diff --git a/setup.sh b/setup.sh
index cf8b5ce..d7579ea 100755
--- a/setup.sh
+++ b/setup.sh
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ EOF
     echo "whitelist.conf created — add known-safe items to suppress false positives."
 fi
 
+# ── Ensure cron is available ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if ! command -v crontab &>/dev/null; then
+    echo "cron not found — installing..."
+    apt install cron -y
+    systemctl enable cron
+    systemctl start cron
+fi
+
 # ── Cron jobs ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 CRON_1="0 8 * * * $SCRIPT_DIR/npm-security-check.sh >> $SCRIPT_DIR/logs/npm-security-check-\$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).log 2>&1"
 CRON_2="5 8 * * * $SCRIPT_DIR/check-nextjs-rce.sh >> $SCRIPT_DIR/logs/check-nextjs-rce-\$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).log 2>&1"