$ norc-cli

The headless control plane for your crontabs.

Install it on any server or machine. It pairs once via a device code, then runs unattended as a background service — syncing crontab changes, watching for failures, no GUI required.

Prefer a GUI? Explore norc-desktop.

Install norc-cli

One package per platform's native manager. Landing with the first tagged release.

Channel Platform Command
brew macOS brew install norc-cli Coming soon
apt Linux sudo apt install norc-cli Coming soon
winget Windows winget install norc.norc-cli Coming soon
choco Windows choco install norc-cli Coming soon
scoop Windows scoop install norc-cli Coming soon

Pair once. Run unattended.

Install, pair, add a job, and register the background service — four commands, then it's hands-off.

Built to run unattended

Everything the background service needs, nothing a server doesn't.

Per-user background service

Installs as a systemd --user unit, a macOS LaunchAgent, or a logon-triggered Windows Scheduled Task — no root/admin required, starts on login.

Safe crontab writes

norc-cli only touches the jobs it manages — foreign and hand-written entries are preserved untouched.

Cross-device sync

Jobs and machines stay in sync across every device you sign in from, including your desktop if you also run norc-desktop.

Run history & failures

See when jobs ran, what they returned, and which ones failed — instead of finding out the hard way.

AI schedule generation

Describe a schedule in plain language and turn it into a correct cron expression (bring your own key).

Plays well with norc-desktop

If norc-desktop is also installed on the same machine, norc-cli warns you at install time and every startup — instead of silently racing it for the same crontab.

Not raw cron. Not a pager.

Raw cron has no sync, no history, no safety net. Monitoring-only tools tell you a job failed after the fact — they don't let you fix it. norc-cli edits, deploys, and watches jobs across your whole fleet, headless.

Raw cron Monitoring-only tools norc-cli
Cross-device sync No No Yes
Edits jobs remotely No No Yes
Run history No Yes Yes
Runs headless, no GUI Yes Yes Yes

See the full comparison against Cronitor, Healthchecks.io & Dead Man's Snitch →

one binary, five package managers, zero GUI required.
norc-cli is the headless half of the norc control plane.