In the Safeguard desktop app, which is in beta, turn on auto-scan for a project in the Scan tab, or create a recurring task in the Tasks tab with an interval such as 24h. Cron expressions are not accepted. This guide covers both routes and what to check first.
What is the desktop app?
It is an early access build for Windows, macOS and Linux. The Safeguard docs describe a web view that loads the hosted web app, taking about 75 percent of the width, and a local panel of about 25 percent. You toggle the panel with Cmd+Shift+S on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+S elsewhere, or from View, then Toggle Panel. Because it is beta, expect changes. The docs also note that Windows builds are not yet code-signed, so SmartScreen warns on install.
Where do scans live in the panel?
The panel has tabs for Scan, Terminal, MCP, Tasks, Files and Settings. Two of them matter here.
The Scan tab runs local project scans and shows results by severity. It has an auto-scan toggle per project and a scan scope of quick or full for each project.
The Tasks tab takes natural language tasks, shows approvals and supports recurring tasks.
How do you set up auto-scan?
- Open the panel and go to Files. Grant access to the project folder. Access is granted and revoked there.
- Open Scan, choose the project, and pick quick or full scope.
- Switch on the auto-scan toggle for that project.
Start with quick scope on one project and read the first results before turning it on for others.
How do you set up a recurring task?
Open the Tasks tab, describe the job in plain language, and set the interval as a number plus a unit: 30s, 5m, 1h or 24h. The docs say cron expressions are not accepted, and that an invalid format fails with "Invalid interval format." Each scheduled task can be enabled, disabled or deleted. Destructive subtasks pause for approval.
An example of a sensible first task is a daily scan of one repository with a summary of new critical findings. Keep the interval long. A 30s task is rarely what you want.
What are the limits?
Be honest about what is not documented. We did not find documentation for calendar based schedules such as "every Monday at 7," for email reports from the desktop app, or for running tasks while the app is closed. Treat these as unconfirmed, and test before you depend on them. If you need scans in your pipeline on every commit, use the CLI in CI, which supports SARIF and JUnit output.
What to do
- Install the beta and sign in.
- Grant folder access in Files for one project.
- Turn on auto-scan with quick scope and review the first result.
- Create one recurring task at 24h and check that it ran.
- Check Settings for the action approval mode so destructive steps pause.
- Decide what must move to CI or the CLI because the desktop app does not cover it.
What does a sensible first week look like?
On day one, install the beta, sign in and grant folder access for one project. Run a manual scan with the Ctrl+N or Cmd+N shortcut, read the results by severity and note anything surprising.
On day two, turn on auto-scan for that project at quick scope. Work normally and watch whether the results appear when you expect them.
On day three, create the 24h recurring task. The next morning, confirm it ran and read its output.
By day five, decide what the desktop app is for in your team. A common answer is a personal early warning on the projects a developer touches, with CI doing the formal gate. Write that down so nobody mistakes the beta for the system of record.
Keep a short list of oddities. Beta software changes, and a dated list makes your feedback useful.
Quick check
Can I schedule a scan with a cron expression?
Not in the desktop app. Intervals like 5m, 1h and 24h are accepted, and cron expressions are not.
Is the desktop app ready for production gating?
It is beta. Use it for local convenience, and gate builds with the CLI in CI.
Sources
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026.
