Microsoft-Rewards-Bot/docs/schedule.md

Automatic Task Scheduling

The bot can automatically configure your system's task scheduler when you run it for the first time. This works on:

• ✅ Windows → Windows Task Scheduler
• ✅ Linux/Raspberry Pi → cron
• ✅ macOS → cron

---

Quick Setup (Recommended)

1. Edit your configuration

Open src/config.jsonc and find the scheduling section:

{
  "scheduling": {
    "enabled": true,  // ← Change this to true
    "type": "auto",   // ← Leave as "auto" for automatic detection
    
    // For Linux/Raspberry Pi/macOS:
    "cron": {
      "schedule": "0 9 * * *"  // ← Daily at 9 AM (customize if needed)
    },
    
    // For Windows:
    "taskScheduler": {
      "schedule": "09:00",     // ← Daily at 9:00 AM (customize if needed)
      "frequency": "daily"
    }
  }
}

2. Run the bot once

npm run start

That's it! The bot will automatically:

• Detect your operating system
• Configure the appropriate scheduler (cron or Task Scheduler)
• Set it up to run at your specified time
• Show you a confirmation message

3. Verify it worked

Linux/Raspberry Pi/macOS:

crontab -l

You should see a line with # Microsoft-Rewards-Bot

Windows:

• Open Task Scheduler
• Look for "Microsoft-Rewards-Bot" in the task list

---

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Raspberry Pi - Run daily at 9 AM

{
  "scheduling": {
    "enabled": true,
    "type": "auto",
    "cron": {
      "schedule": "0 9 * * *",
      "logFile": "/home/pi/rewards.log"  // Optional: save logs here
    }
  }
}

Example 2: Windows - Run twice daily

{
  "scheduling": {
    "enabled": true,
    "type": "auto",
    "taskScheduler": {
      "schedule": "09:00",    // First run at 9 AM
      "frequency": "daily"
    }
  }
}

For multiple times per day on Windows, you'll need to manually create additional tasks.

Example 3: Linux - Run on weekdays only at 2:30 PM

{
  "scheduling": {
    "enabled": true,
    "type": "cron",
    "cron": {
      "schedule": "30 14 * * 1-5"  // 2:30 PM, Monday-Friday
    }
  }
}

Cron Schedule Examples

Use crontab.guru to create custom schedules:

Schedule	Description
0 9 * * *	Every day at 9:00 AM
30 14 * * *	Every day at 2:30 PM
0 9,21 * * *	Every day at 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM
0 9 * * 1-5	Weekdays at 9:00 AM (Monday-Friday)
0 */6 * * *	Every 6 hours
0 8 * * 0	Every Sunday at 8:00 AM

---

Disabling Automatic Scheduling

To remove the scheduled task:

1. Set "enabled": false in your config
2. Run the bot once: npm run start
3. The scheduler will be automatically removed

Or manually remove it:

Linux/Raspberry Pi/macOS:

crontab -e
# Delete the line with "# Microsoft-Rewards-Bot"

Windows:

• Open Task Scheduler
• Find "Microsoft-Rewards-Bot"
• Right-click → Delete

---

Manual Configuration (Advanced)

If you prefer manual setup or need more control, follow these platform-specific guides:

Windows Task Scheduler (Manual)

1. Open Task Scheduler, choose Create Basic Task..., and name it Microsoft Rewards Bot.
2. Pick a trigger (daily, weekly, at startup, etc.).
3. Choose Start a Program and configure:
   • Program/script: powershell.exe
   • Arguments: -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "cd 'C:\Users\YourUser\Microsoft-Rewards-Script'; npm run start"
   • Start in (optional): C:\Users\YourUser\Microsoft-Rewards-Script
4. Finish the wizard, edit the task on the General tab, and enable Run whether user is logged on or not. Grant highest privileges if required.
5. Test with Run. Append | Tee-Object -FilePath C:\Logs\rewards.log to capture output in a file.

Tip: prefer a batch file? Create run-rewards.bat with cd /d C:\Users\YourUser\Microsoft-Rewards-Script and npm run start, then point Task Scheduler to that file.

---

Linux / macOS (cron - Manual)

1. Run npm run start once to confirm the project completes successfully.
2. Edit the crontab: crontab -e.
3. Add an entry (example: 09:15 daily):

   15 9 * * * cd /home/you/Microsoft-Rewards-Script && /usr/bin/env npm run start >> /home/you/rewards.log 2>&1
   

4. Save the file and verify the log after the next trigger.

Need multiple runs? Add more cron lines with different times (for example 0 9 * * * and 30 18 * * *).

---

Systemd Timer (Linux alternative - Manual)

1. Create /etc/systemd/system/rewards-bot.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=Microsoft Rewards Bot
   WorkingDirectory=/home/you/Microsoft-Rewards-Script
   
   [Service]
   Type=oneshot
   Environment=NODE_ENV=production
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/env npm run start
   

2. Create /etc/systemd/system/rewards-bot.timer:

   [Unit]
   Description=Run Microsoft Rewards Bot daily
   
   [Timer]
   OnCalendar=*-*-* 09:00:00
   Persistent=true
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=timers.target
   

3. Reload and enable:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable --now rewards-bot.timer
   

4. Inspect status via systemctl status rewards-bot.timer and recent runs with journalctl -u rewards-bot.service.

---

Docker & Containers

• The container now runs a single pass. Restart it on your schedule (cron, Kubernetes CronJob, Task Scheduler, etc.).
• To schedule inside the container, set:

  USE_CRON: "true"
  CRON_SCHEDULE: "0 9 * * *"
  RUN_ON_START: "true"
  

  The entrypoint installs cron, runs according to CRON_SCHEDULE, and tails /var/log/cron.log.
• Mount accounts.jsonc, config.jsonc, and sessions/ so each run shares state.

---

Troubleshooting

"cron is not installed" (Linux/Raspberry Pi)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cron

"Permission denied" (Linux/Raspberry Pi)

• The bot needs write access to crontab
• Make sure you're running as the correct user

"Access denied" (Windows)

• Right-click PowerShell or Command Prompt
• Choose "Run as Administrator"
• Run npm run start again

Task not running at scheduled time:

1. Check your system's time and timezone
2. Verify the schedule format is correct
3. For cron: use crontab.guru to validate
4. Check logs to see if there are any errors

Manually check if scheduler is active:

Linux/Raspberry Pi:

crontab -l | grep "Microsoft-Rewards"

Windows:

schtasks /Query /TN "Microsoft-Rewards-Bot" /FO LIST

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Next steps: Configuration · Docker · Humanization