> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.keystn.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Recurring Tasks > Recurring task schedules automatically generate tasks on a defined cadence so monthly, quarterly, and annual obligations are never forgotten. ## How recurring tasks work A recurring schedule is a configuration that tells Keystone to automatically create a new task at regular intervals. Each time the schedule triggers, a new standalone task is created with the schedule's title, description, priority, and assignee. The generated tasks appear in the main task table like any other task. ### Lifecycle 1. You create a recurring schedule with a frequency, start date, and other settings. 2. Keystone checks active schedules and, based on the **lead days** setting, creates tasks in advance of each occurrence. 3. The generated task has a due date calculated from the occurrence date plus the **due-days-after** offset. 4. The schedule records the last date it generated a task so it does not create duplicates. 5. The cycle continues until the schedule is deactivated or its end date is reached. *** ## Creating a recurring schedule 1. Navigate to **Tasks > Recurring** in the sidebar and click **New Schedule**. 2. Fill in the schedule details: | Field | Required | Description | | ---------------------- | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Title** | Yes | The title that will be used for each generated task (e.g., "Monthly BSA/AML Report") | | **Description** | No | Description carried over to each generated task | | **Recurrence Pattern** | Yes | How often the task recurs: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually | | **Recurrence Day** | Depends | The specific day (see below for details per pattern) | | **Recurrence Month** | Annually only | The month of the year (1-12) for annual schedules | | **Category** | No | Category assigned to generated tasks | | **Priority** | No | Defaults to Medium. Applied to each generated task. | | **Assignee** | No | The employee who will be assigned each generated task | | **Due Days After** | No | Number of days after the occurrence date when the task is due. Defaults to 0 (due on the occurrence date). | | **Lead Days** | No | How many days before the occurrence date to create the task. Defaults to 7. | | **Start Date** | Yes | The date from which the schedule begins generating tasks | | **End Date** | No | Optional date after which the schedule stops. Leave empty for indefinite recurrence. | | **Active** | No | Whether the schedule is active. Defaults to active. | 4. Click **Save**. *** ## Recurrence patterns ### Daily A task is generated every day. No additional configuration is needed beyond the start date. **Example:** Daily cash reconciliation task created every morning. ### Weekly A task is generated once per week on a specific day. * **Recurrence Day** -- Day of the week: 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, 2 = Tuesday, ..., 6 = Saturday. Defaults to Monday (1) if not specified. **Example:** Weekly pipeline review task generated every Monday. ### Monthly A task is generated once per month on a specific day of the month. * **Recurrence Day** -- Day of the month (1-31). If the month has fewer days than specified (e.g., day 31 in a 30-day month), the task is created on the last day of the month. **Example:** Monthly compliance report due on the 15th of each month. ### Quarterly A task is generated once every three months on a specific day. * **Recurrence Day** -- Day of the month (1-31), following the same last-day-of-month logic as monthly schedules. **Example:** Quarterly HMDA data review due on the 1st of each quarter's first month. ### Annually A task is generated once per year on a specific month and day. * **Recurrence Month** -- Month of the year (1 = January, 12 = December). Defaults to January if not specified. * **Recurrence Day** -- Day of the month (1-31). **Example:** Annual BSA/AML policy review due on March 1 every year. *** ## Lead days and due-days-after These two settings control when a task is created relative to when it is due. ### Lead days The number of days **before** the occurrence date that the task is created. This gives the assignee advance notice and time to prepare. * Default: 7 days * A lead-days value of 0 means the task is created on the occurrence date itself. * A lead-days value of 14 means the task appears two weeks before it is due. ### Due-days-after The number of days **after** the occurrence date when the task is due. * Default: 0 (due on the occurrence date) * A due-days-after value of 5 means the task is due 5 days after the occurrence. ### Example timeline For a monthly schedule set to the 1st of each month, with 7 lead days and 3 due-days-after: | Date | Event | | ----------- | ----------------------------------------- | | December 25 | Task is created (7 days before January 1) | | January 1 | Occurrence date | | January 4 | Task due date (3 days after January 1) | *** ## Managing recurring schedules ### Viewing schedules Navigate to **Tasks > Recurring** to see a list of all recurring schedules. Each entry shows: * Schedule title * Recurrence pattern (e.g., "Monthly") * Assignee * Active/inactive status * Number of tasks generated so far ### Editing a schedule 1. Click a schedule to open its detail view. 2. Click **Edit**. 3. Modify any fields. 4. Click **Save**. Changes apply to future task generation only. Tasks that have already been created are not modified. ### Activating and deactivating Toggle the **Active** field to control whether a schedule continues generating tasks: * **Active** -- Tasks will be generated on the next occurrence. * **Inactive** -- No new tasks will be generated until the schedule is reactivated. This is useful for temporarily pausing a schedule (e.g., during a company restructuring) without deleting it. ### Deleting a schedule 1. Open the schedule's detail view. 2. Click **Delete**. 3. Confirm the deletion. Deleting a schedule is permanent. Tasks that were already generated from the schedule are not deleted -- they continue to exist as standalone tasks. *** ## Generated tasks Tasks created by recurring schedules are standard Keystone tasks. They appear in the main task table and can be: * Edited (change title, description, assignee, priority, due date) * Completed, cancelled, or deleted * Assigned subtasks and comments Each generated task includes a link back to its originating recurring schedule for reference. *** ## Best practices * **Set realistic lead days** -- Give assignees enough time to prepare. A quarterly compliance review might need 14 lead days; a daily reconciliation might need 0. * **Use due-days-after for grace periods** -- If the work should start on the occurrence date but has a few days for completion, set due-days-after accordingly. * **Combine with categories** -- Assign a category (e.g., Compliance, Licensing) to each recurring schedule so generated tasks are automatically categorized and filterable. * **Set end dates for temporary schedules** -- If a recurring task is only needed for a specific period (e.g., during an audit cycle), set an end date rather than remembering to deactivate it later. * **Review active schedules periodically** -- As processes change, deactivate or modify schedules that no longer apply. Stale recurring tasks create noise and reduce trust in the task system. * **Monitor overdue counts** -- If recurring tasks are consistently going overdue, it may indicate that the frequency is too high, the lead time is too short, or the assignee is overloaded.