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littlekit.app

Cron next-run preview

See the next UTC dates for a numeric five-field cron schedule with a bounded, explicit search window.

Upcoming UTC runs
5Matching runs
UTCTimezone
5 yearsSearch horizon
1
2026-01-01Thursday
09:00 UTC
2
2026-01-02Friday
09:00 UTC
3
2026-01-05Monday
09:00 UTC
4
2026-01-06Tuesday
09:00 UTC
5
2026-01-07Wednesday
09:00 UTC
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ

Starting years:1970–2094. Runs are calculated at minute boundaries, strictly after your start time.

Processed on your device

How it works & useful details

How it works & supported syntax

Uses the numeric five-field Unix-style subset in UTC. The first run is strictly after the entered starting instant. Search stops after five calendar years and returns at most 20 matches. No daylight-saving or local timezone conversion is applied.

Both restricted day fields use OR; when either begins with *, both must match. No names, macros, seconds/year fields or scheduler-specific extensions. This is a calculated preview, not a running scheduler.

Local workspace

Your input stays in this page. These tools calculate or process text; they do not run commands, start containers, contact servers or change settings on your device.

Previews pause above 20,000 combined characters. Use the action to process the full supported input. Exports contain the complete result within the tool’s stated limits.

About this tool

Cron next-run preview shows the next UTC dates a numeric five-field schedule will fire, using a bounded search window so it never runs away on impossible expressions. It is the fastest way to confirm that a schedule actually runs when you think it does.

The search is explicit about its limits: if no run is found inside the window, the tool says so instead of guessing. No job is scheduled; this is a preview only.

How to use it

  1. Enter the five-field cron expression using numeric fields.
  2. Choose how many upcoming runs you want to see.
  3. Review the listed UTC dates and weekdays.
  4. Adjust the expression until the preview matches your intent.

Worked example

0 0 1 * 1 looks like "midnight on the 1st, if it is a Monday", but after 2026-09-24 its next runs are:

2026-09-28T00:00:00Z   (Monday)
2026-10-01T00:00:00Z   (Thursday, the 1st)
2026-10-05T00:00:00Z   (Monday)
2026-10-12T00:00:00Z   (Monday)
2026-10-19T00:00:00Z   (Monday)

When both day-of-month and day-of-week are restricted, standard cron runs when either matches. This preview makes that surprise visible before it runs in production.

Checks worth doing before deploying a schedule

  • Does the first run happen when you expect, or does it wait until next month?
  • Do schedules on the 29th, 30th, or 31st skip short months? For example, 0 0 31 * * runs only seven times a year.
  • Is 0 0 29 2 * really what you want? It runs only in leap years.
  • Is the job idempotent if a run happens twice or is missed, for example during a deploy or an outage?

The preview returns up to 20 runs within a five-year search window, strictly after the start time you enter. All times are UTC.

Frequently asked questions

Why did it find no upcoming runs?

The expression may be impossible or outside the bounded search window, such as a specific day that does not exist that month. The tool states the limit it used.

Are names like MON or JAN supported?

This preview targets numeric fields so the interpretation stays unambiguous; use the builder for named-field help.

Does it consider daylight saving time?

Runs are computed in UTC, so local clock changes do not shift the preview.