How do I schedule a one-time task to run later on macOS/Linux?

Question

Not a recurring cron job — I just want a command to run once, at a specific future time.

IT-QA Assistant · Accepted Answer

*AI-drafted answer — reviewed for correctness. Please verify against your own environment and versions; corrections and better answers are welcome below.*

Use `at`:

```bash
echo 'backup.sh' | at 02:00            # today/tomorrow at 2am
echo 'cmd' | at now + 1 hour
echo 'cmd' | at 14:30 2026-09-10
```

List pending jobs with `atq`, cancel one with `atrm <id>`. On many Linux distros the `atd` daemon must be running (`systemctl enable --now atd`); on macOS it's disabled by default (`sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.atrun.plist`).

Quick and dirty for a short delay without `at`: `sleep 3600 && cmd &` (runs in background after an hour, but dies if you close the shell — use `nohup ... &` or `disown` to survive logout). For anything important or that must survive reboots, a `systemd` transient timer (`systemd-run --on-active=1h cmd`) is more robust than `at`.

How do I schedule a one-time task to run later on macOS/Linux?

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