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Convert Quartz cron to GitHub Actions
Quartz expressions look similar to GitHub Actions, but the differences matter. Paste yours below; the result is checked against the original run times.
What changes from Quartz to GitHub Actions
- GitHub Actions has no seconds field, so a schedule that fires on specific seconds cannot be converted exactly. The seconds value is dropped and flagged.
- Quartz numbers weekdays 1-7 starting on Sunday. GitHub Actions starts on Sunday = 0, so every weekday number is reduced by one.
- GitHub Actions does not use
?, so it is replaced with*. - GitHub Actions has no year field. A specific year would be dropped, so the schedule would repeat every year; the converter warns you.
- Quartz requires both day fields to match; GitHub Actions fires when either does. Schedules that restrict both are flagged.
- GitHub Actions has no
L,Wor#symbols. Schedules like "last day of the month" cannot be converted and are refused rather than silently changed.
Worked examples
| Schedule | Quartz | GitHub Actions |
|---|---|---|
| every minute | 0 * * * * ? | * * * * * |
| every 5 minutes | 0 */5 * * * ? | */5 * * * * |
| every 10 minutes | 0 */10 * * * ? | */10 * * * * |
| every 15 minutes | 0 */15 * * * ? | */15 * * * * |
| every 30 minutes | 0 */30 * * * ? | */30 * * * * |
| every hour | 0 0 * * * ? | 0 * * * * |
| every 2 hours | 0 0 */2 * * ? | 0 */2 * * * |
| every 3 hours | 0 0 */3 * * ? | 0 */3 * * * |
Conversions that come with a warning
- every 10 seconds:
0/10 * * * * ?→* * * * *. GitHub Actions has no seconds field; the seconds value "0/10" was dropped. - every 30 seconds:
0/30 * * * * ?→* * * * *. GitHub Actions has no seconds field; the seconds value "0/30" was dropped.
What cannot be converted
These common Quartz schedules have no equivalent in GitHub Actions. The converter refuses them instead of guessing.
- on the last day of every month:
0 0 0 L * ?. This schedule cannot be expressed in GitHub Actions: "L" is not a valid dom value. - on the first Monday of every month at 9:00 AM:
0 0 9 ? * 2#1. This schedule cannot be expressed in GitHub Actions: "1#1" is not a valid dow value. - on the last Friday of every month at noon:
0 0 12 ? * 6L. This schedule cannot be expressed in GitHub Actions: "5L" is not a valid dow value.
Field layout and time zones
second (0-59), minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (1-7, 1 = Sunday), year (1970-2199, optional).
Quartz uses the JVM default time zone unless you set one: CronScheduleBuilder.cronSchedule(expr).inTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone("UTC")).
minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (0-6, 0 = Sunday).
GitHub Actions schedules are always UTC. Convert your local time to UTC before writing the expression.
Go the other way
Convert GitHub Actions to Quartz, or open the Quartz builder or the GitHub Actions builder.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a Quartz cron expression to GitHub Actions?
Paste it into the converter above with Quartz as the source and GitHub Actions as the target. For example, 0 * * * * ? becomes * * * * *.
Is every Quartz expression convertible to GitHub Actions?
No. Out of 32 common schedules, 3 cannot be expressed in GitHub Actions: on the last day of every month; on the first Monday of every month at 9:00 AM; on the last Friday of every month at noon.
Does GitHub Actions run in the same time zone as Quartz?
Not necessarily. Conversion changes the syntax, not the time zone. Check where each system evaluates the schedule before you rely on the same clock times.