zerodb-cron

Cron scheduler + DB event triggers backed by ZeroDB. Same schedule() syntax as node-cron, plus onEvent() for real-time database triggers that node-cron can never do.

Why switch?

Feature	node-cron	zerodb-cron
Cron scheduling	Yes	Yes
DB event triggers	No	Yes (onEvent)
Persistent across restarts	No	Yes (ZeroDB hooks)
Auto-provisioning	N/A	Yes (zero config)
Zero dependencies	No (3 deps)	Yes

Quick Start

npm install zerodb-cron

import { schedule, onEvent } from 'zerodb-cron';

// Classic cron syntax — identical to node-cron
schedule('*/5 * * * *', async () => {
  console.log('Runs every 5 minutes');
});

// DB event triggers — the upgrade over node-cron
onEvent('zerodb.vector.stored', async (event) => {
  console.log('New vector stored:', event.data.vector_id);
});

onEvent('zerodb.memory.created', async (event) => {
  console.log('New memory:', event.data);
});

Migration from node-cron

- import cron from 'node-cron';
+ import { schedule, validate } from 'zerodb-cron';

// Same API — just import from zerodb-cron instead
- cron.schedule('0 * * * *', () => {
+ schedule('0 * * * *', () => {
    console.log('Runs every hour');
  });

- cron.validate('bad expression');
+ validate('bad expression'); // false

Cron Scheduling

import { schedule } from 'zerodb-cron';

// Every 5 minutes
const task = schedule('*/5 * * * *', async () => {
  console.log('tick');
});

// With seconds (6-field expression)
schedule('*/30 * * * * *', async () => {
  console.log('Every 30 seconds');
});

// Weekdays only, 9 AM to 5 PM
schedule('0 9-17 * * 1-5', async () => {
  console.log('Business hours check');
});

// Control the task
task.stop();   // Pause
task.start();  // Resume
task.destroy(); // Clean up

DB Event Triggers

The killer feature node-cron doesn't have:

import { onEvent } from 'zerodb-cron';

// React to vector operations
onEvent('zerodb.vector.stored', async (event) => {
  console.log('Vector stored:', event.data);
});

// React to memory events
onEvent('zerodb.memory.created', async (event) => {
  console.log('Memory created:', event.data);
});

// React to file uploads
onEvent('zerodb.file.uploaded', async (event) => {
  console.log('File uploaded:', event.data.file_name);
});

// Custom poll interval (default: 5 seconds)
const listener = onEvent('zerodb.table.row_inserted', async (event) => {
  console.log('New row:', event.data);
}, { pollInterval: 2000 });

// Stop listening
listener.stop();

Combined: Cron + Events

import { schedule, onEvent } from 'zerodb-cron';

// Hourly: process all vectors stored in the last hour
schedule('0 * * * *', async () => {
  console.log('Hourly vector processing batch');
});

// Real-time: react to new vectors immediately
onEvent('zerodb.vector.stored', async (event) => {
  console.log('Immediate: new vector', event.data.vector_id);
});

Validation

import { validate } from 'zerodb-cron';

validate('*/5 * * * *');     // true
validate('0 9-17 * * 1-5');  // true
validate('bad expression');   // false
validate('* * *');            // false (too few fields)

Configuration

import { configure } from 'zerodb-cron';

// Option 1: Environment variables (recommended)
// ZERODB_API_KEY=your-key
// ZERODB_PROJECT_ID=your-project

// Option 2: Explicit config
configure({
  apiKey: 'your-key',
  projectId: 'your-project',
});

// Option 3: Auto-provisioning (just use it, ZeroDB provisions automatically)

Options

schedule(expression, callback, options?)

Option	Type	Default	Description
scheduled	boolean	true	Start immediately
timezone	string	null	IANA timezone name
name	string	auto	Task name for hook registration

onEvent(eventType, callback, options?)

Option	Type	Default	Description
pollInterval	number	5000	Poll interval in ms
name	string	auto	Hook name

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
ZERODB_API_KEY	ZeroDB API key
ZERODB_PROJECT_ID	ZeroDB project ID

---

Built by AINative Studio | ZeroDB Docs | GitHub

Drop-in node-cron replacement. Get DB event triggers for free.

npm install zerodb-cron

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Zero-Config Auto-Provisioning

No account needed to start. On first run, this package automatically:

1. Provisions a free ZeroDB instance (~800ms)
2. Saves credentials locally (.env, .mcp.json)
3. Prints a claim link in your terminal

The 72-Hour Window

Your auto-provisioned instance is free for 72 hours. To keep your data permanently, visit the claim URL printed in your terminal.

For AI Agents

If a coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf) installs this package:

• Auto-provisions without human intervention
• The claim URL appears in agent output — visit it to take ownership
• .claude/CLAUDE.md instructs agents to surface the claim link to you
• Check .env or ~/.ainative/config.json for your project ID if you miss it