Scheduled Tasks
Scheduled Tasks provides a managed place for recurring server-side jobs associated with a site.
WP-Cron versus managed tasks
WordPress WP-Cron is application-driven and normally runs when WordPress receives traffic unless it has been disabled or replaced by another scheduling strategy.
A managed Scheduled Task is executed by the hosting platform according to its configured schedule and does not depend on frontend requests reaching WordPress.
Use a managed task when reliable execution timing matters or when a command should run independently of visitor traffic.
Custom tasks
Custom scheduled tasks execute within the managed site context. Commands should use the site's expected runtime and filesystem scope rather than assuming global server paths or another site's identity.
Keep tasks deterministic, idempotent where practical, and avoid embedding secrets directly in command text when a managed configuration or environment value can be used instead.
Before scheduling a destructive command, run it manually in a safe environment and confirm its behaviour.
WordPress background work
WP-Cron and custom scheduled tasks can overlap conceptually but are not the same subsystem. A plugin may continue to rely on WP-Cron even when unrelated custom tasks are configured in the Panel.
When troubleshooting delayed plugin jobs, confirm whether the plugin uses WP-Cron, Action Scheduler or an external service before changing Webcore's custom task schedule.
Staging behaviour
Staging deliberately disables WordPress WP-Cron so a cloned site cannot accidentally execute production schedules, send recurring emails or process production-like background work.
If you need to test a scheduled workflow in Staging, trigger it deliberately and verify that mail, payment, API and other external integrations are safe before enabling anything recurring.
Troubleshooting
If a managed task is not running:
- confirm it is enabled and the schedule is correct
- verify the command and runtime path
- confirm the site user has permission to access the required files
- inspect task output and the site's application logs
- verify the command completes successfully outside the scheduler before changing the cadence
Avoid solving a command failure by simply running it more frequently. Fix the underlying runtime, permission or application error first.