Matthias Johnson

Just released systab — a single-file Bash script that gives you a cron-like interface for systemd user timers.

If you've ever wanted the simplicity of crontab but the power of systemd timers, this might be for you. Natural language schedules, desktop/email notifications, a crontab-style editor, and persistent services — all without leaving the terminal.

#linux #systemd #bash #selfhosted #opensource #commandline #sysadmin

https://codeberg.org/opennomad/systab

Mar 2 at 4:50pm2026-02-17_tincup
Show threadfuricleMar 2
@opennomad ooooohhh looks interesting!
Show threadMatthias JohnsonMar 2
@furicle thanks. it's funny what can motivate you, but i really was missing the ease of `crontab -e` :-)
Show threadfuricleMar 2

@opennomad see my post from late last year :-)

https://mastodon.social/@furicle/115724456777701263

Show threadMatthias JohnsonMar 3
@furicle haha. that is brilliant. well it's not rust, but works. i've been leaning into the shell scripting lately. It's amazing how often that's perfectly enough, and it's refreshing to not have to constantly deal with changes in the ecosystem. POSIX tooling is just sooooo damn stable.
Show threadAMar 2
@opennomad a bit too late for me, but this looks awesome!
Show threadMatthias JohnsonMar 2
@a thanks. what do mean by too late? did you build your own solution?
Show threadAMar 2
@opennomad I moved to dagu, but I did use systemd timers extensively
Show threadMatthias JohnsonMar 2
@a oh that's new to me and looks very interesting. a bit heavier than than what i need for that itch I was scratching, but I love trying new tools. TY!
Show threadAMar 2
@opennomad yeah, its not exactly the same as timers, and can't do certain things that timers can do, but works for me
Show threadTroed SångbergMar 2
@opennomad oooh! I feel seen. It's easy to write a crontab from memory but setting up a systemd timer needs me to actually look stuff up and no one likes that ... :D
Show threadMatthias JohnsonMar 2
@troed ,right? 2 files and a bunch of scaffolding to make the computer go ding in 20 minutes ... i know that systemd does soooo much more then systemd, but it certainly isn't nearly as convenient as `crontab -e`
Show threadDJ MajumdarMar 3
@opennomad This is great. I run a bunch of scheduled tasks on a bare-minimum Debian box and systemd timers have always felt heavier than they need to be compared to cron. A single-file wrapper with natural language schedules is a really nice touch.
Show threadEtamMar 4
@opennomad Have you seen https://github.com/systemd-cron/systemd-cron ? It's a systemd generator, that parses cron config files and creates systemd units and timers automagically.
Show threadMatthias JohnsonMar 9
@etam Hadn't heard of it. I suppose that would have worked for me until I realized some other things I wanted 🤪