Claude Code Session Trigger (GitHub Actions)

TL;DR:
Run Claude Code in a terminal in this repo, run /install-github-app, then tweak .github/workflows/trigger-claude-cli.yml to your needs.

This repo is a minimal template for running Claude Code on a schedule via GitHub Actions.

It includes a single workflow that demonstrates:

• Scheduled execution at specific times in Norway time (Europe/Oslo), including DST handling (CET/CEST)
• Invoking anthropics/claude-code-action with a prompt and CLI args
• Storing the required API key as a GitHub Actions secret

What it does

The workflow in .github/workflows/trigger-claude-cli.yml runs on a schedule (and manually via workflow_dispatch). Because GitHub cron schedules are UTC-only, the workflow includes both CET and CEST cron entries and then decides at runtime which ones should actually run based on the current Europe/Oslo offset.

Out of the box, the example prompt is intentionally trivial ("hi, only answer hi"). You should replace it with whatever you want Claude Code to do.

Schedule (default)

The default schedule is written for Europe/Oslo:

• Mon–Wed + Fri–Sun: runs at 05:00, 10:00, and 15:00 Norway time
• Thu: runs at 09:00 Norway time only (intended as an “early reset” window)

To make this work across CET/CEST, the workflow registers multiple UTC cron candidates and then skips the “wrong season” runs in the first step.

Prerequisites

• A GitHub repository with GitHub Actions enabled
• Claude Code installed on your machine
• The Claude GitHub App installed for the repository (see “Forks / setup” below)
• A GitHub Actions secret named ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Quick start

1. Install the Claude GitHub App for this repo (or your fork):

   • Open Claude Code in this repo and run: /install-github-app
   • Follow the prompts to install/authorize the GitHub App for the repository and configure required secrets
   • You must be a repo admin to install the app / add secrets
   • If /install-github-app isn’t available, install the app manually at https://github.com/apps/claude and then add ANTHROPIC_API_KEY as a repository secret

2. Verify the API key secret in GitHub:

• When you run /install-github-app, the setup flow will create the required ANTHROPIC_API_KEY secret for you automatically using the key you provide.
• You normally don’t need to add this secret manually. Just confirm it exists in your GitHub repo under: Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.
• Only if you skipped /install-github-app and installed the Claude GitHub App manually should you create ANTHROPIC_API_KEY yourself and paste in your Anthropic API key (from the Anthropic Console).

3. Trigger a run:
   • Go to the repo’s Actions tab → Trigger Claude Code Session → Run workflow

Customizing behavior

Open .github/workflows/trigger-claude-cli.yml and edit:

• on.schedule: change the cron entries/timing policy
• with.prompt: what Claude Code should do
• with.claude_args: CLI flags (tool permissions, model, max turns, etc.)

Using this in a fork

See docs/FORKS.md for fork-specific setup details (Actions scheduling, installing the GitHub App, and configuring secrets).