Devin cron jobs: manage an API with Crontap MCP

You used Devin Local to build and deploy POST /api/docs/snapshot, which refreshes a customer-facing API documentation snapshot. The endpoint now needs to run at 07:15 every weekday in the service team's timezone. This guide connects the shared Devin Local and Devin CLI MCP harness to Crontap, completes browser authorization, and creates the recurring request with explicit approval. You need a Crontap account, current Devin Desktop or Devin CLI, and an idempotent public HTTPS endpoint.

Before you start

• Run the endpoint manually and verify that repeating it does not duplicate data.
• Choose an IANA timezone such as Europe/Amsterdam, not a fixed UTC offset.
• Keep endpoint credentials out of prompts and MCP arguments. Add the secret in the Crontap UI after the schedule exists.
• Use Devin Local in Devin Desktop. It is the current primary local agent and shares its agent harness with Devin CLI.
• Verified against Devin MCP configuration, Devin Local, and the Devin Desktop FAQ on 2026-09-15.

Connect Devin Local to Crontap

devin mcp add crontap https://mcp.crontap.com/mcp
devin mcp login crontap

The first command adds a URL-based MCP server. Devin infers HTTP and tries Streamable HTTP first. Current releases save it to .devin/mcp_config.local.json by default, which is gitignored. Use --scope project for .devin/mcp_config.json or --scope user for ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json on macOS and Linux.

Copyable Devin Local prompts

Use the connected Crontap MCP server. Preview a schedule for 07:15 every weekday in Europe/Amsterdam and show the three upcoming occurrences. Do not create or update anything.

Create one active schedule named "weekday API docs snapshot" that POSTs to https://docs-api.example.com/api/docs/snapshot using the cadence we previewed. Show the final URL, method, timezone, and cadence before the create tool. Do not add authentication headers or secret values.

Retrieve the schedule using the exact ID from the create result. Report its active state, URL, method, timezone, next run, and latest history entry. Do not update or delete it.

Verify the schedule end to end

Run devin mcp list to confirm that crontap is configured. If authorization has expired, Devin reports an auth-required state. In Devin Desktop, the MCP server detail can show Needs auth and an Authenticate action. At the command line, devin mcp logout crontap followed by devin mcp login crontap clears stale credentials and repeats the browser flow.

The create result should contain one schedule ID. The next read must use that ID rather than selecting a similarly named resource. In Crontap, confirm the production hostname, POST method, weekday cadence, and Europe/Amsterdam timezone. Add the endpoint credential there and run a test.

Finally, inspect the application result. Find the matching request in service logs and confirm that the documentation snapshot timestamp advanced. HTTP success alone does not prove that the application completed useful work.

Devin Local workflow or Crontap schedule?

Devin Local is the interactive MCP client. It helps you create and inspect a durable Crontap resource, but Crontap does not reopen Devin or start a prompt later. Closing Devin Desktop does not stop a saved Crontap schedule.

Current Devin Local documentation says its legacy-style Workflows are not supported. Skills provide reusable agent instructions, but they are not a hosted HTTP clock. Use Crontap when an existing endpoint needs a recurring request, a deployment platform's native scheduler when code must execute inside that platform, and a heartbeat when another scheduler already runs the job.

Troubleshooting

The server is missing after devin mcp add

Run the command from the intended project and inspect devin mcp get crontap. The default local file is .devin/mcp_config.local.json. Project and user scopes use different files, and a higher-priority definition with the same name wins.

OAuth does not open or returns Auth required

Run devin mcp login crontap directly. If credentials are stale, log out and back in. Corporate browser controls must allow the temporary loopback redirect used by the OAuth flow.

Devin Local cannot see Crontap tools

Confirm the server is enabled with devin mcp list. Enterprise teams can disable MCP, require an approved registry, or restrict servers with an allowlist. Ask an admin to permit the exact Crontap URL.

Every MCP call asks for approval

That is Devin Local's documented default. Approve the specific tool or all tools from that server for the current session. Only add patterns such as mcp__crontap__* to a permanent allow list after reviewing their scope.

The test request returns 401 or 403

The MCP connection succeeded, but the deployed endpoint rejected Crontap's request. Compare the credential configured in the Crontap UI with the deployment secret and confirm the header name. Do not paste its value into Devin chat.

Next steps

• Return to the Crontap MCP hub for connection and security details.
• Compare terminal setup in Gemini CLI and Claude Code.
• Use Cron troubleshooting when schedule history and service logs disagree.

Ready to schedule the deployed endpoint? Free forever tier. No credit card. Create your Crontap account →

Verified against current official Devin Desktop, Devin Local, and Devin CLI documentation on 2026-09-15. Sources: Devin MCP configuration, Devin Local agent, and Devin Desktop FAQ.