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Automation

How to schedule a Make scenario and verify the next run

Set a Make scenario to run every 15 minutes, confirm a real scheduled result in History, understand time zones, and turn the schedule off safely.

Beginner6 min read
In this guide

To run a Make scenario automatically, set its schedule, save it, and switch it to Active. Then check a run marked Schedule in History. Pressing Run once checks the steps, but does not prove that the schedule works.

This guide uses a 15-minute interval, which works on Make Free. You can use a safe scenario you already tested, or make a one-step practice scenario that records the current time. You will verify a scheduled result and then turn it off.

You need an existing Make account, permission to edit the scenario, available credits, and an active-scenario slot. Free currently includes 1,000 monthly credits and two active scenarios; scheduled intervals cannot be shorter than 15 minutes. These conditions and the browser interface were checked on September 25, 2026. No trial or additional app account is needed for the practice example.

Choose what will run

Already have a scenario? Use it only if running it again is safe. A repeated run might send another email or create duplicate records. Keep test data and a test destination while checking the schedule. Open the scenario, click Edit, and verify it with Run once before continuing.

If your first module watches for new items, the manual test may consume the only test item. Add a fresh harmless item in the source before the scheduled run and give it a recognizable name so you can find it at the destination. If that is not safe, use the practice example below.

An instant webhook is a different starting point: it normally reacts to incoming requests. Do not change a working webhook into a periodic job just to follow this example; that changes when its queue is processed.

Need a harmless practice scenario? Open Scenarios → Create a new scenario, name it Schedule check, and click the large + in the canvas. Search All apps for Tools → Set variable. A variable is a named value; this one will contain the time of the run.

Set Variable name to run_at. In Variable value, paste this expression:

{{formatDate(now; "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss"; "UTC")}}

now is the current time. formatDate turns it into readable text, and UTC makes the time zone explicit. Make displays the expression as function tokens inside the field. Click Save, then Run once. Save the scenario when prompted.

Open the operation bubble above the module and look under Output. You should see run_at with the current UTC date and time, not the expression printed literally. This value belongs to that execution; the saved run in History is your record. It is not a permanent counter shared between runs.

Set and save the interval

At the bottom of the editor, click the schedule label—usually Every 15 minutes. In Schedule settings:

  1. Set Run scenario to At regular intervals.
  2. Set Minutes to 15.
  3. Leave advanced schedules and start/end dates empty for this first check.
  4. Click Save.

If Make offers Save and activate, choose it when the scenario is safe to run. Otherwise save with the toolbar’s save icon, leave the editor, and turn the scenario’s switch from Inactive to Active. Confirm that it says Active; a saved schedule alone is not enough.

Activation can start a run immediately. Be ready before switching it on, rather than assuming you always have 15 minutes to prepare.

If a shorter interval produces “Minimum value is 15,” restore 15. You do not need to upgrade for this exercise.

Check the next run and the real result

Open Org → Dashboard. Under Active scenarios, find this scenario and its countdown to the next execution. Note when it is due. The scenario runs on Make’s service, so you do not need to leave the editor open.

After a scheduled run has happened, open the scenario’s History. Open the new successful entry and check Trigger: Schedule. A Manual entry is the earlier Run once test.

Click the module’s operation bubble in that execution. For the practice example, Output → run_at must contain that run’s UTC timestamp. For your own scenario, inspect the final module and the actual destination: the expected row, file, or test message must exist. A green first module does not establish that the whole task reached its destination.

The History time can be displayed in your local user time zone while this example deliberately writes UTC. For example, 15:11 in a UTC+02:00 display and 13:11 in the output refer to the same moment.

An interval means time between runs, not “at 9am in my country.” If you later switch to Daily or another clock-based schedule, check your organization’s time zone first. User display settings and the time zone used for scheduling are different settings; do not change a shared organization’s zone without checking its other scenarios.

If the scheduled run is missing

Check these in order:

  • Inactive switch: turn it on only after confirming that a repeat run is safe.
  • Wrong schedule: On demand has no automatic schedule. For this check, use At regular intervals → 15.
  • Advanced restrictions: a future start date, expired end date, or extra schedule window can prevent the expected run.
  • Account limit or error: inspect the available credits and the failed History entry. Open the red module bubble for its actual error. Fix the cause and make one safe manual check before reactivating.
  • Successful run with no new item: a polling trigger may have checked for data and found none. Inspect its output before assuming that scheduling failed.

Avoid repeatedly clicking Run once while waiting: those are additional executions and can repeat real actions. A continuously active 15-minute schedule allows 96 starts a day, or 2,880 in a 30-day month. The one-module example uses one credit per execution, so it is a short test—not a job to leave running all month on 1,000 credits.

Turn it off and confirm it stays off

Before turning it off, check the dashboard countdown again and note the next due time. Then return to the scenario overview and switch Active to Inactive. Check that no execution is currently running. Turning off future starts is separate from stopping work that is already in progress.

Note the last scheduled History entry. After the next previously due time has passed, refresh History: no newer scheduled execution should appear, and your test destination should have no new result. This confirms the stop as well as the start.

Keep the practice scenario inactive. For a real task, choose an interval that meets the task’s needs and fits its measured credit use before leaving it active. Our Make credit estimate guide can help with that calculation.

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