Claude Code Routines: Automate AI Workflows on Autopilot in 2026

Claude Code Routines: Automate AI Workflows on Autopilot in 2026

TL;DR Summary

• Claude Code Routines run on Anthropic's cloud infrastructure — your laptop can be closed, routines keep executing


• Three trigger types: schedule (cron, recurring or one-off), API (HTTP POST from any system), and GitHub events (PRs, releases)


• Routines run autonomously as full Claude Code sessions — they clone repos, use MCP connectors, run shell commands, and create PRs


• Use cases include PR review, alert triage, deploy verification, docs drift detection, backport automation, and library sync


• Available on Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise plans with Claude Code on the web enabled. Create via web dashboard or /schedule in CLI

Direct Answer Block

A Claude Code Routine is a saved configuration — a prompt, repositories, and MCP connectors — that executes automatically on Anthropic's managed cloud infrastructure. You define it once, then it runs on schedule, when called via API, or when a GitHub event fires. Unlike CI/CD pipelines that run deterministic scripts, routines run full AI-powered coding sessions autonomously: they reason about your codebase, use tools, and produce PRs.

Introduction

Most automation tools force a tradeoff: either you write deterministic scripts that can't think, or you run AI agents that need constant supervision. Claude Code Routines split the difference. They run unattended on cloud infrastructure — scheduled, API-triggered, or GitHub-event-driven — but each run is a full Claude Code session with access to your repos, MCP connectors, and shell. The routine's prompt defines what to do; the infrastructure handles when and how. No laptop, no open terminal, no approval prompts.

What are Claude Code Routines and how do they differ from CI/CD pipelines?

Routines are not CI/CD. They are not GitHub Actions. They are autonomous AI coding sessions that run on Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure when triggered.

The distinction matters because it changes what you automate:

• CI/CD runs a deterministic script. It can't inspect a PR and decide whether the changes introduce a subtle security issue. It can lint, test, and build — but it can't reason.


• Routines run a Claude Code session. It reads your codebase, applies judgment, uses tools, and produces a PR with inline comments explaining why something should change.

"A routine stores a prompt, repositories, and connectors as one configuration and runs it automatically. The system executes routines on managed cloud infrastructure, so your workflows run without a local machine." — AlphaSignal summary of Anthropic's announcement

According to Anthropic's documentation, each routine can have one or more triggers attached:

A single routine can combine triggers. A PR review routine can run nightly, trigger from a deploy script via API, and also react to every new PR opened.

Anthropic's documentation explicitly distinguishes routines from /loop (session-scoped, stops when terminal closes), Desktop scheduled tasks (runs on your machine), and GitHub Actions (deterministic CI). Routines are the "runs on Anthropic cloud, survives independently" tier.

How do you create a routine from the web dashboard, the CLI, and the Desktop app?

Method 1: Web dashboard (claude.ai/code/routines)

This is the most complete creation surface. All three trigger types (schedule, API, GitHub) are configurable here. The creation form walks through:

1. Name and prompt — the prompt is the most important part. Since routines run autonomously, the prompt must be self-contained and explicit about what success looks like. Anthropic's docs note: "The prompt is the most important part: the routine runs autonomously, so the prompt must be self-contained and explicit about what to do and what success looks like."




2. Repositories — add GitHub repos for Claude to work in. Each is cloned at run start from the default branch. Claude creates claude/-prefixed branches for changes.




3. Environment — pick a cloud environment controlling network access (Trusted, Custom, Full), environment variables (API keys, tokens), and a setup script (dependencies install). The setup script result is cached across runs.




4. Trigger — schedule (preset or custom cron via /schedule update), API (URL + token generated after save), or GitHub event (PR/release with filters).




5. Connectors and permissions — all connected MCP connectors (Slack, Linear, Google Drive) are included by default. Remove unused ones. Enable "Allow unrestricted branch pushes" if the routine should push to existing branches.

Method 2: CLI (/schedule)

Run /schedule to create a scheduled routine conversationally. You can pass a description:

/schedule daily PR review at 9am

/schedule clean up feature flag in one week

Claude walks through the same info the web form collects. The CLI creates scheduled routines only — to add API or GitHub triggers, edit on the web.

Manage existing routines from CLI:

/schedule list        # see all routines

/schedule update      # change one

/schedule run         # trigger immediately

Method 3: Desktop app

Click Routines in the sidebar, then New routine, and choose Remote (vs Local for Desktop scheduled tasks). All three surfaces write to the same cloud account — a routine created in one appears everywhere immediately.

How do you configure schedule triggers, API triggers, and GitHub event triggers?

Schedule triggers

Pick a preset (hourly, daily, weekdays, weekly) or a custom cron via /schedule update. Minimum interval is 1 hour. Times are entered in your local timezone and converted automatically.

For one-off runs, describe the time naturally:

/schedule tomorrow at 9am, summarize yesterday's merged PRs

/schedule in 2 weeks, open a cleanup PR that removes the feature flag

One-off runs don't count against the daily routine run cap. After firing, they auto-disable.

API triggers

API triggers give a routine a dedicated HTTP endpoint. POST to the endpoint with a bearer token to start a new session.

Setup (web only):

1. Edit routine → Add another trigger → API


2. Copy the URL


3. Click Generate token — shown once, store securely

Call:

curl -X POST https://api.anthropic.com/v1/claude_code/routines/trig_01ABC.../fire \

  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-ant-oat01-xxxxx" \

  -H "anthropic-beta: experimental-cc-routine-2026-04-01" \

  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \

  -d '{"text": "Sentry alert SEN-4521 fired in prod. Stack trace attached."}'

Response returns a session ID and URL for live monitoring. Note the beta header — this is research preview.

GitHub triggers

Configure from web UI only. Requires the Claude GitHub App installed on the target repo.

Supported events: Pull request (opened, closed, assigned, labeled, synchronized) and Release (created, published, edited, deleted).

Filters (all must match):

• Author, Title, Body, Base branch, Head branch, Labels, Is draft, Is merged

Example: Base branch main + Head branch contains auth-provider → focused auth module review.

Each matching event starts a new session — no session reuse across events.

What are 6 real-world use cases for Claude Code routines — from PR review to alert triage?