Schedule One-Off Jobs with at, atq, and atrm

The at toolset queues a command to run once at a flexible time specification, then lets you list and cancel queued jobs.

LinuxschedulingatjobsMedium risk

Run `echo '<command>' | at 03:30 tomorrow` to queue a one-time job, `atq` to list pending jobs, and `atrm <id>` to cancel one.

01Command

Command

$ echo 'sudo apt update' | at 03:30 tomorrow

02What it does

at complements cron for jobs that should run exactly once: it accepts natural times like `now + 30 minutes`, `10pm Friday`, or `03:30 tomorrow`. Jobs read commands from stdin (or -f file), run with the submitting user's environment, and mail output by default. Remember atd must be running, and many minimal systems ship without the at package installed.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk

Requirementsat package (apt install at / dnf install at); the atd daemon must be running (systemctl enable --now atd).

04Undo

Undo

$ atrm <job-number>  # list jobs with atq first

05Sources

at(1), batch, atq, atrm - queue, examine or delete jobs for later execution
Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
Evidence: at and batch read commands from standard input or a specified file to be executed at a later time; atq lists the user's pending jobs; atrm deletes jobs.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: System & Settings