MCP Crontab Explorer

@jasona7

About MCP Crontab Explorer

A MCP Server exposing tools for fetching entries and viewing logs

Basic information

Category

Other

Runtime

python

Transports

stdio

Publisher

jasona7

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crontab": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-crontab-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

8

List all crontab entries for the current user

Search entries by keyword (case-insensitive)

Recent cron execution logs (journalctl / syslog)

Explain a cron expression in plain English

Calculate the next N execution times

Check if an expression is syntactically valid

Add a new entry to the user's crontab

Remove entries matching a pattern

Overview

What is MCP Crontab Explorer?

MCP Crontab Explorer is an MCP server for exploring, explaining, and managing crontab entries. It works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and any MCP client, and can translate cron expressions into plain English and calculate upcoming execution times.

How to use MCP Crontab Explorer?

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.

Key features of MCP Crontab Explorer

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

Use cases of MCP Crontab Explorer

Understand what a complex cron pattern like */15 9-17 * * 1-5 actually means
Find out when a scheduled job will next run (e.g., next 3 runs of 0 2 * * 0)
Check if a cron expression is syntactically valid before adding it
View and manage your personal crontab entries through an MCP client
Search your crontab for entries containing a specific keyword

FAQ from MCP Crontab Explorer

What are the system requirements?

Python 3.10+, Linux/macOS (requires the crontab command), and the packages fastmcp>=2.0.0 and croniter>=1.0.0.

What transports are supported?

The server runs on stdio by default. Use mcp-crontab-server --transport sse to switch to SSE transport.

How do I explain a cron expression?

Use the explain_cron_expression tool and pass the expression as a string; it returns a plain‑English description.

How do I calculate the next run times for an entry?

Use the next_runs tool with the expression and an optional count (default 5) to get the next scheduled execution times.

Can I add or remove entries from my crontab?

Yes. Use add_cron_entry to insert a new entry, and remove_cron_entry to delete entries matching a given pattern.

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