Claude Code Routines can run unattended against a GitHub repository: connect the repository, describe the task, and choose a schedule, API call, or matching GitHub event to start a cloud session. Use a Routine when you want Claude Code to act with repository context and configured connectors; use GitHub Actions when you want automation defined and run as a repository workflow.
What Claude Code Routines do with GitHub
A Routine is a saved Claude Code configuration that combines a prompt, one or more repositories, and connectors. It runs on Claude Code’s web infrastructure, rather than depending on your computer staying on. Anthropic announced Routines as a research preview on April 14, 2026. Anthropic’s announcement describes the cloud execution model; the Routines documentation covers configuration and behavior.
You can start a Routine on a recurring or one-time schedule, through an API call, or after a matching GitHub repository event. A Routine can have more than one trigger—for example, review new pull requests as they arrive and run a separate scheduled repository check overnight. GitHub event triggers start a new Claude Code session for each matching event; sessions are not reused between events.
Set up a Routine for a GitHub repository
- Check account access. Confirm Claude Code on the web is available to your account. At the April 14, 2026 preview announcement, Anthropic listed Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans when Claude Code on the web was enabled. Access and plan terms can change; check the announcement and current documentation.
- Connect GitHub. Authorize the GitHub connection and select the repository or repositories the Routine needs. If you want GitHub events to trigger it, install the Claude GitHub App on the repository being monitored. Review the connection’s repository scope and permissions.
- Create the Routine. Use Claude Code on the web, or start from the Claude Code CLI with
/scheduleto create a scheduled Routine. The CLI route is for scheduled Routines; use the web interface for API triggers and, depending on the current version, GitHub triggers. The current documentation lists Claude Code v2.1.227 or later for adding a GitHub trigger through the CLI; verify the requirement there before setup. - Write a bounded prompt. Specify the job, relevant files or conventions, expected output, and what Claude should do when it finds an issue. For example: “Review new pull requests for likely regressions. Report findings with file paths and explanations; do not change code.” Keep the task limited to the repository and integrations it needs.
- Select repositories, connectors, and triggers. Choose the repository and any connectors needed for the task, then add a schedule, API trigger, GitHub event trigger, or a combination. For event triggers, select the event types and actions that should start a run.
- Check branch behavior and permissions. Routines clone each selected repository on every run and start from its default branch unless the prompt specifies another branch. By default, changes are pushed to a branch prefixed
claude/. Use GitHub branch protection or rulesets to control which branches a run can push to and prevent unreviewed changes from reaching protected branches. - Inspect early runs. Review the run output and any generated branch or pull request before relying on the automation. Autonomous Routines can run shell commands, use skills committed to the cloned repository, and call configured connectors, so validate both the prompt’s scope and the access granted.
Choose the right GitHub trigger
GitHub repository events
Use an event trigger for work that should start when a selected GitHub event occurs, such as a pull request action. Install the Claude GitHub App on the monitored repository, then filter the event types and actions during trigger setup. Each matching event starts a fresh session, so write the prompt to work from the event and repository context rather than assuming an earlier run’s state.
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Use a Routine schedule for recurring or one-time work that should happen without a repository event. If exact scheduling behavior matters, compare the Routine’s current controls with GitHub Actions: GitHub documents scheduled workflows as POSIX cron jobs, running against the latest commit on the default branch. Schedules use UTC by default, support an IANA timezone, and can be configured with a minimum interval of five minutes. See GitHub’s workflow-trigger documentation.
API calls
Use an API trigger when an external system should start a Routine on demand. Anthropic describes this as a way to call Routines from deploy hooks and internal tools. Keep credentials and access scoped appropriately in the systems that make the call.
Claude Code Routines vs. GitHub Actions
The two options can overlap, and they can also be used together. Choose based on where you want configuration to live, what should start the job, what environment and access it needs, and how changes will be reviewed.
| Consideration | Claude Code Routine | GitHub Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Saved Routine configuration: prompt, repositories, connectors, and triggers. | Workflow configuration in the repository. |
| Execution | Claude Code session on Anthropic’s web infrastructure. | GitHub Actions workflow runner. |
| Triggers | Schedule, API call, or matching GitHub event; a Routine can combine trigger types. | GitHub workflow triggers, including scheduled workflows. |
| Repository and integration access | Connect GitHub and select repositories; configure any needed connectors. | Uses GitHub’s workflow and permission model. |
| Scheduled cadence | Set through Routine scheduling; check current Routine controls for the cadence you need. | Scheduled workflows use POSIX cron; GitHub documents a five-minute minimum interval, UTC by default, with optional IANA timezone support. |
| Change control | By default, pushes changes to a branch prefixed claude/; use repository branch protections or rulesets. |
Control workflow permissions and repository changes through GitHub’s workflow configuration and protections. |
| Usage limits | Account plan and current Routine limits apply. Anthropic’s April 14, 2026 announcement gave preview-era daily allowances; see the dated note below. | Applicable GitHub Actions usage and account limits apply; the cited trigger documentation does not establish a comparable limit. |
A Routine is a natural fit when the work benefits from a Claude Code session with repository context, connectors, or an API-started task. Actions is a natural fit when the workflow should be versioned with the repository and managed as CI automation. Neither approach is universally better.
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Availability and limits announced for the preview
Anthropic’s April 14, 2026 announcement described Routines as a research preview and listed daily routine limits of 5 for Pro, 15 for Max, and 25 for Team and Enterprise, with additional use possible. Those are announcement-era product limits, not a guarantee of current availability or a permanent allowance. Check Anthropic’s announcement and current Routines documentation for the account’s present eligibility and limits.
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Fix skipped or unexpected runs
- A GitHub event does not start the Routine: verify that the Claude GitHub App is installed on the repository, that the GitHub connection is active, and that the event type and action match the configured filters.
- The Routine is skipped after a connection issue: reconnect GitHub. Anthropic’s documentation says reconnecting within 72 hours resumes the Routine; after that, it turns off and must be re-enabled.
- Claude works on the wrong branch: Routines use the default branch unless the prompt specifies another branch. Make the intended branch explicit in the prompt and check the resulting branch before review.
- A run cannot push or change files: inspect repository access, write permissions, branch protection, and rulesets. The default output branch prefix is
claude/; repository rules can restrict writes. - A run behaves differently from the last one: each repository is cloned anew for each run, and event-triggered runs start new sessions. Make required context available in the repository, prompt, or configured connectors instead of relying on a previous session.
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