---
name: "tech-workflows-binding-schedules"
title: "Workflows schedules need a paid Workers plan"
description: "Workflow binding schedules avoid Worker cron slots but wrangler deploy fails on Free because schedules are paid-only"
type: "tech"
category: "cloudflare"
tags: ["tech", "cloudflare", "workers", "workflows", "cron"]
related: ["[[tech-cloudflare-pages-deploy]]", "[[project-news]]", "[[tech-durable-object-alarms-not-cron]]", "[[tech-cron-as-code-install-script]]"]
sources: ["https://developers.cloudflare.com/workflows/build/trigger-workflows/"]
---
Cloudflare Workflows accept `schedules` on the binding. Each tick starts a Workflow instance. That does **not** use Worker `[triggers] crons` (Free accounts cap those).

`schedules` itself is paid-only. On a Free plan, `wrangler deploy` can upload the Worker then exit 1 attaching the schedule. The Worker may stay live; CI still goes red.

On Free: trigger the Workflow from a Durable Object alarm ([[tech-durable-object-alarms-not-cron]]), GitHub Actions, or another external cron — not from `workflows[].schedules` and not from Worker crons. Docs: [Trigger Workflows](https://developers.cloudflare.com/workflows/build/trigger-workflows/). Related: [[tech-cloudflare-pages-deploy]], [[project-news]].