Skip to main content
There are two ways to get Cronch. Download a ready-made build, or build it from source.

​
Option A — Download

1

Get the app

Download the build for your system from the Cronch download page — a .exe for Windows, a .dmg for macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel).
2

Open it

Run the app. A window opens and a clock icon appears in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS).
Because Cronch runs commands on a schedule and starts at login, an unsigned build can trip Windows SmartScreen or macOS Gatekeeper. See Troubleshooting for the one-time click that gets you past it.

​
Option B — Build from source

Cronch is open source. If you’d rather build it yourself (or you’re on a platform without a prebuilt binary), you need the Rust toolchain and a system linker.
1

Clone the repository

2

Build the release binary

The binary lands at target/release/cronch (or cronch.exe on Windows). The full step-by-step, including how to install the toolchain, is in BUILD.md in the repository.

​
Create your first rule

1

Add a rule

Click + Add rule. Give it a name you’ll recognise later, like “Nightly backup”.
2

Enter the command

Type the command or the path to a script — exactly as you’d type it in a terminal.
3

Pick a shell

Choose one of the shells Cronch detected on your machine, a custom shell binary, or Direct to run an executable with no shell. See Commands & shells.
4

Choose a schedule

Pick Interval, Cron, or Once, and fill in the timing. See Schedules.
5

Save and switch it on

Save the rule and make sure its toggle is on. Cronch takes it from there.
Want to check it works right away? Select the rule and click Run now, then open its Logs to see the captured output. A manual run doesn’t affect the schedule.

​
Next

Schedules

Interval, cron and one-time runs, and what happens to missed jobs.

Commands & shells

Shells, working directory, environment variables and overlap.