A recurrence rule decides when a task's next occurrence appears. The recurrence picker writes the rule and Recurring tasks covers the idea; this page is the reference behind both. It explains the parts of a rule and, most importantly, the three modes, which differ in a way that changes how your routine behaves. Choosing the right mode is the difference between a task that holds its date and one that drifts with you.

Anatomy of a rule

The repeat field holds a rule as key=value pairs joined by |. Three parts are always present, the rest are optional detail:

Part	Meaning
mode	What the next run is measured from: schedule, done, or count (below).
freq	The unit: day, week, month, or year.
interval	How many units between runs. interval=2 with freq=week is every other week.
days	Weekdays it lands on, like mo,we,fr (weekly patterns).
monthdays	Days of the month, like 15 (monthly by date).
setpos	A weekday position, like the first or last (monthly by position).
month	The month, for yearly rules.
count	How many times the series runs (count mode only).

You rarely write this by hand; the picker does. But reading it helps when you check or tweak a task. See Inline task syntax.

The three modes

The mode is the part that most changes behavior, because it decides what the next occurrence is anchored to.

Schedule mode

The next run is measured from the scheduled date. The task keeps its rhythm no matter when you actually finish: a Monday task stays on Mondays even if you complete it on Wednesday. This is the mode for fixed calendar routines, and it is the one that supports weekday and month-day detail.

• Anchored to: the scheduled date.
• Good for: standing commitments. A weekly review every Monday, an invoice on the 1st, a report on the last Friday.
• Watch: finishing late does not shift the next date. The rhythm is the calendar, not you.

Done mode

The next run is measured from when you complete the task. Finish late and the whole series shifts with you. This is the mode for "do it again a while after the last time," and it is deliberately simple: it takes only a frequency and interval, with no specific weekdays or month-days.

• Anchored to: the completion date.
• Good for: maintenance and habits paced from the last completion. Water the plants every 5 days, replace the filter every 3 months, deep-clean every 30 days.
• Watch: there is no "specific weekday" here. Done mode is a plain interval from completion, so if you need "every Monday," use schedule mode instead.

Count mode

The series behaves like schedule mode, with the calendar detail it allows, but stops after a set number of runs. It is the mode for a series with a known length.

• Anchored to: the scheduled date, like schedule mode.
• Good for: a fixed-length series. A six-week course, an eight-session program, a four-part rollout.
• Watch: it requires a count, and the series ends when the count is reached.

Choosing a mode

If you want...	Use
A fixed calendar rhythm that ignores when you finish	Schedule
To repeat a set time after you last finished	Done
A series that runs a known number of times	Count

When in doubt, schedule mode is the common choice; done mode is the special tool for "paced from completion."

MEDIA-DOCS-071-1: The three modes side by side: schedule and count anchored to the scheduled date, done anchored to completion.

Examples

The rule is what the picker produces. A few read together with their meaning:

Rule	Means
mode=schedule|freq=week|interval=1	Every week, on the scheduled day.
mode=schedule|freq=week|interval=1|days=mo,we,fr	Every week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
mode=schedule|freq=month|interval=1|monthdays=1	The 1st of every month.
mode=done|freq=day|interval=5	Five days after each time you finish it.
mode=count|freq=week|interval=1|count=6	Every week, six times, then stop.

Ending a recurrence

A recurrence can stop in two ways: set an end date (the datetimeRepeatEnd field), after which no more occurrences are generated, or use count mode to stop after a set number of runs. Leave both unset for an open-ended routine. See Recurring tasks.

FAQ

I finished a weekly task two days late. Did the next one move? In schedule mode, no, it stays on its day. In done mode, yes, it shifts to count from your completion.

Why can't I pick weekdays for my "done" rule? Done mode is a plain interval from completion and does not take weekday or month-day detail. Use schedule mode for specific days.

How do I make a recurrence stop? Give it an end date, or use count mode with a number of runs.

Settings

Operon settings for recurrence live in Settings → Operon → Tasks → Recurrence, which configures how recurring occurrences are generated.

Related

• Operon Docs MOC
• Operon inheritance rules