task-scheduler-manager

A standalone browser-based GUI for managing Windows logon tasks in Task Scheduler. No installation, no dependencies — open task-scheduler-manager.html in any browser.

File	Version
task-scheduler-manager.html	2.2.3
tsm-export.ps1	1.8.1
Makefile	1.4.0

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Files

task-scheduler-manager.html               — the browser tool
tsm-export.ps1                            — reads live Task Scheduler, writes tsm-tasks.json
Makefile                                  — syncs files between git repo and ~/HOME/
README.md / tsm-README.md                 — this file
tsm-tasks.json                            — working task list (import/export target)
tsm-tasks_YYYYmmdd-HHMMSS.json           — timestamped snapshots (Export JSON button)
<TaskName>-task-install.ps1               — self-elevating installer per task
tsm-diff-install_YYYYmmdd-HHMMSS.ps1     — diff installer for changed tasks only

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Background

Windows Task Scheduler supports multiple At logon tasks but does not guarantee execution order by name or creation time. The only reliable way to control sequencing is the delay field. This tool makes that explicit and generates ready-to-run self-elevating .ps1 installers per task.

Tasks fire at logon before Explorer is fully loaded — earlier than shell:startup, saving ~15–20 seconds compared to the startup folder.

schtasks /create /sc onlogon requires elevation on Windows 10/11 for all tasks regardless of privilege level. The generated .ps1 installers self-elevate via UAC automatically — no right-click needed.

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Data persistence

1. localStorage   — survives page reload, browser-profile-specific
2. tsm-tasks.json — portable file for backups and cross-machine transfer

On startup: if localStorage contains tasks they load automatically. Empty → start with empty list.

On every change (new, edit, delete, enable/disable): written to localStorage immediately.

On import: file content replaces or merges with current tasks (prompt). Baseline snapshot set automatically for diff tracking.

File drift detection: on startup, if localStorage task count/names differ from the last imported file, a banner appears with a direct Import button.

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Workflow

First use — seed from live Task Scheduler

1. .\tsm-export.ps1
   → validates each task via schtasks /query (filters stale cache entries)
   → exports all At-logon tasks: [USR] user + [SYS] system
   → prompt: tsm-tasks.json or timestamped backup

2. Open task-scheduler-manager.html in browser

3. Import JSON → select tsm-tasks.json
   → tasks load sorted by delay ascending
   → written to localStorage, baseline set

4. Make edits (delays, enable/disable, new tasks)

5. Export JSON for a dated backup

First use — from the browser

1. ▶ Initial read → shows tsm-export.bat
   → tsm-export.bat is a launcher shim for tsm-export.ps1
      (browsers cannot execute .ps1 directly)
   → Download or Copy, save next to tsm-export.ps1
   → double-click to run export

2. Import JSON → select tsm-tasks.json

Daily use

1. Open task-scheduler-manager.html
   → loads from localStorage automatically
   → banner prompts re-import if tsm-tasks.json was updated externally

2. Make changes → saved to localStorage on every edit

Applying changes to the machine

1. Make changes in the tool
   → △ Diff installer button appears (shows change count)
   → changes applied to tool's task list immediately

2. Click △ Diff installer
   → generates tsm-diff-install_YYYYmmdd-HHMMSS.ps1
   → self-elevating, UAC prompt triggers automatically

3. .\tsm-diff-install_YYYYmmdd-HHMMSS.ps1
   → ADD:    schtasks /create  (full task path used)
   → REMOVE: schtasks /delete  (full task path used)
   → MODIFY: delete + recreate
   → STATUS: schtasks /change /enable or /disable

4. Single task: select → Copy .ps1 installer → download/copy → run

Reset

✕ Clear all local data → removes all tasks, localStorage, baseline, file meta

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tsm-export.ps1

Reads all At logon tasks from Task Scheduler. Each task is validated via schtasks /query before export — stale Get-ScheduledTask cache entries that no longer exist are skipped with a [WARN].

.\tsm-export.ps1                       # export, interactive prompt for filename
.\tsm-export.ps1 -Version              # show version and exit
.\tsm-export.ps1 -ShowVersion          # show version then run
.\tsm-export.ps1 -OutDir "C:\path"    # write to specific directory

All tasks exported — user tasks [USR] and system tasks [SYS] tagged with isSystem for filtering in the tool.

Fields per task:

Field	Source
name	TaskName
taskPath	Full folder path (e.g. \, \GoogleUser\GoogleUpdater\)
isSystem	true if path starts with \Microsoft\
actionType	MSFT_TaskExecAction or MSFT_TaskComHandlerAction
delay	ISO 8601 → mm:ss
script	-File argument for PowerShell tasks
executable	Expanded Execute path or resolved DLL for COM tasks
command	Full run command — exe args for exec, schtasks /Run /TN for COM
user	Principal.UserId
priv	highest / limited
status	enabled / disabled
window	-WindowStyle argument
installerDir	$PSScriptRoot — used for "Save installer to" path in tool

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Installer .ps1

Self-elevating — double-click or run normally, UAC prompt appears automatically:

.\AutostartPS-task-install.ps1
.\tsm-diff-install_20260518-135548.ps1

All schtasks calls use the fully qualified task name including folder path (e.g. \GoogleUser\GoogleUpdater\GoogleUpdaterTask...) — required for tasks not in the root folder.

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System tasks

Hidden by default. Toggle with ⬜ System tasks button in toolbar.

System tasks under \Microsoft\* are tagged isSystem: true. They show a sys badge in the list. Two action types:

• MSFT_TaskExecAction — normal executable, shown as full command
• MSFT_TaskComHandlerAction — COM handler (e.g. CacheTask). Command shown as schtasks.exe /Run /TN "...". Executable shows resolved DLL from registry.

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Execution order and delay

Task Scheduler does not execute At logon tasks in alphabetical or creation order. Delay is the only reliable sequencing mechanism. Tasks are sorted by delay in the list view.

Use case	Delay
First task, needs network	00:05 minimum
Second task	00:15 or more
Heavy init (VMs, VPN)	00:30

00:05 minimum — below that the network stack may not be ready. 00:00 = no delay (omitted from schtasks /create).

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Toolbar

Button	Action
+ New task	Opens new task form
↗ Import JSON	Load .json — prompts Replace or Merge. Sets baseline.
↓ Export JSON	Downloads tsm-tasks_YYYYmmdd-HHMMSS.json
▶ Initial read	Shows tsm-export.bat launcher
△ Diff installer (N)	Generates diff .ps1 for changes since baseline. Applies changes to tool immediately.
⬜ System tasks	Toggle \Microsoft\* task visibility
✕ Clear all local data	Wipes tasks, localStorage, baseline, file meta

Task row selected (inline detail):

Button	Action
Edit	Edit form pre-filled
Delete	Remove after confirmation
Copy .ps1 installer	Self-elevating installer — download or copy
Enable / Disable	Toggle status, saves immediately
Status badge (row)	Click to toggle without opening detail

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Makefile

make            # help
make copy       # ~/HOME/ → git repo  (pull updates from machine)
make deploy     # git repo → ~/HOME/  (push updates to machine)
make install    # prompt for target dir, then copy
make status     # show exists/missing: source vs current dir
make clean      # remove tsm-tasks*.json and generated files

tsm-README.md preferred as source, falls back to README.md. Deploy writes README.md as tsm-README.md in target.

Override: make copy SRC_DIR=/custom/path

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Related

autostart.ps1 — logon script managed by AutostartPS task. Handles WLAN switching, HA sensor reads, app startup (Lync, Teams, Outlook, VeraCrypt, Nagstamon), VM startup, screen lock.