Proposal: Decoupling schedule_interval from DAG Definition in Airflow 3 ( maybe also 2 )

[moxgeek]

I’d like to initiate a discussion about decoupling the schedule_interval from the DAG definition in Airflow 3 to allow dynamic scheduling through the API. This feature has been requested by users (example), and I believe it could bring significant flexibility and value to the platform.

Current Behavior
As of now, the schedule_interval is tightly coupled to the DAG definition, and attempts to modify it using the REST API result in the following error:

{
"detail": "Property is read-only - 'schedule_interval'",
"status": 400,
"title": "Bad Request",
"type": "https://airflow.apache.org/docs/apache-airflow/2.3.4/stable-rest-api-ref.html#section/Errors/BadRequest"
}

This constraint limits the ability to manage DAG schedules dynamically, especially for use cases where the schedule needs to be adjusted programmatically or integrated with external systems. and to be honest i don't see why it was designed like that on the first place ?.

Use Cases

• Dynamically adjusting schedules for business workflows based on external triggers or changing requirements.
• Allowing non-developers (e.g., data analysts) to manage DAG schedules through external interfaces or tools.
• Scheduling workflows based on resource availability, real-time events, or API-driven adjustments.

Thank you for considering this proposal. would be happy to collaborate.

[potiuk]

It's best to discuss in in devlist. Discussion here is for small things - the change you propose is proposed to change a fundamental assumption on the DAG.

And for that, I think you need also to propose HOW to decouple it. High level design proposal of what it would mean to decouple the schedule. What database changes it would require, how it would impact parsing , scheduling and execution, what to do with custom scheduling and asset scheduling etc. etc.

At this stage, it's mostly a vague idea, but in order to seriously discuss it, you have to have at least a rough idea what complexities it involves, which part of the system it touches and what are the consequences