diff --git a/packages/builder/src/components/automation/SetupPanel/CronBuilder.svelte b/packages/builder/src/components/automation/SetupPanel/CronBuilder.svelte
index 1b410cd86a..93b8394b49 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/components/automation/SetupPanel/CronBuilder.svelte
+++ b/packages/builder/src/components/automation/SetupPanel/CronBuilder.svelte
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <script>
-  import { Button, Select, Input } from "@budibase/bbui"
+  import { Button, Select, Input, Label } from "@budibase/bbui"
   import { createEventDispatcher } from "svelte"
   const dispatch = createEventDispatcher()
 
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
     dispatch("change", e.detail)
   }
 
+  let touched = false
   let presets = false
 
   const CRON_EXPRESSIONS = [
@@ -36,8 +37,10 @@
 </script>
 
 <div class="block-field">
-  <Input on:change={onChange} {value} />
-
+  <Input on:change={onChange} {value} on:blur={() => (touched = true)} />
+  {#if touched && !value}
+    <Label><div class="error">Please specify a CRON expression</div></Label>
+  {/if}
   <div class="presets">
     <Button on:click={() => (presets = !presets)}
       >{presets ? "Hide" : "Show"} Presets</Button
@@ -62,4 +65,8 @@
   .block-field {
     padding-top: var(--spacing-s);
   }
+  .error {
+    padding-top: var(--spacing-xs);
+    color: var(--spectrum-global-color-red-500);
+  }
 </style>
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
index 1f86abc5b9..906923b2e9 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export async function enableCronTrigger(appId: any, automation: any) {
     )
   }
   // need to create cron job
-  if (isCronTrigger(automation)) {
+  if (isCronTrigger(automation) && trigger?.inputs.cron) {
     // make a job id rather than letting Bull decide, makes it easier to handle on way out
     const jobId = `${appId}_cron_${newid()}`
     const job: any = await queue.add(