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Source: Web Fetch
---
> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cron Jobs

# Cron jobs (Gateway scheduler)

> **Cron vs Heartbeat?** See [Cron vs Heartbeat](/automation/cron-vs-heartbeat) for guidance on when to use each.

Cron is the Gateway's built-in scheduler. It persists jobs, wakes the agent at
the right time, and can optionally deliver output back to a chat.

If you want *"run this every morning"* or *"poke the agent in 20 minutes"*,
cron is the mechanism.

Troubleshooting: [/automation/troubleshooting](/automation/troubleshooting)

## TL;DR

* Cron runs **inside the Gateway** (not inside the model).
* Jobs persist under `~/.openclaw/cron/` so restarts don't lose schedules.
* Two execution styles:
  * **Main session**: enqueue a system event, then run on the next heartbeat.
  * **Isolated**: run a dedicated agent turn in `cron:<jobId>`, with delivery (announce by default or none).
* Wakeups are first-class: a job can request "wake now" vs "next heartbeat".
* Webhook posting is per job via `delivery.mode = "webhook"` + `delivery.to = "<url>"`.
* Legacy fallback remains for stored jobs with `notify: true` when `cron.webhook` is set, migrate those jobs to webhook delivery mode.
* For upgrades, `openclaw doctor --fix` can normalize legacy cron store fields before the scheduler touches them.

## Quick start (actionable)

Create a one-shot reminder, verify it exists, and run it immediately:

```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
openclaw cron add \
  --name "Reminder" \
  --at "2026-02-01T16:00:00Z" \
  --session main \
  --system-event "Reminder: check the cron docs draft" \
  --wake now \
  --delete-after-run

openclaw cron list
openclaw cron run <job-id>
openclaw cron runs --id <job-id>
```

Schedule a recurring isolated job with delivery:

```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
openclaw cron add \
  --name "Morning brief" \
  --cron "0 7 * * *" \
  --tz "America/Los_Angeles" \
  --session isolated \
  --message "Summarize overnight updates." \
  --announce \
  --channel slack \
  --to "channel:C1234567890"
```

## Tool-call equivalents (Gateway cron tool)

For the canonical JSON shapes and examples, see [JSON schema for tool calls](/automation/cron-jobs#json-schema-for-tool-calls).

## Where cron jobs are stored

Cron jobs are persisted on the Gateway host at `~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json` by default.
The Gateway loads the file into memory and writes it back on changes, so manual edits
are only safe when the Gateway is stopped. Prefer `openclaw cron add/edit` or the cron
tool call API for changes.

## Beginner-friendly overview

Think of a cron job as: **when** to run + **what** to do.

1. **Choose a schedule**
   * One-shot reminder → `schedule.kind = "at"` (CLI: `--at`)
   * Repeating job → `schedule.kind = "every"` or `schedule.kind = "cron"`
   * If your ISO timestamp omits a timezone, it is treated as **UTC**.

2. **Choose where it runs**
   * `sessionTarget: "main"` → run during the next heartbeat with main context.
   * `sessionTarget: "isolated"` → run a dedicated agent turn in `cron:<jobId>`.

3. **Choose the payload**
   * Main session → `payload.kind = "systemEvent"`
   * Isolated session → `payload.kind = "agentTurn"`

Optional: one-shot jobs (`schedule.kind = "at"`) delete after success by default. Set
`deleteAfterRun: false` to keep them (they will disable after success).

## Concepts

### Jobs

A cron job is a stored record with:

* a **schedule** (when it should run),
* a **payload** (what it should do),
* optional **delivery mode** (`announce`, `webhook`, or `none`).
* optional **agent binding** (`agentId`): run the job under a specific agent; if
  missing or unknown, the gateway falls back to the default agent.

Jobs are identified by a stable `jobId` (used by CLI/Gateway APIs).
In agent tool calls, `jobId` is canonical; legacy `id` is accepted for compatibility.
One-shot jobs auto-delete after success by default; set `deleteAfterRun: false` to keep them.

### Schedules

Cron supports three schedule kinds:

* `at`: one-shot timestamp via `schedule.at` (ISO 8601).
* `every`: fixed interval (ms).
* `cron`: 5-field cron expression (or 6-field with seconds) with optional IANA timezone.

Cron expressions use `croner`. If a timezone is omitted, the Gateway host's
local timezone is used.

To reduce top-of-hour load spikes across many gateways, OpenClaw applies a
deterministic per-job stagger window of up to 5 minutes for recurring
top-of-hour expressions (for example `0 * * * *`, `0 */2 * * *`). Fixed-hour
expressions such as `0 7 * * *` remain exact.

For any cron schedule, you can set an explicit stagger window with `schedule.staggerMs`
(`0` keeps exact timing). CLI shortcuts:

* `--stagger 30s` (or `1m`, `5m`) to set an explicit stagger window.
* `--exact` to force `staggerMs = 0`.

### Main vs isolated execution

#### Main session jobs (system events)

Main jobs enqueue a system event and optionally wake the heartbeat runner.
They must use `payload.kind = "systemEvent"`.

* `wakeMode: "now"` (default): event triggers an immediate heartbeat run.
* `wakeMode: "next-heartbeat"`: event waits for the next scheduled heartbeat.

This is the best fit when you want the normal heartbeat prompt + main-session context.
See [Heartbeat](/gateway/heartbeat).

#### Isolated jobs (dedicated cron sessions)

Isolated jobs run a dedicated agent turn in session `cron:<jobId>`.

Key behaviors:

* Prompt is prefixed with `[cron:<jobId> <job name>]` for traceability.
* Each run starts a **fresh session id** (no prior conversation carry-over).
* Default behavior: if `delivery` is omitted, isolated jobs announce a summary (`delivery.mode = "announce"`).
* `delivery.mode` chooses what happens:
  * `announce`: deliver a summary to the target channel and post a brief summary to the main session.
  * `webhook`: POST the finished event payload to `delivery.to` when the finished event includes a summary.
  * `none`: internal only (no delivery, no main-session summary).
* `wakeMode` controls when the main-session summary posts:
  * `now`: immediate heartbeat.
  * `next-heartbeat`: waits for the next scheduled heartbeat.

Use isolated jobs for noisy, frequent, or "background chores" that shouldn't spam
your main chat history.

### Payload shapes (what runs)

Two payload kinds are supported:

* `systemEvent`: main-session only, routed through the heartbeat prompt.
* `agentTurn`: isolated-session only, runs a dedicated agent turn.

Common `agentTurn` fields:

* `message`: required text prompt.
* `model` / `thinking`: optional overrides (see below).
* `timeoutSeconds`: optional timeout override.
* `lightContext`: optional lightweight bootstrap mode for jobs that do not need workspace bootstrap file injection.

Delivery config:

* `delivery.mode`: `none` | `announce` | `webhook`.
* `delivery.channel`: `last` or a specific channel.
* `delivery.to`: channel-specific target (announce) or webhook URL (webhook mode).
* `delivery.bestEffort`: avoid failing the job if announce delivery fails.

Announce delivery suppresses messaging tool sends for the run; use `delivery.channel`/`delivery.to`
to target the chat instead. When `delivery.mode = "none"`, no summary is posted to the main session.

If `delivery` is omitted for isolated jobs, OpenClaw defaults to `announce`.

#### Announce delivery flow

When `delivery.mode = "announce"`, cron delivers directly via the outbound channel adapters.
The main agent is not spun up to craft or forward the message.

Behavior details:

* Content: delivery uses the isolated run's outbound payloads (text/media) with normal chunking and
  channel formatting.
* Heartbeat-only responses (`HEARTBEAT_OK` with no real content) are not delivered.
* If the isolated run already sent a message to the same target via the message tool, delivery is
  skipped to avoid duplicates.
* Missing or invalid delivery targets fail the job unless `delivery.bestEffort = true`.
* A short summary is posted to the main session only when `delivery.mode = "announce"`.
* The main-session summary respects `wakeMode`: `now` triggers an immediate heartbeat and
  `next-heartbeat` waits for the next scheduled heartbeat.

#### Webhook delivery flow

When `delivery.mode = "webhook"`, cron posts the finished event payload to `delivery.to` when the finished event includes a summary.

Behavior details:

* The endpoint must be a valid HTTP(S) URL.
* No channel delivery is attempted in webhook mode.
* No main-session summary is posted in webhook mode.
* If `cron.webhookToken` is set, auth header is `Authorization: Bearer <cron.webhookToken>`.
* Deprecated fallback: stored legacy jobs with `notify: true` still post to `cron.webhook` (if configured), with a warning so you can migrate to `delivery.mode = "webhook"`.

### Model and thinking overrides

Isolated jobs (`agentTurn`) can override the model and thinking level:

* `model`: Provider/model string (e.g., `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514`) or alias (e.g., `opus`)
* `thinking`: Thinking level (`off`, `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`; GPT-5.2 + Codex models only)

Note: You can set `model` on main-session jobs too, but it changes the shared main
session model. We recommend model overrides only for isolated jobs to avoid
unexpected context shifts.

Resolution priority:

1. Job payload override (highest)
2. Hook-specific defaults (e.g., `hooks.gmail.model`)
3. Agent config default

### Lightweight bootstrap context

Isolated jobs (`agentTurn`) can set `lightContext: true` to run with lightweight bootstrap context.

* Use this for scheduled chores that do not need workspace bootstrap file injection.
* In practice, the embedded runtime runs with `bootstrapContextMode: "lightweight"`, which keeps cron bootstrap context empty on purpose.
* CLI equivalents: `openclaw cron add --light-context ...` and `openclaw cron edit --light-context`.

### Delivery (channel + target)

Isolated jobs can deliver output to a channel via the top-level `delivery` config:

* `delivery.mode`: `announce` (channel delivery), `webhook` (HTTP POST), or `none`.
* `delivery.channel`: `whatsapp` / `telegram` / `discord` / `slack` / `mattermost` (plugin) / `signal` / `imessage` / `last`.
* `delivery.to`: channel-specific recipient target.

`announce` delivery is only valid for isolated jobs (`sessionTarget: "isolated"`).
`webhook` delivery is valid for both main and isolated jobs.

If `delivery.channel` or `delivery.to` is omitted, cron can fall back to the main session's
"last route" (the last place the agent replied).

Target format reminders:

* Slack/Discord/Mattermost (plugin) targets should use explicit prefixes (e.g. `channel:<id>`, `user:<id>`) to avoid ambiguity.
  Mattermost bare 26-char IDs are resolved **user-first** (DM if user exists, channel otherwise) — use `user:<id>` or `channel:<id>` for deterministic routing.
* Telegram topics should use the `:topic:` form (see below).

#### Telegram delivery targets (topics / forum threads)

Telegram supports forum topics via `message_thread_id`. For cron delivery, you can encode
the topic/thread into the `to` field:

* `-1001234567890` (chat id only)
* `-1001234567890:topic:123` (preferred: explicit topic marker)
* `-1001234567890:123` (shorthand: numeric suffix)

Prefixed targets like `telegram:...` / `telegram:group:...` are also accepted:

* `telegram:group:-1001234567890:topic:123`

## JSON schema for tool calls

Use these shapes when calling Gateway `cron.*` tools directly (agent tool calls or RPC).
CLI flags accept human durations like `20m`, but tool calls should use an ISO 8601 string
for `schedule.at` and milliseconds for `schedule.everyMs`.

### cron.add params

One-shot, main session job (system event):

```json  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
{
  "name": "Reminder",
  "schedule": { "kind": "at", "at": "2026-02-01T16:00:00Z" },
  "sessionTarget": "main",
  "wakeMode": "now",
  "payload": { "kind": "systemEvent", "text": "Reminder text" },
  "deleteAfterRun": true
}
```

Recurring, isolated job with delivery:

```json  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
{
  "name": "Morning brief",
  "schedule": { "kind": "cron", "expr": "0 7 * * *", "tz": "America/Los_Angeles" },
  "sessionTarget": "isolated",
  "wakeMode": "next-heartbeat",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "agentTurn",
    "message": "Summarize overnight updates.",
    "lightContext": true
  },
  "delivery": {
    "mode": "announce",
    "channel": "slack",
    "to": "channel:C1234567890",
    "bestEffort": true
  }
}
```

Notes:

* `schedule.kind`: `at` (`at`), `every` (`everyMs`), or `cron` (`expr`, optional `tz`).
* `schedule.at` accepts ISO 8601 (timezone optional; treated as UTC when omitted).
* `everyMs` is milliseconds.
* `sessionTarget` must be `"main"` or `"isolated"` and must match `payload.kind`.
* Optional fields: `agentId`, `description`, `enabled`, `deleteAfterRun` (defaults to true for `at`),
  `delivery`.
* `wakeMode` defaults to `"now"` when omitted.

### cron.update params

```json  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
{
  "jobId": "job-123",
  "patch": {
    "enabled": false,
    "schedule": { "kind": "every", "everyMs": 3600000 }
  }
}
```

Notes:

* `jobId` is canonical; `id` is accepted for compatibility.
* Use `agentId: null` in the patch to clear an agent binding.

### cron.run and cron.remove params

```json  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
{ "jobId": "job-123", "mode": "force" }
```

```json  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
{ "jobId": "job-123" }
```

## Storage & history

* Job store: `~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json` (Gateway-managed JSON).
* Run history: `~/.openclaw/cron/runs/<jobId>.jsonl` (JSONL, auto-pruned by size and line count).
* Isolated cron run sessions in `sessions.json` are pruned by `cron.sessionRetention` (default `24h`; set `false` to disable).
* Override store path: `cron.store` in config.

## Retry policy

When a job fails, OpenClaw classifies errors as **transient** (retryable) or **permanent** (disable immediately).

### Transient e
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