feat: empty CRON_SCHEDULE keeps container alive for manual docker exec

Three container lifetime modes via CRON_SCHEDULE:
  unset          — run once on startup, exit
  empty string   — sleep infinity; use docker exec -it winnow winnow
  cron expression — run on startup, then on schedule

This replaces the need for a separate MANUAL_MODE env var. The empty
string is a natural "I want the container alive but unscheduled" signal.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -148,7 +148,15 @@ See [compose.yml](compose.yml) for the full annotated example.
 
 ### Scheduling Behaviour
 
-On startup the container always runs once immediately. If `CRON_SCHEDULE` is set, it then starts a scheduler that fires on the defined interval, keeping the process (and loaded models) alive between runs. Without `CRON_SCHEDULE` the container exits after the first run.
+`CRON_SCHEDULE` controls container lifetime:
+
+| `CRON_SCHEDULE` value | Behaviour |
+| :-- | :-- |
+| *(unset)* | Run once on startup, then exit |
+| *(empty string)* | Stay alive, run nothing — trigger manually with `docker exec -it winnow winnow` |
+| Cron expression | Run on startup, then repeat on schedule |
+
+In scheduled mode the process (and loaded models) stays resident between runs. In manual mode the container idles indefinitely with `sleep infinity` — useful when you want to trigger runs interactively on demand without pulling a new container each time.
 
 The first run after a fresh install downloads the embedding models (~1-2 GB). Subsequent runs use the cached models from the mounted volume and start immediately.
 
@@ -217,7 +225,7 @@ The first run after a fresh install downloads the embedding models (~1-2 GB). Su
 
 | Variable | Default | Description |
 | :--- | :--- | :--- |
-| `CRON_SCHEDULE` | *(unset)* | Cron expression for recurring runs — unset exits after first run |
+| `CRON_SCHEDULE` | *(unset)* | Unset = run once and exit; empty = stay alive for manual `docker exec`; cron expression = scheduled |
 
 ---
 

compose.yml

@@ -48,10 +48,14 @@ services:
       # - RESET_PERSON=John           # Clear uploaded+rejected history for one person
 
       # ── Scheduling ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-      # Cron expression (unset = run once and exit)
+      # CRON_SCHEDULE controls container lifetime:
+      #   unset          — run once on startup, then exit
+      #   empty string   — stay alive, run nothing; trigger manually with:
+      #                    docker exec -it winnow winnow
+      #   cron expression — run on startup, then on schedule
+      # - CRON_SCHEDULE=                # Manual mode (keep alive, no auto-run)
       # - CRON_SCHEDULE=0 3 * * 0      # Every Sunday at 3 AM
       # - CRON_SCHEDULE=0 3 1 * *      # First of every month
-      # - CRON_SCHEDULE=*/30 * * * * # Every 30 minutes
     volumes:
       # Replace with absolute paths on your host, e.g. /opt/winnow/models
       - /path/to/winnow/models:/models

entrypoint.sh

@@ -2,11 +2,19 @@
 set -e
 export PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
 
-# 1. Run the job immediately on startup
+# CRON_SCHEDULE controls container lifetime:
+#   unset          — run once and exit
+#   empty string   — stay alive, run nothing (use: docker exec -it winnow winnow)
+#   cron expression — run immediately, then on schedule
+
+if [ "${CRON_SCHEDULE+isset}" = "isset" ] && [ -z "$CRON_SCHEDULE" ]; then
+    echo "▶ CRON_SCHEDULE is empty — manual mode. Use 'docker exec -it winnow winnow' to run."
+    exec sleep infinity
+fi
+
 echo "▶ Running on startup..."
 /app/.venv/bin/winnow
 
-# 2. If a schedule exists, start the scheduler
 if [ -n "${CRON_SCHEDULE:-}" ]; then
     echo "▶ CRON_SCHEDULE set to: $CRON_SCHEDULE"
     echo "▶ Switching to scheduled mode..."
@@ -14,4 +22,3 @@ if [ -n "${CRON_SCHEDULE:-}" ]; then
 else
     echo "▶ No schedule set, exiting."
 fi
-