diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/claude_code/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/claude_code/cli.py
index 08d8a889..79a7637c 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/claude_code/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/claude_code/cli.py
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
     session_help="Claude Code session log (one project dir per escaped cwd)",
     instruction_path=CLAUDE_MD,
     skills_dir=SKILLS_DIR,
+    schedule_backend="os",
     schedule_command="claude -p {prompt}",
     session_id_env=SESSION_ID_ENV,
     needs_headless_auth=True,
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/codex/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/codex/cli.py
index bea39c73..257c169a 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/codex/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/codex/cli.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
     session_help="Codex session log",
     instruction_path=AGENTS_MD,
     skills_dir=SKILLS_DIR,
+    schedule_backend="native",
 )
 
 
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/cola/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/cola/cli.py
index 04b5b383..13fc1a07 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/cola/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/cola/cli.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
     session_help="Cola JSONL session directory (one directory per session scope)",
     instruction_path=MEMORY_MD,
     skills_dir=SKILLS_DIR,
+    schedule_backend="native",
 )
 
 
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/cursor/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/cursor/cli.py
index d678f4ef..07260b85 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/cursor/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/cursor/cli.py
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
     # the template so both the auth gate and the scheduled run carry it, and the
     # trust lands on the task's working tree (~/.memu/hosts/cursor), nowhere else.
     # Never --yolo — that is the blanket permission skip the guides reject.
+    schedule_backend="os",
     schedule_command="cursor-agent --trust -p {prompt}",
     # Cursor Agent 2026.08.04 injects its current conversation id into shell
     # tools under this name. Cursor names the transcript directory and JSONL
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/generic/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/generic/cli.py
index ddc0a009..97e4bd2a 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/generic/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/generic/cli.py
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ def _register_detect(sub: Any) -> None:
     session_dir="",  # no universal location — detect finds it, prepare requires it
     session_help="The agent's session-log directory (find it with `memu-agent detect`)",
     instruction_path=AGENTS_MD,
+    schedule_backend="external",
     register_extra=_register_detect,
 )
 
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/hermes/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/hermes/cli.py
index 65ba0b93..63736580 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/hermes/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/hermes/cli.py
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
     session_dir=str(state_db_path()),
     session_help="Hermes SQLite session store (state.db under HERMES_HOME)",
     instruction_path=SOUL_MD,
+    schedule_backend="os",
     schedule_command="hermes -z {prompt}",
     schedule_prepare_session_dir=True,
     session_id_env=SESSION_ID_ENV,
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/host_cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/host_cli.py
index f06206f8..b99cb62f 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/host_cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/host_cli.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from importlib.resources import files
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, Literal
 
 from memu import events
 from memu.hosts import instruction, retrieval, templates
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@
 from memu.hosts.bridging.pipeline import MAX_JOBS
 from memu.hosts.bridging.resources import verify_resource_log
 
+ScheduleBackend = Literal["os", "native", "external"]
+"""The existing scheduler arrangement a host documents; informational only."""
+
 DOCS = {"install": "INSTALL.md", "task": "BRIDGING_TASK.md", "uninstall": "UNINSTALL.md"}
 
 
@@ -87,14 +90,21 @@ class HostSpec:
     """memU working tree. Empty means the per-host default ``~/.memu/hosts/<host>``;
     Codex overrides this with the pre-multi-host ``~/.memu`` it has always used."""
 
+    schedule_backend: ScheduleBackend = "external"
+    """The host's documented scheduler arrangement.
+
+    Informational metadata only: it never controls task registration, scheduler
+    invocation, or which CLI commands are available.
+    """
+
     schedule_command: str = ""
-    """The headless agent invocation the bridging task runs, as a template with a
-    ``{prompt}`` placeholder — ``claude -p {prompt}``, ``codex exec {prompt}``. The
-    Windows ``schedule`` helper turns this into the scheduled task's wrapper, and
-    treats the first token as the agent binary to resolve on ``PATH``. Empty means
-    the host has no Windows scheduling wired yet, so ``schedule`` refuses rather
-    than guess. Unix scheduling is unaffected — cron/launchd stay doc-driven and
-    never read this field."""
+    """The headless agent invocation the Windows Task Scheduler helper runs, as a
+    template with a ``{prompt}`` placeholder — ``claude -p {prompt}``. The helper
+    turns this into the scheduled task's wrapper, treats the first token as the
+    agent binary to resolve on ``PATH``, and exposes the ``schedule`` subcommand
+    only when it is set. Empty means that helper is not wired for this host; Unix
+    scheduling remains doc-driven and never reads this field.
+    """
 
     schedule_prepare_session_dir: bool = False
     """Bake this host's resolved ``session_dir`` into the scheduled PREPARE command.
@@ -589,12 +599,12 @@ def _report_install_started(spec: HostSpec) -> None:
 
 
 async def _cmd_schedule(spec: HostSpec, args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
-    """Register/inspect the bridging task on Windows Task Scheduler.
+    """Register/inspect the existing OS-scheduled bridging task on Windows Task Scheduler.
 
-    Only registered for hosts that set ``schedule_command`` (those that bridge via an
-    OS scheduler), so it never reaches a host that has its own. Windows-only by design
-    (memU#538/#539); on macOS/Linux it just points at the unchanged cron/launchd
-    registration in ``BRIDGING_TASK.md`` and touches neither.
+    The parser registers this handler only when ``schedule_command`` supplies an
+    invocation for the Windows helper. ``schedule_backend`` is informational and
+    does not affect this behavior. On macOS/Linux, this points at the existing
+    cron/launchd registration in ``BRIDGING_TASK.md`` and touches neither.
     """
     system = platform.system()
     if system != "Windows":
@@ -775,10 +785,9 @@ async def bound(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     )
     p.set_defaults(handler=bind(_cmd_docs))
 
-    # Windows-only automation of the bridging task's registration — registered only
-    # for hosts that bridge via an OS scheduler, which is exactly the ones that set
-    # `schedule_command`. Hosts with their own scheduler (Codex, OpenClaw, WorkBuddy)
-    # never set it, so they never advertise a `schedule` verb they couldn't honour.
+    # Windows-only automation of the bridging task's registration. The invocation
+    # template, not the informational scheduler label, is the capability gate: hosts
+    # without a Windows wrapper never advertise a `schedule` verb they cannot honour.
     if spec.schedule_command:
         p = with_base(
             sub.add_parser("schedule", help=f"Register the {spec.display} bridging task (Windows Task Scheduler)")
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/openclaw/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/openclaw/cli.py
index 6dfb0e90..53b1c68b 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/openclaw/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/openclaw/cli.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
     session_help="OpenClaw agents dir holding each agent's transcript store (SQLite, or legacy sessions/*.jsonl)",
     instruction_path=AGENTS_MD,
     skills_dir=SKILLS_DIR,
+    schedule_backend="native",
 )
 
 
diff --git a/src/memu/hosts/workbuddy/cli.py b/src/memu/hosts/workbuddy/cli.py
index 2878bfa2..ce101b38 100644
--- a/src/memu/hosts/workbuddy/cli.py
+++ b/src/memu/hosts/workbuddy/cli.py
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
     session_help="WorkBuddy session log (one project dir per escaped cwd)",
     instruction_path=SOUL_MD,
     legacy_instruction_paths=(MEMORY_MD,),
+    schedule_backend="native",
 )
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_scheduling_windows.py b/tests/test_scheduling_windows.py
index 129c9e65..53be19b6 100644
--- a/tests/test_scheduling_windows.py
+++ b/tests/test_scheduling_windows.py
@@ -23,10 +23,14 @@
 from memu.hosts.bridging import Layout
 from memu.hosts.claude_code.cli import SPEC as CLAUDE
 from memu.hosts.codex.cli import SPEC as CODEX
+from memu.hosts.cola.cli import SPEC as COLA
 from memu.hosts.cursor.cli import SPEC as CURSOR
+from memu.hosts.generic.cli import SPEC as GENERIC
 from memu.hosts.hermes.cli import SPEC as HERMES
-from memu.hosts.host_cli import build_parser, run
+from memu.hosts.host_cli import ScheduleBackend, build_parser, run
+from memu.hosts.openclaw.cli import SPEC as OPENCLAW
 from memu.hosts.scheduling import prompt, windows
+from memu.hosts.workbuddy.cli import SPEC as WORKBUDDY
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Pure builders
@@ -160,15 +164,47 @@ def test_schedule_verb_is_wired() -> None:
             parser.parse_args(["schedule", "frobnicate"])
 
 
+def test_schedule_backends_describe_existing_host_arrangements() -> None:
+    assert {
+        spec.host: spec.schedule_backend for spec in (CLAUDE, CURSOR, HERMES, CODEX, OPENCLAW, WORKBUDDY, COLA, GENERIC)
+    } == {
+        "claude-code": "os",
+        "cursor": "os",
+        "hermes": "os",
+        "codex": "native",
+        "openclaw": "native",
+        "workbuddy": "native",
+        "cola": "native",
+        "agent": "external",
+    }
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("backend", ("os", "native", "external"))
+def test_schedule_backend_does_not_control_verb_wiring(backend: ScheduleBackend) -> None:
+    assert (
+        build_parser(dataclasses.replace(CLAUDE, schedule_backend=backend)).parse_args(["schedule", "status"]).action
+        == "status"
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+        build_parser(dataclasses.replace(CLAUDE, schedule_command="", schedule_backend=backend)).parse_args([
+            "schedule",
+            "status",
+        ])
+
+
 def test_unwired_host_has_no_schedule_verb() -> None:
-    # A host with no schedule_command — e.g. one that uses its own scheduler (Codex,
-    # OpenClaw, WorkBuddy) — must not advertise a `schedule` verb at all, not even a
+    # Native and external hosts never advertise a `schedule` verb, not even a
     # refusing stub. argparse rejects it as an unknown command.
+    for spec in (CODEX, OPENCLAW, WORKBUDDY, COLA, GENERIC):
+        with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+            build_parser(spec).parse_args(["schedule", "status"])
+    # ...while a wired host does have it.
+    assert build_parser(CLAUDE).parse_args(["schedule", "status"]).action == "status"
+
+    # An OS invocation remains the capability gate, independent of its label.
     unwired = dataclasses.replace(CLAUDE, schedule_command="")
     with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
         build_parser(unwired).parse_args(["schedule", "status"])
-    # ...while a wired host does have it.
-    assert build_parser(CLAUDE).parse_args(["schedule", "status"]).action == "status"
 
 
 def test_schedule_points_at_cron_off_windows(