A built-in task scheduler for OpenClaw Gateway that manages one-time reminders, periodic tasks, and background automation for AI agents.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install openclaw-cron-setup
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install openclaw-cron-setup using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is OpenClaw Cron Jobs?
OpenClaw Cron Jobs is a powerful, persistent scheduling engine integrated directly into the Gateway. It allows developers to wake agents at specific times or intervals to perform tasks without requiring manual triggers. As a core component of Openclaw Skills, it provides a robust infrastructure for both system-level event integration and isolated background processing, ensuring that automation doesn't interfere with active user sessions unless specified.
OpenClaw Cron Jobs Use Cases
- Setting up one-time AI reminders for calendar events or follow-ups.
- Automating daily morning briefings that summarize emails and overnight notifications.
- Executing weekly project progress analysis using high-reasoning LLM models.
- Running background data aggregation tasks that deliver results via Telegram or Webhooks.
- Triggering recurring health checks or system monitoring alerts.
How OpenClaw Cron Jobs Works
- Task Definition: Users define jobs via CLI or JSON, specifying a schedule (Cron, At, or Interval) and an execution mode (Main or Isolated).
- Persistence: The scheduler stores job metadata and state in the local filesystem to ensure tasks survive system restarts.
- Triggering: The Gateway monitors the schedule and wakes the designated agent when the execution time is reached.
- Execution: The agent processes the payload, which can be a system event injected into the main flow or a standalone message in an isolated session.
- Delivery: After execution, the results are delivered to the specified channel, such as a Telegram topic, a Webhook, or an announcement in the main chat.
OpenClaw Cron Jobs Setup
To get started with this feature within the Openclaw Skills framework, ensure your Gateway is running and use the following CLI commands:
# Enable cron in ~/.openclaw/config.json
# { "cron": { "enabled": true } }
# Add a one-time reminder for 20 minutes from now
openclaw cron add --name "Reminder" --at "20m" --session main --system-event "Check the logs" --delete-after-run
# Add a daily recurring morning brief at 7 AM
openclaw cron add --name "Briefing" --cron "0 7 * * *" --tz "Asia/Shanghai" --session isolated --message "Summarize my day" --announce
OpenClaw Cron Jobs Data Schema & Taxonomy
The scheduling system organizes its data across the following files and formats:
| Data Type | Location | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Job Definitions | ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json |
A JSON array containing job metadata, schedules, and payloads. |
| Run History | ~/.openclaw/cron/runs/<jobId>.jsonl |
JSON Lines format tracking every execution attempt and result. |
| Global Config | ~/.openclaw/config.json |
Configuration for retention periods and log rotation limits. |
OpenClaw Cron Jobs Advanced Features
- Isolated Session Execution: Run complex background tasks without polluting the history of your main chat session.
- Multi-Channel Delivery: Support for Telegram topics, WhatsApp, and custom Webhook POST requests.
- Model Overrides: Assign specific LLMs or 'thinking' levels (e.g., high thinking) to individual cron jobs regardless of global settings.
- Exponential Backoff: Built-in retry logic that scales from 30 seconds up to 60 minutes for failed tasks.
- Timezone Awareness: Full support for TZ database identifiers to ensure accurate scheduling across global regions.
SKILL.md
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