From fc0a955d0b16df09a0f64db28ca6256c4bdfe0e5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jinjing <6427696+AmethystLiang@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 17:22:13 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Improve automations scheduling UX (#1997)

* Improve automations scheduling UX

* fix: address review findings
---
 .../automations/AutomationDetail.tsx          |  31 +-
 .../automations/AutomationEditorDialog.tsx    | 363 ++++++++++--------
 .../automations/AutomationSchedulePicker.tsx  | 226 +++++++++++
 .../automations/AutomationsPage.tsx           | 217 +++++++++--
 .../automations/CreateFromPicker.tsx          |   4 +-
 .../automations/WorkspaceCombobox.tsx         |   4 +-
 .../automations/automation-templates.ts       |  68 ++++
 src/shared/automation-schedules.test.ts       |  71 +++-
 src/shared/automation-schedules.ts            | 315 ++++++++++++++-
 src/shared/automations-types.ts               |   2 +-
 10 files changed, 1049 insertions(+), 252 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationSchedulePicker.tsx
 create mode 100644 src/renderer/src/components/automations/automation-templates.ts

diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationDetail.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationDetail.tsx
index fe9228c4434..56d5eea7904 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationDetail.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationDetail.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { Tooltip, TooltipContent, TooltipTrigger } from '@/components/ui/tooltip
 import { AGENT_CATALOG, AgentIcon } from '@/lib/agent-catalog'
 import type { Automation, AutomationRun } from '../../../../shared/automations-types'
 import type { Worktree } from '../../../../shared/types'
-import { parseAutomationRrule } from '../../../../shared/automation-schedules'
+import { formatAutomationSchedule } from '../../../../shared/automation-schedules'
 import {
   formatAutomationDateTime,
   formatAutomationDateTimeWithRelative,
@@ -44,15 +44,6 @@ function DetailMetric({ label, value }: { label: string; value: string }): React
   )
 }
 
-function formatTime(hour: number, minute: number): string {
-  const date = new Date()
-  date.setHours(hour, minute, 0, 0)
-  return new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, {
-    hour: 'numeric',
-    minute: '2-digit'
-  }).format(date)
-}
-
 function formatGrace(minutes: number): string {
   if (minutes <= 0) {
     return 'No grace'
@@ -64,24 +55,6 @@ function formatGrace(minutes: number): string {
   return `${hours} ${hours === 1 ? 'hour' : 'hours'}`
 }
 
-function formatSchedule(rrule: string): string {
-  const schedule = parseAutomationRrule(rrule)
-  if (schedule.preset === 'hourly') {
-    return `Hourly at :${String(schedule.minute).padStart(2, '0')}`
-  }
-  const time = formatTime(schedule.hour, schedule.minute)
-  if (schedule.preset === 'daily') {
-    return `Daily at ${time}`
-  }
-  if (schedule.preset === 'weekdays') {
-    return `Weekdays at ${time}`
-  }
-  const day = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, { weekday: 'long' }).format(
-    new Date(2026, 0, 4 + schedule.dayOfWeek)
-  )
-  return `${day}s at ${time}`
-}
-
 function ToolbarIconButton({
   label,
   children,
@@ -223,7 +196,7 @@ export function AutomationDetail({
               </span>
             </div>
           </div>
-          <DetailMetric label="Schedule" value={formatSchedule(automation.rrule)} />
+          <DetailMetric label="Schedule" value={formatAutomationSchedule(automation.rrule)} />
           <DetailMetric
             label={automation.workspaceMode === 'new_per_run' ? 'Create from' : 'Workspace'}
             value={
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationEditorDialog.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationEditorDialog.tsx
index 64f87107dca..410b85702a8 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationEditorDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationEditorDialog.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import React from 'react'
-import { Info, Plus } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Info, Plus, Sparkles } from 'lucide-react'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import { Dialog, DialogContent, DialogHeader, DialogTitle } from '@/components/ui/dialog'
 import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
+import { Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from '@/components/ui/popover'
 import {
   Select,
   SelectContent,
@@ -21,9 +22,14 @@ import type {
 } from '../../../../shared/automations-types'
 import type { GlobalSettings, Repo, TuiAgent, Worktree } from '../../../../shared/types'
 import { Field } from './automation-page-parts'
+import { AutomationSchedulePicker } from './AutomationSchedulePicker'
+import { AUTOMATION_TEMPLATES, type AutomationTemplate } from './automation-templates'
 import { CreateFromPicker } from './CreateFromPicker'
 import { WorkspaceCombobox } from './WorkspaceCombobox'
 
+const PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS =
+  'border-input bg-input/30 shadow-xs hover:bg-accent/60 dark:bg-input/30 dark:hover:bg-input/50'
+
 export type AutomationDraft = {
   name: string
   prompt: string
@@ -35,7 +41,9 @@ export type AutomationDraft = {
   preset: AutomationSchedulePreset
   time: string
   dayOfWeek: string
+  customSchedule: string
   missedRunGraceMinutes: string
+  scheduleWarning: string | null
 }
 
 type AutomationEditorDialogProps = {
@@ -51,9 +59,32 @@ type AutomationEditorDialogProps = {
   onProjectChange: (projectId: string) => void
   onOpenChange: (open: boolean) => void
   onDraftChange: (updater: (current: AutomationDraft) => AutomationDraft) => void
+  onApplyTemplate: (template: AutomationTemplate) => void
   onSave: () => void
 }
 
+function AutomationTemplateCard({
+  template,
+  onSelect
+}: {
+  template: AutomationTemplate
+  onSelect: () => void
+}): React.JSX.Element {
+  return (
+    <button
+      type="button"
+      onClick={onSelect}
+      className="rounded-md border border-border/70 bg-background px-3 py-2 text-left shadow-xs transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50"
+    >
+      <div className="text-[11px] font-medium uppercase text-muted-foreground">
+        {template.category}
+      </div>
+      <div className="mt-1 text-sm font-medium">{template.label}</div>
+      <div className="mt-1 line-clamp-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground">{template.description}</div>
+    </button>
+  )
+}
+
 export function AutomationEditorDialog({
   open,
   isEditing,
@@ -67,88 +98,142 @@ export function AutomationEditorDialog({
   onProjectChange,
   onOpenChange,
   onDraftChange,
+  onApplyTemplate,
   onSave
 }: AutomationEditorDialogProps): React.JSX.Element {
+  const [templateOpen, setTemplateOpen] = React.useState(false)
+
   return (
     <Dialog open={open} onOpenChange={onOpenChange}>
       <DialogContent
-        className="sm:max-w-lg"
+        className="flex max-h-[90vh] flex-col gap-0 p-0 sm:max-w-[920px]"
         onOpenAutoFocus={(event) => {
           event.preventDefault()
         }}
       >
-        <DialogHeader className="gap-1">
-          <DialogTitle className="text-base font-semibold">
-            {isEditing ? 'Edit Automation' : 'Create Automation'}
-          </DialogTitle>
+        <DialogHeader className="border-b border-border/50 px-5 py-4">
+          <div className="flex items-start justify-between gap-3">
+            <div className="min-w-0 flex-1 space-y-2">
+              <DialogTitle className="text-sm font-medium">
+                {isEditing ? 'Edit automation' : 'Create automation'}
+              </DialogTitle>
+              <Input
+                value={draft.name}
+                placeholder="Weekday repo audit"
+                aria-label="Automation name"
+                className="h-10 border-0 bg-transparent px-0 text-lg font-semibold shadow-none focus-visible:ring-0"
+                onChange={(event) =>
+                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, name: event.target.value }))
+                }
+              />
+            </div>
+            {!isEditing ? (
+              <Popover open={templateOpen} onOpenChange={setTemplateOpen}>
+                <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+                  <Button type="button" variant="outline" size="sm">
+                    <Sparkles className="size-4" />
+                    Use template
+                  </Button>
+                </PopoverTrigger>
+                <PopoverContent align="end" className="w-96 p-3">
+                  <div className="grid gap-2">
+                    {AUTOMATION_TEMPLATES.map((template) => (
+                      <AutomationTemplateCard
+                        key={template.id}
+                        template={template}
+                        onSelect={() => {
+                          onApplyTemplate(template)
+                          setTemplateOpen(false)
+                        }}
+                      />
+                    ))}
+                  </div>
+                </PopoverContent>
+              </Popover>
+            ) : null}
+          </div>
         </DialogHeader>
-        <div className="grid gap-3">
-          <Field label="Name">
-            <Input
-              value={draft.name}
-              placeholder="Weekday repo audit"
+
+        <div className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-auto px-5 py-4">
+          {draft.scheduleWarning ? (
+            <div className="mb-3 rounded-md border border-border bg-muted/40 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+              {draft.scheduleWarning}
+            </div>
+          ) : null}
+          <Field label="Prompt">
+            <textarea
+              value={draft.prompt}
+              placeholder="Run the weekly dependency audit and summarize risky changes."
               onChange={(event) =>
-                onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, name: event.target.value }))
+                onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, prompt: event.target.value }))
               }
+              className="min-h-[260px] w-full resize-none rounded-md border border-input bg-transparent px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-xs outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus-visible:border-ring focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50 dark:bg-input/30"
             />
           </Field>
-          <Field label="Project">
-            <RepoCombobox
-              repos={repos}
-              value={draft.projectId}
-              onValueChange={onProjectChange}
-              placeholder="Select project"
-              triggerClassName="h-9 w-full min-w-0"
-              showStandaloneAddButton={false}
-            />
-          </Field>
-          <Field label="Run location">
-            <ToggleGroup
-              type="single"
-              value={draft.workspaceMode}
-              onValueChange={(workspaceMode) =>
-                workspaceMode &&
-                onDraftChange((current) => ({
-                  ...current,
-                  workspaceMode: workspaceMode as AutomationWorkspaceMode
-                }))
-              }
-              variant="outline"
-              size="sm"
-              className="grid w-full grid-cols-2"
-            >
-              <ToggleGroupItem value="existing" className="w-full">
-                Selected workspace
-              </ToggleGroupItem>
-              <ToggleGroupItem value="new_per_run" className="w-full">
-                New workspace each run
-              </ToggleGroupItem>
-            </ToggleGroup>
-          </Field>
-          {draft.workspaceMode === 'existing' ? (
-            <Field label="Workspace">
-              <WorkspaceCombobox
-                worktrees={worktrees}
-                value={draft.workspaceId}
-                onValueChange={(workspaceId) =>
-                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, workspaceId }))
-                }
+        </div>
+
+        <div className="border-t border-border/50 px-5 py-4">
+          <div className="grid gap-3 lg:grid-cols-[minmax(9rem,1.1fr)_minmax(14rem,1.4fr)_minmax(12rem,1.2fr)_minmax(8rem,0.8fr)_minmax(9rem,1fr)]">
+            <Field label="Project">
+              <RepoCombobox
+                repos={repos}
+                value={draft.projectId}
+                onValueChange={onProjectChange}
+                placeholder="Select project"
+                triggerClassName={`h-9 w-full min-w-0 ${PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS}`}
+                showStandaloneAddButton={false}
               />
             </Field>
-          ) : (
-            <Field label="Create from">
-              <CreateFromPicker
-                repoId={draft.projectId}
-                repoMap={repoMap}
-                worktrees={worktrees}
-                value={draft.baseBranch}
-                onValueChange={(baseBranch) =>
-                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, baseBranch }))
+            <Field label={draft.workspaceMode === 'new_per_run' ? 'Start branch' : 'Workspace'}>
+              <ToggleGroup
+                type="single"
+                value={draft.workspaceMode}
+                onValueChange={(workspaceMode) =>
+                  workspaceMode &&
+                  onDraftChange((current) => ({
+                    ...current,
+                    workspaceMode: workspaceMode as AutomationWorkspaceMode
+                  }))
                 }
-              />
+                variant="outline"
+                size="sm"
+                className="mb-2 grid w-full grid-cols-2"
+              >
+                <ToggleGroupItem
+                  value="existing"
+                  className="w-full border-input bg-input/30 shadow-xs data-[state=on]:border-primary data-[state=on]:bg-primary data-[state=on]:text-primary-foreground dark:bg-input/30"
+                >
+                  Workspace
+                </ToggleGroupItem>
+                <ToggleGroupItem
+                  value="new_per_run"
+                  className="w-full border-input bg-input/30 shadow-xs data-[state=on]:border-primary data-[state=on]:bg-primary data-[state=on]:text-primary-foreground dark:bg-input/30"
+                >
+                  New run
+                </ToggleGroupItem>
+              </ToggleGroup>
+              {draft.workspaceMode === 'existing' ? (
+                <WorkspaceCombobox
+                  worktrees={worktrees}
+                  value={draft.workspaceId}
+                  triggerClassName={PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS}
+                  onValueChange={(workspaceId) =>
+                    onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, workspaceId }))
+                  }
+                />
+              ) : (
+                <CreateFromPicker
+                  repoId={draft.projectId}
+                  repoMap={repoMap}
+                  worktrees={worktrees}
+                  value={draft.baseBranch}
+                  triggerClassName={PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS}
+                  onValueChange={(baseBranch) =>
+                    onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, baseBranch }))
+                  }
+                />
+              )}
             </Field>
-          )}
-          <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-2">
             <Field label="Agent">
               <AgentCombobox
                 agents={AGENT_CATALOG}
@@ -157,124 +242,70 @@ export function AutomationEditorDialog({
                   agentId && onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, agentId }))
                 }
                 defaultAgent={settings?.defaultTuiAgent ?? null}
-                triggerClassName="h-9 w-full min-w-0"
+                triggerClassName={`h-9 w-full min-w-0 ${PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS}`}
               />
             </Field>
             <Field label="Schedule">
-              <Select
-                value={draft.preset}
-                onValueChange={(preset) =>
-                  onDraftChange((current) => ({
-                    ...current,
-                    preset: preset as AutomationSchedulePreset
-                  }))
-                }
-              >
-                <SelectTrigger className="w-full">
-                  <SelectValue />
-                </SelectTrigger>
-                <SelectContent>
-                  <SelectItem value="hourly">Hourly</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="daily">Daily</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="weekdays">Weekdays</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="weekly">Weekly</SelectItem>
-                </SelectContent>
-              </Select>
-            </Field>
-          </div>
-          <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-2">
-            <Field label="Time">
-              <Input
-                type="time"
-                value={draft.time}
-                disabled={draft.preset === 'hourly'}
-                onChange={(event) =>
-                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, time: event.target.value }))
-                }
+              <AutomationSchedulePicker
+                draft={draft}
+                triggerClassName={PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS}
+                onDraftChange={onDraftChange}
               />
             </Field>
-            <Field label="Day">
+            <Field
+              label={
+                <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1">
+                  Grace
+                  <Tooltip>
+                    <TooltipTrigger asChild>
+                      <button
+                        type="button"
+                        aria-label="Missed-run grace help"
+                        className="rounded-sm text-muted-foreground outline-none hover:text-foreground focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50"
+                      >
+                        <Info className="size-3.5" />
+                      </button>
+                    </TooltipTrigger>
+                    <TooltipContent side="top" sideOffset={6} className="max-w-72">
+                      If Orca or the execution host was unavailable at the scheduled time, Orca runs
+                      one missed occurrence when it becomes available within this window. Older
+                      missed runs are skipped.
+                    </TooltipContent>
+                  </Tooltip>
+                </span>
+              }
+            >
               <Select
-                value={draft.dayOfWeek}
-                disabled={draft.preset !== 'weekly'}
-                onValueChange={(dayOfWeek) =>
-                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, dayOfWeek }))
+                value={draft.missedRunGraceMinutes}
+                onValueChange={(missedRunGraceMinutes) =>
+                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, missedRunGraceMinutes }))
                 }
               >
-                <SelectTrigger className="w-full">
+                <SelectTrigger className={`w-full ${PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASS}`}>
                   <SelectValue />
                 </SelectTrigger>
-                <SelectContent>
-                  <SelectItem value="0">Sunday</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="1">Monday</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="2">Tuesday</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="3">Wednesday</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="4">Thursday</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="5">Friday</SelectItem>
-                  <SelectItem value="6">Saturday</SelectItem>
+                <SelectContent position="popper" side="bottom" align="start" sideOffset={4}>
+                  <SelectItem value="0">No grace</SelectItem>
+                  <SelectItem value="30">30 minutes</SelectItem>
+                  <SelectItem value="60">1 hour</SelectItem>
+                  <SelectItem value="180">3 hours</SelectItem>
+                  <SelectItem value="720">12 hours</SelectItem>
+                  <SelectItem value="1440">24 hours</SelectItem>
+                  <SelectItem value="2880">48 hours</SelectItem>
                 </SelectContent>
               </Select>
             </Field>
           </div>
-          <Field
-            label={
-              <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1">
-                Missed-run grace
-                <Tooltip>
-                  <TooltipTrigger asChild>
-                    <button
-                      type="button"
-                      aria-label="Missed-run grace help"
-                      className="rounded-sm text-muted-foreground outline-none hover:text-foreground focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50"
-                    >
-                      <Info className="size-3.5" />
-                    </button>
-                  </TooltipTrigger>
-                  <TooltipContent side="top" sideOffset={6} className="max-w-72">
-                    If Orca or the execution host was unavailable at the scheduled time, Orca runs
-                    one missed occurrence when it becomes available within this window. Older missed
-                    runs are skipped.
-                  </TooltipContent>
-                </Tooltip>
-              </span>
-            }
-          >
-            <Select
-              value={draft.missedRunGraceMinutes}
-              onValueChange={(missedRunGraceMinutes) =>
-                onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, missedRunGraceMinutes }))
-              }
-            >
-              <SelectTrigger className="w-full">
-                <SelectValue />
-              </SelectTrigger>
-              <SelectContent position="popper" side="bottom" align="start" sideOffset={4}>
-                <SelectItem value="0">No grace</SelectItem>
-                <SelectItem value="30">30 minutes</SelectItem>
-                <SelectItem value="60">1 hour</SelectItem>
-                <SelectItem value="180">3 hours</SelectItem>
-                <SelectItem value="720">12 hours</SelectItem>
-                <SelectItem value="1440">24 hours</SelectItem>
-                <SelectItem value="2880">48 hours</SelectItem>
-              </SelectContent>
-            </Select>
-          </Field>
-          <Field label="Prompt">
-            <textarea
-              value={draft.prompt}
-              rows={5}
-              placeholder="Run the weekly dependency audit and summarize risky changes."
-              onChange={(event) =>
-                onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, prompt: event.target.value }))
-              }
-              className="w-full resize-none rounded-md border border-input bg-transparent px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-xs outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus-visible:border-ring focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50 dark:bg-input/30"
-            />
-          </Field>
-          <div className="flex justify-end gap-2 pt-1">
+          <div className="mt-4 flex justify-end gap-2">
             <Button variant="outline" onClick={() => onOpenChange(false)}>
               Cancel
             </Button>
-            <Button onClick={onSave} disabled={isSaving || repos.length === 0 || !canSave}>
+            <Button
+              variant="outline"
+              onClick={onSave}
+              disabled={isSaving || repos.length === 0 || !canSave}
+              className="border-foreground/25 bg-foreground/[0.04] text-foreground hover:bg-foreground/[0.08]"
+            >
               {isEditing ? null : <Plus className="size-4" />}
               {isEditing ? 'Save Changes' : 'Save Automation'}
             </Button>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationSchedulePicker.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationSchedulePicker.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d3da5cfd6ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationSchedulePicker.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+import React from 'react'
+import { CalendarClock, ChevronsUpDown } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
+import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
+import { Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from '@/components/ui/popover'
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+import {
+  Select,
+  SelectContent,
+  SelectItem,
+  SelectTrigger,
+  SelectValue
+} from '@/components/ui/select'
+import type { AutomationSchedulePreset } from '../../../../shared/automations-types'
+import {
+  buildAutomationRrule,
+  formatAutomationSchedule,
+  isValidAutomationSchedule
+} from '../../../../shared/automation-schedules'
+import type { AutomationDraft } from './AutomationEditorDialog'
+import { Field } from './automation-page-parts'
+
+const FIELD_CONTROL_CLASS = 'border-input bg-input/30 shadow-xs dark:bg-input/30'
+
+const DAY_OPTIONS = [
+  ['0', 'Sunday'],
+  ['1', 'Monday'],
+  ['2', 'Tuesday'],
+  ['3', 'Wednesday'],
+  ['4', 'Thursday'],
+  ['5', 'Friday'],
+  ['6', 'Saturday']
+] as const
+
+function parseTime(value: string): { hour: number; minute: number } {
+  const [hour, minute] = value.split(':').map((part) => Number(part))
+  return {
+    hour: Number.isFinite(hour) ? hour : 9,
+    minute: Number.isFinite(minute) ? minute : 0
+  }
+}
+
+function getDraftScheduleLabel(draft: AutomationDraft): string {
+  if (draft.preset === 'custom') {
+    return draft.customSchedule.trim()
+      ? formatAutomationSchedule(draft.customSchedule)
+      : 'Custom cron'
+  }
+  const { hour, minute } = parseTime(draft.time)
+  return formatAutomationSchedule(
+    buildAutomationRrule({
+      preset: draft.preset,
+      hour,
+      minute,
+      dayOfWeek: Number(draft.dayOfWeek)
+    })
+  )
+}
+
+function buildCustomCronFromDraft(draft: AutomationDraft): string {
+  const { hour, minute } = parseTime(draft.time)
+  if (draft.preset === 'hourly') {
+    return `${minute} * * * *`
+  }
+  if (draft.preset === 'weekdays') {
+    return `${minute} ${hour} * * 1-5`
+  }
+  if (draft.preset === 'weekly') {
+    return `${minute} ${hour} * * ${Number(draft.dayOfWeek)}`
+  }
+  return `${minute} ${hour} * * *`
+}
+
+export function AutomationSchedulePicker({
+  draft,
+  triggerClassName,
+  onDraftChange
+}: {
+  draft: AutomationDraft
+  triggerClassName?: string
+  onDraftChange: (updater: (current: AutomationDraft) => AutomationDraft) => void
+}): React.JSX.Element {
+  const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false)
+  const label = getDraftScheduleLabel(draft)
+  const customSchedule = draft.customSchedule.trim()
+  const customScheduleInvalid =
+    draft.preset === 'custom' &&
+    customSchedule.length > 0 &&
+    !isValidAutomationSchedule(customSchedule)
+
+  return (
+    <Popover open={open} onOpenChange={setOpen}>
+      <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+        <Button
+          type="button"
+          variant="outline"
+          role="combobox"
+          aria-expanded={open}
+          className={cn('h-9 w-full justify-between px-3 text-sm font-normal', triggerClassName)}
+        >
+          <span className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-2">
+            <CalendarClock className="size-4 text-muted-foreground" />
+            <span className="truncate">{label}</span>
+          </span>
+          <ChevronsUpDown className="size-4 opacity-50" />
+        </Button>
+      </PopoverTrigger>
+      <PopoverContent
+        align="start"
+        className="w-[var(--radix-popover-trigger-width)] min-w-[19rem] p-3"
+      >
+        <div className="grid gap-3">
+          <Field label="Schedule">
+            <Select
+              value={draft.preset}
+              onValueChange={(preset) =>
+                onDraftChange((current) => ({
+                  ...current,
+                  preset: preset as AutomationSchedulePreset,
+                  customSchedule:
+                    preset === 'custom' && !current.customSchedule.trim()
+                      ? buildCustomCronFromDraft(current)
+                      : current.customSchedule,
+                  scheduleWarning: null
+                }))
+              }
+            >
+              <SelectTrigger className={`w-full ${FIELD_CONTROL_CLASS}`}>
+                <SelectValue />
+              </SelectTrigger>
+              <SelectContent>
+                <SelectItem value="hourly">Hourly</SelectItem>
+                <SelectItem value="daily">Daily</SelectItem>
+                <SelectItem value="weekdays">Weekdays</SelectItem>
+                <SelectItem value="weekly">Weekly</SelectItem>
+                <SelectItem value="custom">Custom cron</SelectItem>
+              </SelectContent>
+            </Select>
+          </Field>
+          {draft.preset !== 'custom' ? (
+            <Button
+              type="button"
+              variant="secondary"
+              size="sm"
+              className="justify-start"
+              onClick={() =>
+                onDraftChange((current) => ({
+                  ...current,
+                  preset: 'custom',
+                  customSchedule:
+                    current.customSchedule.trim() || buildCustomCronFromDraft(current),
+                  scheduleWarning: null
+                }))
+              }
+            >
+              Use custom cron
+            </Button>
+          ) : null}
+          {draft.preset === 'custom' ? (
+            <Field label="Cron string">
+              <Input
+                value={draft.customSchedule}
+                placeholder="0 9 * * 1-5"
+                spellCheck={false}
+                className={`font-mono ${FIELD_CONTROL_CLASS}`}
+                aria-invalid={customScheduleInvalid}
+                onChange={(event) =>
+                  onDraftChange((current) => ({
+                    ...current,
+                    customSchedule: event.target.value,
+                    scheduleWarning: null
+                  }))
+                }
+              />
+              <div className="mt-1 text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">
+                Five fields: minute hour day month weekday.
+              </div>
+              {customScheduleInvalid ? (
+                <div className="mt-1 text-[11px] text-destructive">
+                  Enter a valid 5-field cron expression.
+                </div>
+              ) : null}
+            </Field>
+          ) : null}
+          {draft.preset === 'weekly' ? (
+            <Field label="Day">
+              <Select
+                value={draft.dayOfWeek}
+                onValueChange={(dayOfWeek) =>
+                  onDraftChange((current) => ({ ...current, dayOfWeek, scheduleWarning: null }))
+                }
+              >
+                <SelectTrigger className={`w-full ${FIELD_CONTROL_CLASS}`}>
+                  <SelectValue />
+                </SelectTrigger>
+                <SelectContent>
+                  {DAY_OPTIONS.map(([value, label]) => (
+                    <SelectItem key={value} value={value}>
+                      {label}
+                    </SelectItem>
+                  ))}
+                </SelectContent>
+              </Select>
+            </Field>
+          ) : null}
+          {draft.preset !== 'custom' ? (
+            <Field label={draft.preset === 'hourly' ? 'Minute' : 'Time'}>
+              <Input
+                type="time"
+                value={draft.time}
+                className={FIELD_CONTROL_CLASS}
+                onChange={(event) =>
+                  onDraftChange((current) => ({
+                    ...current,
+                    time: event.target.value,
+                    scheduleWarning: null
+                  }))
+                }
+              />
+            </Field>
+          ) : null}
+        </div>
+      </PopoverContent>
+    </Popover>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx
index 3d9cbc5371f..37f66fb1f51 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,17 @@
 /* eslint-disable max-lines -- Why: this page owns the automations list/detail
  * orchestration while the form and detail presentation live in sibling files. */
 import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
-import { CalendarClock, Check, Pause, Pencil, Play, Plus, RefreshCw, Trash2 } from 'lucide-react'
+import {
+  CalendarClock,
+  Check,
+  Clock,
+  Pause,
+  Pencil,
+  Play,
+  Plus,
+  RefreshCw,
+  Trash2
+} from 'lucide-react'
 import { toast } from 'sonner'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import {
@@ -35,7 +45,12 @@ import type {
   AutomationUpdateInput
 } from '../../../../shared/automations-types'
 import type { Worktree } from '../../../../shared/types'
-import { buildAutomationRrule, parseAutomationRrule } from '../../../../shared/automation-schedules'
+import {
+  buildAutomationRrule,
+  formatAutomationSchedule,
+  isValidAutomationSchedule,
+  tryParseAutomationRrule
+} from '../../../../shared/automation-schedules'
 import { formatAutomationDateTimeWithRelative } from './automation-page-parts'
 import {
   formatAutomationCost,
@@ -44,6 +59,7 @@ import {
 } from './automation-usage-model'
 import { AutomationDetail } from './AutomationDetail'
 import { AutomationEditorDialog, type AutomationDraft } from './AutomationEditorDialog'
+import { AUTOMATION_TEMPLATES, type AutomationTemplate } from './automation-templates'
 import { ExternalAutomationManagers } from './ExternalAutomationManagers'
 
 const AGENTS = AGENT_CATALOG.map((agent) => agent.id)
@@ -58,6 +74,10 @@ function formatTimeInput(hour: number, minute: number): string {
   return `${String(hour).padStart(2, '0')}:${String(minute).padStart(2, '0')}`
 }
 
+function getAgentLabel(agentId: string): string {
+  return AGENT_CATALOG.find((agent) => agent.id === agentId)?.label ?? agentId
+}
+
 export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
   const repos = useAppStore((s) => s.repos)
   const worktreesByRepo = useAppStore((s) => s.worktreesByRepo)
@@ -108,7 +128,9 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
     preset: 'weekdays',
     time: DEFAULT_TIME,
     dayOfWeek: '1',
-    missedRunGraceMinutes: '720'
+    customSchedule: '',
+    missedRunGraceMinutes: '720',
+    scheduleWarning: null
   })
 
   const selected =
@@ -182,6 +204,20 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
     return () => window.removeEventListener(AUTOMATIONS_CHANGED_EVENT, onAutomationsChanged)
   }, [refresh])
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const onVisibilityOrFocus = (): void => {
+      if (document.visibilityState === 'visible') {
+        void refresh()
+      }
+    }
+    window.addEventListener('focus', onVisibilityOrFocus)
+    document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityOrFocus)
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener('focus', onVisibilityOrFocus)
+      document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityOrFocus)
+    }
+  }, [refresh])
+
   useEffect(() => {
     const completedRuns = runs.filter((run) => {
       if (run.status !== 'dispatched' || !run.terminalSessionId) {
@@ -240,11 +276,26 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
     }
   }, [draft.projectId, draft.workspaceId, worktreesByRepo])
 
-  const openCreateDialog = (): void => {
+  const applyTemplateToDraft = useCallback((template: AutomationTemplate): void => {
+    setDraft((current) => ({
+      ...current,
+      name: template.name,
+      prompt: template.prompt,
+      preset: template.preset,
+      time: template.time ?? current.time,
+      dayOfWeek: template.dayOfWeek ?? current.dayOfWeek,
+      customSchedule: '',
+      agentId: template.agentId ?? current.agentId,
+      missedRunGraceMinutes: template.missedRunGraceMinutes ?? current.missedRunGraceMinutes,
+      scheduleWarning: null
+    }))
+  }, [])
+
+  const openCreateDialog = (template?: AutomationTemplate): void => {
     editRequestRef.current += 1
     const target = getDefaultTarget()
     setEditingAutomationId(null)
-    const nextDraft: AutomationDraft = {
+    const baseDraft: AutomationDraft = {
       name: '',
       prompt: '',
       agentId: defaultAgent,
@@ -255,8 +306,23 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
       preset: 'weekdays',
       time: DEFAULT_TIME,
       dayOfWeek: '1',
-      missedRunGraceMinutes: '720'
+      customSchedule: '',
+      missedRunGraceMinutes: '720',
+      scheduleWarning: null
     }
+    const nextDraft = template
+      ? {
+          ...baseDraft,
+          name: template.name,
+          prompt: template.prompt,
+          preset: template.preset,
+          time: template.time ?? baseDraft.time,
+          dayOfWeek: template.dayOfWeek ?? baseDraft.dayOfWeek,
+          customSchedule: '',
+          agentId: template.agentId ?? baseDraft.agentId,
+          missedRunGraceMinutes: template.missedRunGraceMinutes ?? baseDraft.missedRunGraceMinutes
+        }
+      : baseDraft
     setDraft(nextDraft)
     setDraftAtOpen(nextDraft)
     setCreateOpen(true)
@@ -275,7 +341,8 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
     if (requestId !== editRequestRef.current) {
       return
     }
-    const schedule = parseAutomationRrule(latest.rrule)
+    const schedule = tryParseAutomationRrule(latest.rrule)
+    const hasCustomSchedule = !schedule && isValidAutomationSchedule(latest.rrule)
     setEditingAutomationId(latest.id)
     const nextDraft: AutomationDraft = {
       name: latest.name,
@@ -285,10 +352,15 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
       workspaceMode: latest.workspaceMode,
       workspaceId: latest.workspaceId ?? '',
       baseBranch: latest.baseBranch ?? '',
-      preset: schedule.preset,
-      time: formatTimeInput(schedule.hour, schedule.minute),
-      dayOfWeek: String(schedule.dayOfWeek),
-      missedRunGraceMinutes: String(latest.missedRunGraceMinutes)
+      preset: schedule?.preset ?? (hasCustomSchedule ? 'custom' : 'weekdays'),
+      time: schedule ? formatTimeInput(schedule.hour, schedule.minute) : DEFAULT_TIME,
+      dayOfWeek: String(schedule?.dayOfWeek ?? 1),
+      customSchedule: hasCustomSchedule ? latest.rrule : '',
+      missedRunGraceMinutes: String(latest.missedRunGraceMinutes),
+      scheduleWarning:
+        schedule || hasCustomSchedule
+          ? null
+          : 'This automation has an unsupported saved schedule. Pick a supported schedule before saving changes.'
     }
     setDraft(nextDraft)
     setDraftAtOpen(nextDraft)
@@ -334,6 +406,14 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
       toast.error('Choose a run location and enter a prompt before saving.')
       return
     }
+    if (draft.scheduleWarning) {
+      toast.error('Pick a supported schedule before saving.')
+      return
+    }
+    if (draft.preset === 'custom' && !isValidAutomationSchedule(draft.customSchedule)) {
+      toast.error('Enter a valid 5-field cron expression before saving.')
+      return
+    }
     setIsSaving(true)
     try {
       const selectedWorkspaceExists =
@@ -345,12 +425,15 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
       }
       const now = Date.now()
       const timezone = Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone
-      const rrule = buildAutomationRrule({
-        preset: draft.preset,
-        hour: Number.isFinite(hour) ? hour : 9,
-        minute: Number.isFinite(minute) ? minute : 0,
-        dayOfWeek: Number(draft.dayOfWeek)
-      })
+      const rrule =
+        draft.preset === 'custom'
+          ? draft.customSchedule.trim()
+          : buildAutomationRrule({
+              preset: draft.preset,
+              hour: Number.isFinite(hour) ? hour : 9,
+              minute: Number.isFinite(minute) ? minute : 0,
+              dayOfWeek: Number(draft.dayOfWeek)
+            })
       const rawMissedRunGraceMinutes = Number(draft.missedRunGraceMinutes)
       const missedRunGraceMinutes = Number.isFinite(rawMissedRunGraceMinutes)
         ? Math.max(0, rawMissedRunGraceMinutes)
@@ -579,7 +662,7 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
                 variant="ghost"
                 size="icon-sm"
                 aria-label="Add automation"
-                onClick={openCreateDialog}
+                onClick={() => openCreateDialog()}
                 className="border border-border/50 bg-transparent hover:bg-muted/50"
               >
                 <Plus className="size-4" />
@@ -605,6 +688,7 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
         onProjectChange={handleProjectChange}
         onOpenChange={setCreateOpen}
         onDraftChange={setDraft}
+        onApplyTemplate={applyTemplateToDraft}
         onSave={() => void saveAutomation()}
       />
 
@@ -735,6 +819,12 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
       <div className="grid min-h-0 flex-1 grid-cols-[minmax(280px,360px)_1fr] overflow-hidden border-t border-border/50">
         <section className="flex min-h-0 flex-col border-r border-border/50 bg-muted/20">
           <div className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-auto p-2">
+            {automations.length > 0 ? (
+              <div className="grid grid-cols-[1fr_auto] gap-2 px-2 pb-2 text-[11px] font-medium uppercase text-muted-foreground">
+                <span>Automation</span>
+                <span>Next</span>
+              </div>
+            ) : null}
             {automations.map((automation) => {
               const automationRepo = repoMap.get(automation.projectId)
               const automationWorktree = automation.workspaceId
@@ -742,7 +832,7 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
                 : null
               const workspaceLabel =
                 automation.workspaceMode === 'new_per_run'
-                  ? 'New workspace each run'
+                  ? `Create from ${automation.baseBranch ?? automationRepo?.worktreeBaseRef ?? 'project default'}`
                   : (automationWorktree?.displayName ?? 'Missing workspace')
               const usageSummary = summarizeAutomationRunUsage(
                 runs.filter((run) => run.automationId === automation.id)
@@ -755,6 +845,9 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
                   : usageSummary.unavailableRuns > 0
                     ? 'Usage unavailable'
                     : 'No run usage yet'
+              const nextRunLabel = automation.enabled
+                ? formatAutomationDateTimeWithRelative(automation.nextRunAt, relativeNow)
+                : 'Paused'
               return (
                 <ContextMenu key={automation.id}>
                   <ContextMenuTrigger asChild>
@@ -762,35 +855,50 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
                       type="button"
                       onClick={() => setSelectedId(automation.id)}
                       className={cn(
-                        'mb-1 flex w-full flex-col gap-1 rounded-md border px-3 py-2 text-left text-sm transition-colors',
+                        'mb-1 grid w-full grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_auto] gap-3 rounded-md border px-3 py-2 text-left text-sm transition-colors',
                         selected?.id === automation.id
                           ? 'border-foreground/30 bg-muted/70 text-foreground shadow-sm'
                           : 'border-transparent hover:bg-muted/50'
                       )}
                     >
-                      <span className="font-medium">{automation.name}</span>
-                      <span className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-1.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-                        {automationRepo ? (
-                          <RepoDotLabel
-                            name={automationRepo.displayName}
-                            color={automationRepo.badgeColor}
-                            dotClassName="size-1.5"
+                      <span className="min-w-0">
+                        <span className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-2">
+                          <span
+                            className={cn(
+                              'size-2 rounded-full',
+                              automation.enabled ? 'bg-foreground' : 'bg-muted-foreground/40'
+                            )}
                           />
-                        ) : (
-                          <span>Unknown project</span>
-                        )}
-                        <span className="shrink-0">/</span>
-                        <span className="truncate">{workspaceLabel}</span>
+                          <span className="truncate font-medium">{automation.name}</span>
+                        </span>
+                        <span className="mt-1 flex min-w-0 items-center gap-1.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                          {automationRepo ? (
+                            <RepoDotLabel
+                              name={automationRepo.displayName}
+                              color={automationRepo.badgeColor}
+                              dotClassName="size-1.5"
+                            />
+                          ) : (
+                            <span>Unknown project</span>
+                          )}
+                          <span className="shrink-0">/</span>
+                          <span className="truncate">{workspaceLabel}</span>
+                        </span>
+                        <span className="mt-1 flex min-w-0 items-center gap-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                          <span className="truncate">
+                            {formatAutomationSchedule(automation.rrule)}
+                          </span>
+                          <span className="shrink-0">·</span>
+                          <span className="truncate">{getAgentLabel(automation.agentId)}</span>
+                        </span>
+                        <span className="mt-1 block truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                          {usageText}
+                        </span>
                       </span>
-                      <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-                        {automation.enabled
-                          ? `Next run ${formatAutomationDateTimeWithRelative(
-                              automation.nextRunAt,
-                              relativeNow
-                            )}`
-                          : 'Paused'}
+                      <span className="flex max-w-28 flex-col items-end gap-1 text-right text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                        <Clock className="size-3.5" />
+                        <span className="line-clamp-2">{nextRunLabel}</span>
                       </span>
-                      <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">{usageText}</span>
                     </button>
                   </ContextMenuTrigger>
                   <ContextMenuContent className="w-48">
@@ -823,7 +931,34 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
               )
             })}
             {automations.length === 0 ? (
-              <div className="p-4 text-sm text-muted-foreground">No automations yet.</div>
+              <div className="grid gap-2 p-2">
+                <div className="px-1 pb-1 text-sm font-medium">Start from a template</div>
+                {AUTOMATION_TEMPLATES.map((template) => (
+                  <button
+                    key={template.id}
+                    type="button"
+                    onClick={() => openCreateDialog(template)}
+                    className="rounded-md border border-border/70 bg-background px-3 py-2 text-left shadow-xs transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50"
+                  >
+                    <div className="text-[11px] font-medium uppercase text-muted-foreground">
+                      {template.category}
+                    </div>
+                    <div className="mt-1 text-sm font-medium">{template.label}</div>
+                    <div className="mt-1 line-clamp-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                      {template.description}
+                    </div>
+                  </button>
+                ))}
+                <Button
+                  type="button"
+                  variant="outline"
+                  className="mt-1 w-full justify-start"
+                  onClick={() => openCreateDialog()}
+                >
+                  <Plus className="size-4" />
+                  Add new
+                </Button>
+              </div>
             ) : null}
           </div>
         </section>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/CreateFromPicker.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/CreateFromPicker.tsx
index 300655e5f7b..a6b5cbda4d4 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/CreateFromPicker.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/CreateFromPicker.tsx
@@ -28,12 +28,14 @@ export function CreateFromPicker({
   repoMap,
   worktrees,
   value,
+  triggerClassName,
   onValueChange
 }: {
   repoId: string
   repoMap: Map<string, Repo>
   worktrees: Worktree[]
   value: string
+  triggerClassName?: string
   onValueChange: (baseBranch: string) => void
 }): React.JSX.Element {
   const activeRuntimeEnvironmentId = useAppStore(
@@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ export function CreateFromPicker({
             variant="outline"
             role="combobox"
             aria-expanded={open}
-            className="h-9 w-full justify-between px-3 text-sm font-normal"
+            className={cn('h-9 w-full justify-between px-3 text-sm font-normal', triggerClassName)}
           >
             <span className="truncate">{selectedLabel}</span>
             <ChevronsUpDown className="size-4 opacity-50" />
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/WorkspaceCombobox.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/WorkspaceCombobox.tsx
index 42cecf2db86..1452427aed1 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/WorkspaceCombobox.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/WorkspaceCombobox.tsx
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@ import type { Worktree } from '../../../../shared/types'
 export function WorkspaceCombobox({
   worktrees,
   value,
+  triggerClassName,
   onValueChange
 }: {
   worktrees: Worktree[]
   value: string
+  triggerClassName?: string
   onValueChange: (workspaceId: string) => void
 }): React.JSX.Element {
   const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false)
@@ -41,7 +43,7 @@ export function WorkspaceCombobox({
           variant="outline"
           role="combobox"
           aria-expanded={open}
-          className="h-9 w-full justify-between px-3 text-sm font-normal"
+          className={cn('h-9 w-full justify-between px-3 text-sm font-normal', triggerClassName)}
         >
           <span className={cn('truncate', !selected && 'text-muted-foreground')}>
             {selected?.displayName ?? 'Select workspace'}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/automation-templates.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/automation-templates.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..17d60505e0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/automation-templates.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import type { AutomationSchedulePreset } from '../../../../shared/automations-types'
+import type { TuiAgent } from '../../../../shared/types'
+
+export type AutomationTemplate = {
+  id: string
+  category: string
+  label: string
+  description: string
+  name: string
+  prompt: string
+  preset: AutomationSchedulePreset
+  time?: string
+  dayOfWeek?: string
+  agentId?: TuiAgent
+  missedRunGraceMinutes?: string
+}
+
+export const AUTOMATION_TEMPLATES: AutomationTemplate[] = [
+  {
+    id: 'repo-health-weekday',
+    category: 'Repo health',
+    label: 'Weekday repo audit',
+    description: 'Check dependencies, failing tests, and risky open changes each weekday.',
+    name: 'Weekday repo audit',
+    prompt:
+      'Review the repository health. Check dependency updates, failing tests, lint/typecheck status, and risky open changes. Summarize findings and suggest the next action.',
+    preset: 'weekdays',
+    time: '09:00',
+    missedRunGraceMinutes: '720'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'release-prep-weekly',
+    category: 'Release prep',
+    label: 'Release readiness',
+    description: 'Prepare a weekly release risk summary from the current project state.',
+    name: 'Release readiness review',
+    prompt:
+      'Prepare a release readiness summary. Look for blockers, unmerged risky changes, missing validation, and documentation gaps. End with a concise release/no-release recommendation.',
+    preset: 'weekly',
+    time: '14:00',
+    dayOfWeek: '4',
+    missedRunGraceMinutes: '1440'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'recurring-review-daily',
+    category: 'Recurring review',
+    label: 'Daily change review',
+    description: 'Scan recent work and call out correctness, UX, and test coverage risks.',
+    name: 'Daily change review',
+    prompt:
+      'Review recent changes in this workspace. Focus on correctness risks, UX regressions, missing tests, and follow-up tasks. Keep the report short and actionable.',
+    preset: 'daily',
+    time: '16:30',
+    missedRunGraceMinutes: '180'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'maintenance-hourly',
+    category: 'Maintenance',
+    label: 'Hourly queue check',
+    description: 'Look for stuck work, stale generated files, and failed local validation.',
+    name: 'Hourly maintenance check',
+    prompt:
+      'Check for stuck work, stale generated files, failing validation, and anything that needs human attention. Report only actionable issues.',
+    preset: 'hourly',
+    time: '00:15',
+    missedRunGraceMinutes: '30'
+  }
+]
diff --git a/src/shared/automation-schedules.test.ts b/src/shared/automation-schedules.test.ts
index 7036dfe9758..ebc5d15d19a 100644
--- a/src/shared/automation-schedules.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/automation-schedules.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import {
   buildAutomationRrule,
+  formatAutomationSchedule,
+  isValidAutomationSchedule,
   latestAutomationOccurrenceAtOrBefore,
   nextAutomationOccurrenceAfter,
-  parseAutomationRrule
+  parseAutomationRrule,
+  tryParseAutomationRrule
 } from './automation-schedules'
 
 describe('automation schedules', () => {
@@ -48,4 +51,70 @@ describe('automation schedules', () => {
       dayOfWeek: 0
     })
   })
+
+  it('rejects malformed weekly BYDAY instead of remapping to Sunday', () => {
+    expect(() => parseAutomationRrule('FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=NO;BYHOUR=10;BYMINUTE=15')).toThrow(
+      'Invalid recurrence day.'
+    )
+    expect(tryParseAutomationRrule('FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO,NO;BYHOUR=10;BYMINUTE=15')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('formats invalid schedules with a safe fallback label', () => {
+    expect(formatAutomationSchedule('FREQ=YEARLY')).toBe('Invalid schedule')
+  })
+
+  it('formats hourly schedules using the stored minute', () => {
+    expect(formatAutomationSchedule('FREQ=HOURLY;BYMINUTE=5')).toBe('Hourly at :05')
+  })
+
+  it('computes custom cron schedules', () => {
+    const next = nextAutomationOccurrenceAfter(
+      '15 10 * * 1-5',
+      new Date('2026-05-01T00:00:00').getTime(),
+      new Date('2026-05-15T12:00:00').getTime()
+    )
+    expect(next).toBe(new Date('2026-05-18T10:15:00').getTime())
+
+    const latest = latestAutomationOccurrenceAtOrBefore(
+      '15 10 * * 1-5',
+      new Date('2026-05-01T00:00:00').getTime(),
+      new Date('2026-05-15T12:00:00').getTime()
+    )
+    expect(latest).toBe(new Date('2026-05-15T10:15:00').getTime())
+  })
+
+  it('labels valid custom cron schedules without treating them as invalid', () => {
+    expect(formatAutomationSchedule('*/30 9-17 * * MON-FRI')).toBe(
+      'Custom cron: */30 9-17 * * MON-FRI'
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('treats all-value cron day fields as unrestricted for DOM/DOW matching', () => {
+    const next = nextAutomationOccurrenceAfter(
+      '0 9 */1 * MON',
+      new Date('2026-05-01T00:00:00').getTime(),
+      new Date('2026-05-15T12:00:00').getTime()
+    )
+    expect(next).toBe(new Date('2026-05-18T09:00:00').getTime())
+    expect(isValidAutomationSchedule('0 9 * * 0-7')).toBe(true)
+    expect(isValidAutomationSchedule('0 9 * * 1-7')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('rejects cron fields with malformed separators', () => {
+    expect(isValidAutomationSchedule('*/15/2 9 * * *')).toBe(false)
+    expect(isValidAutomationSchedule('0 9 1--5 * *')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('rejects syntactically valid cron schedules with no possible run', () => {
+    expect(isValidAutomationSchedule('0 0 31 2 *')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('finds rare but valid leap-day custom cron schedules', () => {
+    const next = nextAutomationOccurrenceAfter(
+      '0 0 29 2 *',
+      new Date('2026-05-01T00:00:00').getTime(),
+      new Date('2026-05-15T12:00:00').getTime()
+    )
+    expect(next).toBe(new Date('2028-02-29T00:00:00').getTime())
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/shared/automation-schedules.ts b/src/shared/automation-schedules.ts
index 411c7bc8384..db7206697a1 100644
--- a/src/shared/automation-schedules.ts
+++ b/src/shared/automation-schedules.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,63 @@
+/* eslint-disable max-lines -- Why: automation scheduling needs RRULE presets and
+ * custom cron parsing to share one execution path for main/renderer parity. */
 import type { AutomationSchedulePreset } from './automations-types'
 
 const DAY_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000
 const HOUR_MS = 60 * 60 * 1000
+const MINUTE_MS = 60 * 1000
+// Why: valid cron expressions like Feb 29 can have an 8-year gap across non-leap centuries.
+const CRON_SCAN_DAYS = 9 * 366
+const CRON_SCAN_MINUTES = CRON_SCAN_DAYS * 24 * 60
 
-type ParsedRule = {
+type ParsedRrule = {
+  kind: 'rrule'
   freq: 'HOURLY' | 'DAILY' | 'WEEKLY'
   byDay: string[]
   byHour: number
   byMinute: number
 }
 
-const DAY_CODES = ['SU', 'MO', 'TU', 'WE', 'TH', 'FR', 'SA'] as const
+type ParsedCron = {
+  kind: 'cron'
+  minutes: Set<number>
+  hours: Set<number>
+  daysOfMonth: Set<number>
+  months: Set<number>
+  daysOfWeek: Set<number>
+  dayOfMonthRestricted: boolean
+  dayOfWeekRestricted: boolean
+}
 
-function parseRrule(rrule: string): ParsedRule {
+type ParsedSchedule = ParsedRrule | ParsedCron
+
+const DAY_CODES = ['SU', 'MO', 'TU', 'WE', 'TH', 'FR', 'SA'] as const
+const WEEKDAY_CODES = ['MO', 'TU', 'WE', 'TH', 'FR'] as const
+const MONTH_NAMES = new Map([
+  ['JAN', 1],
+  ['FEB', 2],
+  ['MAR', 3],
+  ['APR', 4],
+  ['MAY', 5],
+  ['JUN', 6],
+  ['JUL', 7],
+  ['AUG', 8],
+  ['SEP', 9],
+  ['OCT', 10],
+  ['NOV', 11],
+  ['DEC', 12]
+])
+const DAY_NAMES = new Map<string, number>([
+  ...DAY_CODES.map((code, index) => [code, index] as const),
+  ['SUN', 0],
+  ['MON', 1],
+  ['TUE', 2],
+  ['WED', 3],
+  ['THU', 4],
+  ['FRI', 5],
+  ['SAT', 6]
+])
+
+function parseRrule(rrule: string): ParsedRrule {
   const entries = new Map<string, string>()
   for (const part of rrule.split(';')) {
     const [key, value] = part.split('=')
@@ -33,7 +78,139 @@ function parseRrule(rrule: string): ParsedRule {
     throw new Error('Invalid recurrence minute.')
   }
   const byDay = (entries.get('BYDAY') ?? '').split(',').filter(Boolean)
-  return { freq, byDay, byHour, byMinute }
+  return { kind: 'rrule', freq, byDay, byHour, byMinute }
+}
+
+function parseCronNumber(value: string, names: Map<string, number> | null, field: string): number {
+  const normalized = value.toUpperCase()
+  const named = names?.get(normalized)
+  const parsed = named ?? Number(normalized)
+  if (!Number.isInteger(parsed)) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${field}.`)
+  }
+  return parsed
+}
+
+function parseCronField(args: {
+  value: string
+  min: number
+  max: number
+  field: string
+  names?: Map<string, number>
+  normalize?: (value: number) => number
+}): Set<number> {
+  const result = new Set<number>()
+  for (const rawPart of args.value.split(',')) {
+    const part = rawPart.trim()
+    if (!part) {
+      throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+    }
+    const stepParts = part.split('/')
+    if (stepParts.length > 2) {
+      throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+    }
+    const [rangePart, stepPart] = stepParts
+    if (!rangePart) {
+      throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+    }
+    const step = stepPart === undefined ? 1 : Number(stepPart)
+    if (!Number.isInteger(step) || step < 1) {
+      throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+    }
+
+    let start: number
+    let end: number
+    if (rangePart === '*') {
+      start = args.min
+      end = args.max
+    } else if (rangePart.includes('-')) {
+      const rangeParts = rangePart.split('-')
+      if (rangeParts.length !== 2 || !rangeParts[0] || !rangeParts[1]) {
+        throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+      }
+      const [startPart, endPart] = rangeParts
+      start = parseCronNumber(startPart, args.names ?? null, args.field)
+      end = parseCronNumber(endPart, args.names ?? null, args.field)
+    } else {
+      start = parseCronNumber(rangePart, args.names ?? null, args.field)
+      end = start
+    }
+
+    const normalizedStart = args.normalize?.(start) ?? start
+    const normalizedEnd = args.normalize?.(end) ?? end
+    if (
+      start < args.min ||
+      start > args.max ||
+      end < args.min ||
+      end > args.max ||
+      normalizedStart < args.min ||
+      normalizedStart > args.max ||
+      normalizedEnd < args.min ||
+      normalizedEnd > args.max ||
+      start > end
+    ) {
+      throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+    }
+    for (let value = start; value <= end; value += step) {
+      result.add(args.normalize?.(value) ?? value)
+    }
+  }
+  if (result.size === 0) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid cron ${args.field}.`)
+  }
+  return result
+}
+
+function parseCronExpression(expression: string): ParsedCron {
+  const parts = expression.trim().split(/\s+/)
+  if (parts.length !== 5) {
+    throw new Error('Cron schedule must have five fields.')
+  }
+  const [minute, hour, dayOfMonth, month, dayOfWeek] = parts
+  const daysOfMonth = parseCronField({
+    value: dayOfMonth,
+    min: 1,
+    max: 31,
+    field: 'day of month'
+  })
+  const daysOfWeek = parseCronField({
+    value: dayOfWeek,
+    min: 0,
+    max: 7,
+    field: 'day of week',
+    names: DAY_NAMES,
+    normalize: (value) => (value === 7 ? 0 : value)
+  })
+  return {
+    kind: 'cron',
+    minutes: parseCronField({ value: minute, min: 0, max: 59, field: 'minute' }),
+    hours: parseCronField({ value: hour, min: 0, max: 23, field: 'hour' }),
+    daysOfMonth,
+    months: parseCronField({ value: month, min: 1, max: 12, field: 'month', names: MONTH_NAMES }),
+    daysOfWeek,
+    dayOfMonthRestricted: daysOfMonth.size !== 31,
+    dayOfWeekRestricted: daysOfWeek.size !== 7
+  }
+}
+
+function parseSchedule(schedule: string): ParsedSchedule {
+  const trimmed = schedule.trim()
+  if (trimmed.includes('=')) {
+    return parseRrule(trimmed)
+  }
+  return parseCronExpression(trimmed)
+}
+
+export function isValidAutomationSchedule(schedule: string): boolean {
+  try {
+    const parsed = parseSchedule(schedule)
+    if (parsed.kind === 'cron' && !cronHasPossibleOccurrence(parsed, Date.now())) {
+      throw new Error('Cron schedule has no possible run.')
+    }
+    return true
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
 }
 
 export function parseAutomationRrule(rrule: string): {
@@ -49,18 +226,65 @@ export function parseAutomationRrule(rrule: string): {
   if (rule.freq === 'DAILY') {
     return { preset: 'daily', hour: rule.byHour, minute: rule.byMinute, dayOfWeek: 1 }
   }
-  if (rule.byDay.join(',') === 'MO,TU,WE,TH,FR') {
+  if (rule.byDay.join(',') === WEEKDAY_CODES.join(',')) {
     return { preset: 'weekdays', hour: rule.byHour, minute: rule.byMinute, dayOfWeek: 1 }
   }
-  const dayCode = rule.byDay[0] ?? 'MO'
+  if (rule.byDay.length !== 1) {
+    throw new Error('Invalid recurrence day.')
+  }
+  const dayCode = rule.byDay[0]
+  const dayOfWeek = DAY_CODES.indexOf(dayCode as (typeof DAY_CODES)[number])
+  if (dayOfWeek < 0) {
+    throw new Error('Invalid recurrence day.')
+  }
   return {
     preset: 'weekly',
     hour: rule.byHour,
     minute: rule.byMinute,
-    dayOfWeek: Math.max(0, DAY_CODES.indexOf(dayCode as (typeof DAY_CODES)[number]))
+    dayOfWeek
   }
 }
 
+export function tryParseAutomationRrule(
+  rrule: string
+): ReturnType<typeof parseAutomationRrule> | null {
+  try {
+    return parseAutomationRrule(rrule)
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+function formatTime(hour: number, minute: number): string {
+  const date = new Date()
+  date.setHours(hour, minute, 0, 0)
+  return new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, {
+    hour: 'numeric',
+    minute: '2-digit'
+  }).format(date)
+}
+
+export function formatAutomationSchedule(rrule: string): string {
+  const schedule = tryParseAutomationRrule(rrule)
+  if (!schedule) {
+    return isValidAutomationSchedule(rrule) ? `Custom cron: ${rrule.trim()}` : 'Invalid schedule'
+  }
+  if (schedule.preset === 'hourly') {
+    return `Hourly at :${String(schedule.minute).padStart(2, '0')}`
+  }
+  const time = formatTime(schedule.hour, schedule.minute)
+  if (schedule.preset === 'daily') {
+    return `Daily at ${time}`
+  }
+  if (schedule.preset === 'weekdays') {
+    return `Weekdays at ${time}`
+  }
+  const day = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, { weekday: 'long' }).format(
+    new Date(2026, 0, 4 + schedule.dayOfWeek)
+  )
+  return `${day}s at ${time}`
+}
+
 function atLocalTime(dayMs: number, hour: number, minute: number): number {
   const date = new Date(dayMs)
   date.setHours(hour, minute, 0, 0)
@@ -73,7 +297,7 @@ function startOfLocalDay(timestamp: number): number {
   return date.getTime()
 }
 
-function dayMatches(rule: ParsedRule, timestamp: number): boolean {
+function dayMatches(rule: ParsedRrule, timestamp: number): boolean {
   if (rule.freq === 'DAILY') {
     return true
   }
@@ -81,7 +305,7 @@ function dayMatches(rule: ParsedRule, timestamp: number): boolean {
   return rule.byDay.includes(code)
 }
 
-function scanDayCandidates(rule: ParsedRule, anchor: number, direction: 1 | -1): number | null {
+function scanDayCandidates(rule: ParsedRrule, anchor: number, direction: 1 | -1): number | null {
   let day = startOfLocalDay(anchor)
   for (let i = 0; i < 370; i += 1) {
     const candidate = atLocalTime(day, rule.byHour, rule.byMinute)
@@ -98,8 +322,46 @@ function scanDayCandidates(rule: ParsedRule, anchor: number, direction: 1 | -1):
   return null
 }
 
+function floorToMinute(timestamp: number): number {
+  const date = new Date(timestamp)
+  date.setSeconds(0, 0)
+  return date.getTime()
+}
+
+function cronMatches(rule: ParsedCron, timestamp: number): boolean {
+  if (!cronDateMatches(rule, timestamp)) {
+    return false
+  }
+  const date = new Date(timestamp)
+  return rule.hours.has(date.getHours()) && rule.minutes.has(date.getMinutes())
+}
+
+function cronDateMatches(rule: ParsedCron, timestamp: number): boolean {
+  const date = new Date(timestamp)
+  if (!rule.months.has(date.getMonth() + 1)) {
+    return false
+  }
+  const dayOfMonthMatches = rule.daysOfMonth.has(date.getDate())
+  const dayOfWeekMatches = rule.daysOfWeek.has(date.getDay())
+  if (rule.dayOfMonthRestricted && rule.dayOfWeekRestricted) {
+    return dayOfMonthMatches || dayOfWeekMatches
+  }
+  return dayOfMonthMatches && dayOfWeekMatches
+}
+
+function cronHasPossibleOccurrence(rule: ParsedCron, anchor: number): boolean {
+  let day = startOfLocalDay(anchor)
+  for (let i = 0; i < CRON_SCAN_DAYS; i += 1) {
+    if (cronDateMatches(rule, day)) {
+      return true
+    }
+    day += DAY_MS
+  }
+  return false
+}
+
 export function buildAutomationRrule(args: {
-  preset: AutomationSchedulePreset
+  preset: Exclude<AutomationSchedulePreset, 'custom'>
   hour: number
   minute: number
   dayOfWeek?: number
@@ -124,7 +386,26 @@ export function nextAutomationOccurrenceAfter(
   dtstart: number,
   after: number
 ): number {
-  const rule = parseRrule(rrule)
+  const rule = parseSchedule(rrule)
+  if (rule.kind === 'cron') {
+    let candidate = floorToMinute(Math.max(dtstart, after))
+    if (candidate <= after) {
+      candidate += MINUTE_MS
+    }
+    if (candidate < dtstart) {
+      candidate = floorToMinute(dtstart)
+      if (candidate < dtstart) {
+        candidate += MINUTE_MS
+      }
+    }
+    for (let i = 0; i < CRON_SCAN_MINUTES; i += 1) {
+      if (cronMatches(rule, candidate)) {
+        return candidate
+      }
+      candidate += MINUTE_MS
+    }
+    throw new Error('Unable to compute next automation run.')
+  }
   if (rule.freq === 'HOURLY') {
     const start = Math.max(dtstart, after)
     const base = new Date(start)
@@ -150,7 +431,17 @@ export function latestAutomationOccurrenceAtOrBefore(
   if (now < dtstart) {
     return null
   }
-  const rule = parseRrule(rrule)
+  const rule = parseSchedule(rrule)
+  if (rule.kind === 'cron') {
+    let candidate = floorToMinute(now)
+    for (let i = 0; i < CRON_SCAN_MINUTES && candidate >= dtstart; i += 1) {
+      if (cronMatches(rule, candidate)) {
+        return candidate
+      }
+      candidate -= MINUTE_MS
+    }
+    return null
+  }
   if (rule.freq === 'HOURLY') {
     const base = new Date(now)
     base.setMinutes(rule.byMinute, 0, 0)
diff --git a/src/shared/automations-types.ts b/src/shared/automations-types.ts
index a9e4883ecbb..d4b3ebc1b80 100644
--- a/src/shared/automations-types.ts
+++ b/src/shared/automations-types.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export type AutomationRunStatus =
   | 'dispatch_failed'
 export type AutomationRunTrigger = 'scheduled' | 'manual'
 
-export type AutomationSchedulePreset = 'hourly' | 'daily' | 'weekdays' | 'weekly'
+export type AutomationSchedulePreset = 'hourly' | 'daily' | 'weekdays' | 'weekly' | 'custom'
 export type AutomationRunUsageProvider = 'claude' | 'codex'
 export type AutomationRunUsageStatus = 'known' | 'unavailable'
 export type AutomationRunUsageAttribution = 'provider_session_time_window'