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sidebar_position: 8
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> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lium.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scheduled termination

Schedule a pod to be deleted automatically at a future time. Cheap insurance against forgetting a `kill` overnight — billing stops the moment the pod is terminated.

## Set it when deploying

On the **Create Pod** page, the **Auto-Termination (Optional)** field takes a number of hours. The pod will be deleted that many hours after deploy.

> Pod will automatically terminate after specified hours.

This sets `termination_hours` on the pod. Leave the field blank if you want the pod to keep running until you delete it manually.

## Set it on a running pod

From the pod detail page:

1. Click **DELETE** (top-right action bar).
2. In the menu, choose **Schedule pod deletion**.
3. Pick a preset (1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 1 day) or pick a **custom date and time**.

The pod detail page now shows a "Scheduled to terminate at …" line, and a **Remove Scheduled Terminate** action lets you cancel.

![Schedule deletion menu on the pod detail page](./assets/scheduled-termination.png)

## Cancel a schedule

Pod detail page → **Remove Scheduled Terminate**. The pod returns to "until deleted" mode.

## Notes

- Billing **stops** at the scheduled termination time — you don't pay for the partial hour after it terminates.
- You can't bulk-schedule multiple pods at once from the UI; do it per pod, or use the API in a loop.
- The schedule survives pod restarts — rebooting the pod from inside doesn't cancel the timer.

<details>
<summary>For agents and automation: API + CLI</summary>

```bash
# Schedule removal at a specific UTC datetime
curl -X POST https://lium.io/api/pods/<pod_id>/schedule-removal \
  -H "X-API-Key: $LIUM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"removal_scheduled_at": "2026-05-01T12:00:00Z"}'

# Cancel a schedule
curl -X DELETE https://lium.io/api/pods/<pod_id>/schedule-removal \
  -H "X-API-Key: $LIUM_API_KEY"
```

The scheduled time lives on the pod object as `removal_scheduled_at` (ISO 8601 UTC). When you create a pod via API, set `termination_hours` on the create request to bake the schedule in at deploy time. CLI: bake the schedule in at create time with [`lium up --ttl`](/developers/cli/reference/up) or `--until`; manage existing schedules with [`lium schedules list / rm`](/developers/cli/reference/schedules). Get an [API key](./api-keys) first.
</details>