Does this block my conversation with Claude?

No, it utilizes background execution so the timer runs asynchronously, allowing you to continue interacting with Claude while waiting.

Can I schedule tasks for a specific time of day?

Yes, the skill uses Python to calculate the delta between the current system time and your target wall-clock time to ensure precision.

How do I know how much time is left in a long wait?

The skill is designed to use TodoWrite to track intervals (e.g., 'Interval 3/10'), providing clear visibility into the progress of the scheduled task.

Can it wait for a specific condition like a file appearing?

Yes, it implements a polling loop pattern that checks for specific files, git commits, or command results every 10 minutes until the condition is met.

Why do I need this skill for waiting?

Claude Code has a 10-minute maximum timeout for bash commands; this skill chains background tasks to wait for hours or even days by using sequential intervals.

Long Waits & Task Scheduling

Name: Long Waits & Task Scheduling
Author: danshapiro

bydanshapiro

•

Productivity & Workflow

Enables Claude to perform tasks after extended delays, specific times, or condition-based triggers by bypassing standard timeout limits.

The Long Waits skill allows Claude Code to overcome the standard 10-minute bash timeout by implementing an event-driven loop of sequential background sleep intervals. This enables users to schedule complex operations like rebasing after a merge, deploying after tokens reset, or waiting for specific system conditions like a file appearing or a CI/CD pipeline completing. It provides a robust framework for calculating intervals, tracking progress via TodoWrite, and using Python for precise wall-clock time calculations without blocking the user conversation.

Key Features

01Enables condition-based polling for events like CI/CD completions

02Supports wall-clock scheduling with precise Python time calculations

03Automatically handles background task management and event-driven loops

04Tracks long-running progress using TodoWrite notifications

052 GitHub stars

06Bypasses the 10-minute bash timeout via sequential background intervals

Use Cases

01Waiting for a slow CI/CD pipeline to finish before merging code

02Scheduling a deployment for a specific time like 1 AM

03Automating task execution after a specific file or commit appears

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add danshapiro/please-hold long-waits

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill