diff --git a/default.lua b/default.lua
index e180fd7..f1172e2 100644
--- a/default.lua
+++ b/default.lua
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ default.checkgauge = {
 	action        =  true,
 	checkgauge    =  true,
 	collect       =  true,
+	crontab       =  true,
 	delay         =  true,
 	exitcodes     =  true,
 	init          =  true,
diff --git a/lsyncd.c b/lsyncd.c
index 31540f2..53cc128 100644
--- a/lsyncd.c
+++ b/lsyncd.c
@@ -1945,25 +1945,26 @@ l_nonobserve_fd( lua_State *L )
 	return 0;
 }
 
-
+static int l_jiffies_fromseconds(lua_State *L);
 /*
 | The Lsnycd's core library
 */
 static const luaL_Reg lsyncdlib[] =
-{
-	{ "configure",      l_configure     },
-	{ "exec",           l_exec          },
-	{ "log",            l_log           },
-	{ "now",            l_now           },
-	{ "kill",           l_kill          },
-	{ "get_free_port",  l_free_port     },
-	{ "nonobserve_fd",  l_nonobserve_fd },
-	{ "observe_fd",     l_observe_fd    },
-	{ "readdir",        l_readdir       },
-	{ "realdir",        l_realdir       },
-	{ "stackdump",      l_stackdump     },
-	{ "terminate",      l_terminate     },
-	{ NULL,             NULL            }
+{  
+	{ "configure",            l_configure     },
+	{ "exec",                 l_exec          },
+	{ "log",                  l_log           },
+	{ "now",                  l_now           },
+	{ "jiffies_from_seconds", l_jiffies_fromseconds},
+	{ "kill",                 l_kill          },
+	{ "get_free_port",        l_free_port     },
+	{ "nonobserve_fd",        l_nonobserve_fd },
+	{ "observe_fd",           l_observe_fd    },
+	{ "readdir",              l_readdir       },
+	{ "realdir",              l_realdir       },
+	{ "stackdump",            l_stackdump     },
+	{ "terminate",            l_terminate     },
+	{ NULL,                   NULL            }
 };
 
 
@@ -2103,6 +2104,53 @@ l_jiffies_le(lua_State *L)
 	return 1;
 }
 
+/*
+| Converts a jiffies to a number
+*/
+static int
+l_jiffies_tonumber(lua_State *L)
+{
+	clock_t a1 = ( *( clock_t * ) luaL_checkudata( L, 1, "Lsyncd.jiffies" ) );
+
+	lua_pushinteger( L, a1 * clocks_per_sec);
+	return 1;
+}
+
+/*
+| Converts a jiffies to a number
+*/
+static int
+l_jiffies_fromseconds(lua_State *L)
+{
+	lua_Integer a1 = luaL_checkinteger(L, 1);
+
+	clock_t *r  = (clock_t *) lua_newuserdata( L, sizeof( clock_t ) );
+	luaL_getmetatable( L, "Lsyncd.jiffies" );
+	lua_setmetatable( L, -2 );
+
+	*r = a1 * clocks_per_sec;
+
+	return 1;
+}
+
+/*
+| Converts a jiffies to a number
+*/
+static int
+l_jiffies_index(lua_State *L)
+{
+	clock_t a1 = ( *( clock_t * ) luaL_checkudata( L, 1, "Lsyncd.jiffies" ) );
+	const char *a2 = luaL_checkstring(L, 2);
+
+	printf("in index %s %d\n", a2, a1);
+
+	if (!strcmp(a2, "seconds")) {
+		lua_pushinteger( L, a1 / clocks_per_sec);
+		return 1;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
 
 /*
 | Registers the Lsyncd's core library.
@@ -2135,6 +2183,9 @@ register_lsyncd( lua_State *L )
 	lua_pushcfunction( L, l_jiffies_concat );
 	lua_setfield( L, mt, "__concat" );
 
+	lua_pushcfunction( L, l_jiffies_index );
+	lua_setfield( L, mt, "__index" );
+
 	lua_pop( L, 1 ); // pop(mt)
 
 #ifdef WITH_INOTIFY
diff --git a/lsyncd.lua b/lsyncd.lua
index 5f1493a..019cea9 100644
--- a/lsyncd.lua
+++ b/lsyncd.lua
@@ -172,6 +172,18 @@ local Monitors
 --
 local processCount = 0
 
+local crontab = nil
+
+local function loadCrontab()
+	local ok, mod = pcall(require, "lua-crontab")
+	if ok then
+		-- print update crontab
+		crontab = mod
+		return true
+	end
+	return false
+
+end
 
 --
 -- All valid entries in a settings{} call.
@@ -2835,6 +2847,26 @@ local Sync = ( function
 		recurse( )
 	end
 
+	local function updateNextCronAlarm(self, timestamp)
+		if timestamp == nil then
+			timestamp = now()
+		end
+
+		print(type(now()))
+		local nalarm = type(self.nextCronAlarm) == "userdata" and self.nextCronAlarm.seconds or nil
+		for i, c in ipairs(self.cron) do
+			local na = c:get_next_occurrence(timestamp.seconds)
+			print("na", timestamp.seconds, na)
+			if nalarm == nil or nalarm > na then
+				nalarm = na
+			end
+		end
+		print("calculated next cron:", nalarm)
+		if nalarm ~= nil then
+			self.nextCronAlarm = lsyncd.jiffies_from_seconds(nalarm)
+		end
+	end
+
 	--
 	-- Returns the soonest alarm for this Sync.
 	--
@@ -2847,6 +2879,12 @@ local Sync = ( function
 			return false
 		end
 
+		local rv = false
+
+		if self.cron ~= nil and self.nextCronAlarm == false then
+			updateNextCronAlarm(self)
+		end
+
 		-- first checks if more processes could be spawned
 		if self.processes:size( ) < self.config.maxProcesses
 		then
@@ -2855,13 +2893,21 @@ local Sync = ( function
 			do
 				if d.status == 'wait'
 				then
-					return d.alarm
+					if rv == false or d.alarm < rv then
+						rv = d.alarm
+					end
 				end
 			end
 		end
+		if rv == false and self.nextCronAlarm ~= false then
+			rv = self.nextCronAlarm
+		elseif rv == true then
+		elseif self.nextCronAlarm ~= false and self.nextCronAlarm < rv then
+			rv = self.nextCronAlarm
+		end
 
 		-- nothing to spawn
-		return false
+		return rv
 	end
 
 	--
@@ -2955,6 +3001,14 @@ local Sync = ( function
 			return
 		end
 
+		if self.nextCronAlarm ~= false and self.nextCronAlarm < timestamp then
+			-- time fo a full sync
+			log('Info', 'Crontab triggered full sync')
+			-- TODO
+			
+			updateNextCronAlarm(self, timestamp)
+		end
+
 		for _, d in self.delays:qpairs( )
 		do
 			-- if reached the global limit return
@@ -3149,6 +3203,8 @@ local Sync = ( function
 			initDone = false,
 			disabled = false,
 			tunnelBlock = nil,
+			cron = nil,
+			nextCronAlarm = false,
 
 			-- functions
 			addBlanketDelay = addBlanketDelay,
@@ -3234,6 +3290,34 @@ local Sync = ( function
 			s.excludes:loadFile( config.excludeFrom )
 		end
 
+		if config.crontab and loadCrontab() == false then
+			error("Sync ", config.name, " uses a crontab, but lua-crontab dependency is not available")
+		elseif config.crontab then
+			local cdata = {}
+			for i, v in ipairs( config.crontab ) do
+				local ok, cd = pcall(crontab.make_raw_cron_data_from_string, v)
+				if ok then
+					print ('getter')
+					local props = crontab.make_cron_properties(cd)
+					local getter = crontab.make_next_occurrence_getter(props)
+					print(getter)
+					for k, v in pairs( getter ) do
+						print(k,v)
+					end
+					table.insert( cdata, getter )
+				else
+					error("Crontab rule ", i, " is not valid: ", cd, " . Rule: ", v)
+				end
+
+			end
+			-- local ok, cron = pcall(crontab.make_crontab, cdata)
+			if #cdata then
+				s.cron = cdata
+			else
+				error("Can't parse crontab data: "..cron, 2)
+			end
+		end
+
 		return s
 	end