheduling-1.png" />
</Frame>

## Example: a daily research agent

<Steps>
  <Step title="Wire the pieces">
    Create an agent, wire in an **Alarm** node, and wire a send tool (for example a Slack node with **Send Message to Channel** allowlisted) so the agent can deliver results.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write standing instructions">
    In **Message**: "You are a research assistant. When asked to monitor a topic, schedule a daily alarm. When an alarm fires, research the topic and post a summary to Slack."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Kick it off">
    Run the agent once with a request like "track AI agent frameworks every morning at 9". The agent calls `schedule_alarm` with the cron `0 9 * * *` and a message describing the task.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Let it run">
    Each morning the alarm fires, the agent wakes with its own note, does the research, and posts the summary. Ask it to stop and it calls `cancel_alarm`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Alarms are for agent self-scheduling. To run a whole workflow on a fixed schedule you define yourself, use a [schedule trigger](/triggers/schedules) instead.
</Note>