Cron Setup

TimeOtter works best when run periodically via cron. This guide explains how to set it up.

How It Works

1. TimeOtter fetches your upcoming calendar events
2. It creates cron entries for each event
3. When an event time arrives, cron executes your configured command

Setting Up Your Crontab

Step 1: Add the Marker Comment

First, add the marker comment to your crontab. This tells TimeOtter where to manage entries:

crontab -e

Add this line at the end:

# custom crons below this can be deleted.

Caution

Do not add any cron jobs below this line. TimeOtter will delete them when it runs.

Step 2: Add TimeOtter Cron Job

Add a cron entry to run TimeOtter periodically. Place this above the marker comment:

# Run TimeOtter every 30 minutes
*/30 * * * * timeotter

# custom crons below this can be deleted.

Example Complete Crontab

# Your existing cron jobs
0 0 * * * /path/to/backup-script.sh
0 9 * * 1 /path/to/weekly-report.sh

# Run TimeOtter every hour
0 * * * * timeotter

# custom crons below this can be deleted.
# (TimeOtter manages everything below this line)

Backup Your Crontab

Before making changes, back up your existing crontab:

crontab -l > ~/crontab-backup.txt

TimeOtter also creates automatic backups at the path specified by BackupFile in your config.

Recommended Schedules

Frequency	Cron Expression	Use Case
Every 30 min	*/30 * * * *	Frequent calendar updates
Every hour	0 * * * *	Standard usage
Every 2 hours	0 */2 * * *	Less frequent updates
Every 6 hours	0 */6 * * *	Minimal resource usage

Verifying Setup

Check that your crontab is correctly configured:

crontab -l

You should see:

1. The TimeOtter cron job (above the marker)
2. The marker comment
3. Any calendar-generated entries (below the marker)

Troubleshooting

TimeOtter Not Running

Check cron logs:

grep CRON /var/log/syslog

Command Not Found

Ensure the full path to timeotter is used if not in PATH:

0 * * * * /home/user/go/bin/timeotter

No Events Appearing

1. Verify your config file is correct
2. Check that you have upcoming calendar events
3. Run timeotter manually to see any errors