Cron Job: Set up on a VPS (SSH & Crontab)

If you run FluentCRM on a VPS or dedicated server without a control panel like cPanel, you set the cron job up directly from the command line using crontab. This is the most reliable method — it runs on a fixed schedule regardless of site traffic, and with WP-CLI it doesn't even depend on your site being reachable over HTTP.

Prechecks

First, disable the default WordPress cron as described in Cron Job: Basics & Checklist. Add this to your wp-config.php:

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);    // Disable the default PHP-based Cron invocation.

WARNING

Disabling the WordPress cron without adding the server cron below stops all scheduled tasks. Complete both parts.

You'll also need:

• SSH access to your server
• The full path to your WordPress installation (for example, /var/www/html)
• The user that owns your WordPress files — often www-data on Ubuntu/Debian, or nginx/apache on other systems

Choose a method

There are two ways to trigger WordPress every minute. Method B (WP-CLI) is recommended when WP-CLI is available, because it runs WordPress directly instead of making an HTTP request.

Method A — Trigger over HTTP (works everywhere)

This calls wp-cron.php the same way a visitor would, but on a fixed schedule. It only needs wget or curl, which are available on virtually every server.

1. Connect to your server over SSH.
2. Open the crontab for the user that owns your WordPress files, so permissions stay correct:

sudo -u www-data crontab -e

3. Add this line, replacing the URL with your site:

* * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

Prefer curl? This does the same thing:

* * * * * curl -s https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

4. Save and exit.

Method B — Run via WP-CLI (recommended)

WP-CLI runs WordPress directly on the server, skipping the HTTP request entirely. This avoids trouble on servers where the site can't reliably reach itself — loopback restrictions, internal DNS, or self-signed certificates.

1. Confirm WP-CLI is installed:

wp --info

2. Open the crontab for the WordPress file owner:

sudo -u www-data crontab -e

3. Add this line, replacing the path and the wp location with yours:

* * * * * cd /var/www/html && /usr/local/bin/wp cron event run --due-now >/dev/null 2>&1

NOTE

Use the full path to both your WordPress directory and the wp binary. Cron runs with a minimal environment, so a command that works in your shell can fail under cron when the paths aren't absolute. Run which wp to find the binary path.

4. Save and exit.

Understanding the schedule

Each * in * * * * * is a time field: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. Five stars means every minute of every hour, every day — which is what FluentCRM needs for timely email processing.

Verify it's working

Wait a couple of minutes, then confirm cron is firing:

• In FluentCRM: go to Settings → System Admin Tools → Cron Job Monitor and check that the intervals match the recommended values.
• From the command line (WP-CLI): list the scheduled events and their next run times:

cd /var/www/html && wp cron event list

If those times advance each minute, your cron job is running correctly.

TIP

If emails still aren't sending, the two most common causes are a path that isn't absolute and a crontab created under the wrong user. Make sure you edited the crontab as the user that owns your WordPress files (Step 2 above), and that every path in the command is a full path.