diff --git a/src/backup/datastore.rs b/src/backup/datastore.rs
index ebfa1bea..fa52cd82 100644
--- a/src/backup/datastore.rs
+++ b/src/backup/datastore.rs
@@ -397,6 +397,10 @@ impl DataStore {
         self.last_gc_status.lock().unwrap().clone()
     }
 
+    pub fn garbage_collection_running(&self) -> bool {
+        if let Ok(_) = self.gc_mutex.try_lock() { false } else { true }
+    }
+
     pub fn garbage_collection(&self, worker: &WorkerTask) -> Result<(), Error> {
 
         if let Ok(ref mut _mutex) = self.gc_mutex.try_lock() {
diff --git a/src/bin/proxmox-backup-proxy.rs b/src/bin/proxmox-backup-proxy.rs
index ef6e6703..2d306f32 100644
--- a/src/bin/proxmox-backup-proxy.rs
+++ b/src/bin/proxmox-backup-proxy.rs
@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ async fn run() -> Result<(), Error> {
         bail!("unable to start daemon - {}", err);
     }
 
+    start_task_scheduler();
+
     server.await?;
     log::info!("server shutting down, waiting for active workers to complete");
     proxmox_backup::server::last_worker_future().await?;
@@ -114,3 +116,184 @@ async fn run() -> Result<(), Error> {
 
     Ok(())
 }
+
+fn start_task_scheduler() {
+    let abort_future = server::shutdown_future();
+    let future = Box::pin(run_task_scheduler());
+    let task = futures::future::select(future, abort_future);
+    tokio::spawn(task.map(|_| ()));
+}
+
+use std::time:: {Instant, Duration, SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
+
+fn next_minute() -> Result<Instant, Error> {
+    let epoch_now = SystemTime::now().duration_since(UNIX_EPOCH)?;
+    let epoch_next = Duration::from_secs((epoch_now.as_secs()/60 + 1)*60);
+    Ok(Instant::now() + epoch_next - epoch_now)
+}
+
+async fn run_task_scheduler() {
+
+    let mut count: usize = 0;
+
+    loop {
+        count += 1;
+
+        let delay_target = match next_minute() {  // try to run very minute
+            Ok(d) => d,
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!("task scheduler: compute next minute failed - {}", err);
+                tokio::time::delay_until(tokio::time::Instant::from_std(Instant::now() + Duration::from_secs(60))).await;
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+
+        if count > 2 { // wait 1..2 minutes before starting
+            match schedule_tasks().catch_unwind().await {
+                Err(panic) => {
+                    match panic.downcast::<&str>() {
+                        Ok(msg) => {
+                            eprintln!("task scheduler panic: {}", msg);
+                        }
+                        Err(_) => {
+                            eprintln!("task scheduler panic - unknown type");
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                Ok(Err(err)) => {
+                    eprintln!("task scheduler failed - {:?}", err);
+                }
+                Ok(Ok(_)) => {}
+            }
+        }
+
+        tokio::time::delay_until(tokio::time::Instant::from_std(delay_target)).await;
+    }
+}
+
+async fn schedule_tasks() -> Result<(), Error> {
+
+    schedule_datastore_garbage_collection().await;
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn lookup_last_worker_start(worker_type: &str, worker_id: &str) -> Result<i64, Error> {
+
+    let list = proxmox_backup::server::read_task_list()?;
+
+    for entry in list {
+        if entry.upid.worker_type == worker_type {
+            if let Some(id) = entry.upid.worker_id {
+                if id == worker_id {
+                    return Ok(entry.upid.starttime);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(0)
+}
+
+
+async fn schedule_datastore_garbage_collection() {
+
+    use proxmox_backup::backup::DataStore;
+    use proxmox_backup::server::{UPID, WorkerTask};
+    use proxmox_backup::tools::systemd::time::{
+        parse_calendar_event, compute_next_event};
+
+    let config = match proxmox_backup::config::datastore::config() {
+        Err(err) => {
+            eprintln!("unable to read datastore config - {}", err);
+            return;
+        }
+        Ok((config, _digest)) => config,
+    };
+
+    for (store, (_, store_config)) in config.sections {
+        let datastore = match DataStore::lookup_datastore(&store) {
+            Ok(datastore) => datastore,
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!("lookup_datastore failed - {}", err);
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+
+        let store_config: proxmox_backup::config::datastore::DataStoreConfig = match serde_json::from_value(store_config) {
+            Ok(c) => c,
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!("datastore config from_value failed - {}", err);
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+
+        let event_str = match store_config.gc_schedule {
+            Some(event_str) => event_str,
+            None => continue,
+        };
+
+        let event = match parse_calendar_event(&event_str) {
+            Ok(event) => event,
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!("unable to parse schedule '{}' - {}", event_str, err);
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+
+        if datastore.garbage_collection_running() { continue; }
+
+        let worker_type = "garbage_collection";
+
+        let stat = datastore.last_gc_status();
+        let last = if let Some(upid_str) = stat.upid {
+            match upid_str.parse::<UPID>() {
+                Ok(upid) => upid.starttime,
+                Err(err) => {
+                    eprintln!("unable to parse upid '{}' - {}", upid_str, err);
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            match lookup_last_worker_start(worker_type, &store) {
+                Ok(t) => t,
+                Err(err) => {
+                    eprintln!("lookup_last_job_start failed: {}", err);
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
+        };
+
+        let next = match compute_next_event(&event, last, false) {
+            Ok(next) => next,
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!("compute_next_event for '{}' failed - {}", event_str, err);
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+        let now = match SystemTime::now().duration_since(UNIX_EPOCH) {
+            Ok(epoch_now) => epoch_now.as_secs() as i64,
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!("query system time failed - {}", err);
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+        if next > now  { continue; }
+
+        let store2 = store.clone();
+
+        if let Err(err) = WorkerTask::new_thread(
+            worker_type,
+            Some(store.clone()),
+            "root@pam",
+            false,
+            move |worker| {
+                worker.log(format!("starting garbage collection on store {}", store));
+                worker.log(format!("task triggered by schedule '{}'", event_str));
+                datastore.garbage_collection(&worker)
+            }
+        ) {
+            eprintln!("unable to start garbage collection on store {} - {}", store2, err);
+        }
+    }
+}