Schedule by Zapier: run a Zap every day to make a video

Schedule by Zapier is Zapier's built-in trigger for Zaps that run on the clock: every hour, day, week, or month, or on a custom interval such as every 2 weeks, at a time of day you pick. It does not count toward your task usage. For a daily video, add a Webhooks by Zapier Custom Request after it that starts the video run, keyed on the date so a repeat can't make two.

Zapier's options and limits are quoted from its help articles on Schedule by Zapier and date formats; the Sume side comes from Create a run. All were read on 2026-09-28. Sume has no Zapier app; the Zap makes a plain HTTPS call.

What schedules can Schedule by Zapier run?

Pick one trigger event, then fill in its fields:

• The time zone is the one set in your Zapier account, not in the Zap. After changing it, turn the Zap off and on again.
• Zapier doesn't guarantee the exact minute; a scheduled Zap should run within a few minutes of the time you set.
• Zap history shows run timestamps in UTC, even when the Zap runs on your local schedule.
• No first-business-day option exists; Zapier's recipe is Every Day with weekends off, plus a Formatter and a Filter step.

How do I start a video run every day?

Add two steps after the trigger. First, a Formatter by Zapier step (Date / Time, Format) with Input {{zap_meta_human_now}} and a custom To Format of YYYY-MM-DD. Its To Timezone defaults to UTC, and it reads an input without a From Timezone as UTC, so check the date the test step returns and schedule the Zap away from midnight: a run a few minutes late should still get that day's date.

Then the Webhooks by Zapier Custom Request that Zapier AI video automation sets up: POST https://api.sume.com/v1/formats/{handle}/{slug}/runs with your key, Content-Type: application/json, and a Data JSON you type yourself. The one change is the Idempotency-Key header: daily-video- followed by the Formatter's output, so the key names the day being made. The Data:

{
  "instruction": "Make today's 30-second vertical tip video.",
  "input": { "series": "daily-tips" },
  "generation_spend_cap_usd": 5,
  "communication": { "webhook_url": "<Zap B's Catch Raw Hook URL>" }
}

Why key the request on the date?

So a repeated request for the same day can't start or bill a second video. Sume's docs say to derive the key from the thing being made and a version you bump, not from the moment of asking. Idempotency keys for AI video APIs covers the rules; two matter here:

• Same key, same body: 200 with the original run and idempotency_hit: true. No second run, no second charge.
• Same key, different body: 409 idempotency_conflict, and nothing runs. Keep timestamps and random values out of the Data JSON.

How does the Zap get the finished video?

It doesn't wait for it. communication.webhook_url asks Sume for one signed format.run.terminal POST when the run completes or fails, so a second Zap that starts with Catch Raw Hook receives the result. Zapier AI video automation builds that Zap and its signature check.

If nothing but the clock starts the work and nothing else in the Zap needs Zapier, Sume's own Scheduled feature runs saved instructions on a 5-field cron expression in an IANA timezone (Create a schedule), authored in the Agents dashboard; the API can list and start schedules but not create them. Scheduled AI video agent runs covers that route.