We present a new algorithm for combining an anisotropic goal-oriented error estimate with the mesh adaptation fixed point method for unsteady problems. The minimization of the error on a functional provides both the density and the anisotropy (stretching) of the optimal mesh. They are expressed in terms of state and adjoint. This method is used for specifying the mesh for a time sub-interval. A global fixed point iterates the re-evaluation of meshes and states over the whole time interval until convergence of the space–time mesh. Applications to unsteady blast-wave and acoustic-wave Euler flows are presented.