Set up the cron job

Copy your cron line

The last installer step showed it. You can also find it at any time in the admin: open System health and look at the Cron card. It looks like this, with your real folder path:

* * * * * cd /home/yourname/guestlens && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

1. Status: when cron last ran. It says Not running until it runs for the first time.
2. The cron line, with a Copy button.
3. The web address for panels that can only open a URL. See below.

Add it in cPanel

1. In cPanel, open Cron Jobs.
2. Under Common Settings, choose Once Per Minute (* * * * *).
3. In Command, paste only the part after the five stars, starting with cd.
4. Click Add New Cron Job.

If your host shows an error like php: command not found, replace the word php with the full path to PHP. cPanel shows that path on the same Cron Jobs page, for example /usr/local/bin/php. On some hosts you choose the PHP version this way, for example /opt/cpanel/ea-php83/root/usr/bin/php.

Some hosts do not allow a cron job every minute. If yours does not, choose Once Per Five Minutes (*/5 * * * *) instead. GuestLens works fully with it. Every task in the table below still runs on time. The only difference is that new uploads and ZIP files can take up to 5 minutes to finish. While people are using the site, GuestLens also processes waiting files during page visits, so it is often faster.

Check that it works

Wait two minutes, then open the admin Overview. The System health card and the box at the bottom of the sidebar now say Cron ran ... seconds ago.

If cron has not run for 30 minutes, a red bar appears across the top of every admin page until it runs again. You cannot miss it.