Schedule scans

Configure Preferences → Scheduled Scans, choose targets and a frequency, then use Save & Apply. ClamUI creates a user systemd timer where available, otherwise a cron job. It cannot run while the computer is off.

Recommended setup

For most desktops, scan Downloads daily during an idle, plugged-in period and leave auto-quarantine off until you have reviewed your normal detections.

Setting	Values
Frequency	hourly, daily, weekly, monthly
Time	24-hour HH:MM; default 02:00, ignored by hourly scans (which run at minute zero)
Weekly day	0 Monday through 6 Sunday
Monthly day	1 through 28
Targets	absolute directories; empty means no scan
Skip on battery	default on
Auto-quarantine	default off; review its risk before enabling

Scheduled scans are recursive. On laptops, battery skipping avoids unexpected power use. Auto-quarantine isolates a detection but can interrupt legitimate work; inspect Quarantine and Logs regularly when it is enabled.

Check or test a schedule

clamui-scheduled-scan --dry-run
systemctl --user list-timers
crontab -l

A missing systemd user instance and missing cron leave no available scheduler. Use Logs to confirm scan results and update notifications. The scheduler is per-user and does not need administrator access.

On Debian package installations, ClamUI invokes /usr/bin/clamui-scheduled-scan; re-save a schedule after upgrading rather than manually repairing generated timer or cron commands.

For exact JSON keys and examples, see Configuration.