cron-setup

# Cron Job Setup Our conventions for creating cron jobs in OpenClaw. ## Default Settings | Setting | Default | Why | |---------|---------|-----| | **Model** | `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5` | Reliable tool calls, works with any Anthropic Max plan — no OpenRouter needed | | **Session** | `isolated` | Cron jobs run in their own session, not the main chat | | **Delivery** | `"mode": "none"` | Job handles its own output (posts to Discord, etc.) | | **Timeout** | 120-180s | Most jobs should finish fast | ## Model Notes - **Default to Sonnet** (`anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5`). Reliable, portable (no OpenRouter API key needed). - **DeepSeek is unreliable** for tool calls — don't use it for cron jobs. - **Use Opus** (`anthropic/claude-opus-4-6`) only as a last resort — expensive for scheduled tasks. - **Model ID format:** Use `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5` not the full dated version (`anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514`). ## Job Template ```json { "name": "descriptive-kebab-case-name", "schedule": { "kind": "cron", "expr": "*/30 * * * *", "tz": "America/New_York" }, "sessionTarget": "isolated", "payload": { "kind": "agentTurn", "message": "TASK INSTRUCTIONS HERE", "model": "openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-v3.2", "timeoutSeconds": 120 }, "delivery": { "mode": "none" } } ``` ## Schedule Patterns | Pattern | Cron Expression | Notes | |---------|----------------|-------| | Every 30 min | `*/30 * * * *` | Good for inbox checks, monitoring | | Every hour | `0 * * * *` | Self-reflection, status checks | | Daily at 4 AM | `0 4 * * *` | Cleanup, backups (during quiet hours) | | Daily at 6 AM | `0 6 * * *` | Morning digests, daily summaries | | Weekly Monday 2 PM | `0 14 * * 1` | Weekly outreach, reviews | | One-shot | Use `"kind": "at"` instead | Reminders, one-time tasks | ## Task Instruction Conventions 1. **Be explicit with commands** — Give the cron agent exact bash commands to run. It doesn't have our context. 2. **Include skip conditions** — If there's nothing to do, the agent should reply `SKIP` to avoid wasting tokens. 3. **Handle its own output** — The job should post results to Telegram (or wherever) using the `message` tool directly. Don't rely on delivery mode for formatted output. 4. **Include error handling** — What should happen if a command fails? 5. **Keep instructions self-contained** — The cron agent wakes up with no context. Everything it needs should be in the task message. ## Telegram Posting from Cron Jobs When a cron job needs to notify us, include these instructions in the task: ``` Post to Telegram using the message tool: - action: send - channel: telegram - target: -1003856094222 - threadId: TOPIC_ID - message: Your formatted message ``` **Topic IDs:** - `1` — Main topic (general updates, alerts) - `573` — Research - `1032` — Crypto - `1488` — PR updates / dev notifications - `1869` — Sticker store - `3188` — Activity feed (workspace changes) ## Delivery Modes | Mode | When to Use | |------|------------| | `"mode": "none"` | Job posts its own output to Telegram (most common) | | `"mode": "announce"` | OpenClaw auto-delivers the agent's final message to a channel. Use when output IS the message (e.g., daily digest). Set `"channel": "telegram"` and `"to": "-1003856094222:TOPIC_ID"` | ## Anti-Patterns ❌ **Don't use Opus for cron jobs** unless the task genuinely needs it. Most cron tasks are simple checks. ❌ **Don't use heartbeat** for things that can be a cron job. Heartbeat runs in the main session (Opus) and costs way more. ❌ **Don't create cron jobs that loop/poll** — each run should be a single check. If you need polling, use a background exec script instead. ❌ **Don't set delivery mode to "announce"** and also have the job post to Telegram — you'll get duplicate messages. ## Existing Jobs (Reference) Check current jobs anytime with the `cron list` tool. As of setup: - `workspace-activity-feed` — Every 30 min, commits workspace changes, posts to activity feed - `agentmail-inbox-check` — Every 30 min, checks for new emails, responds to agents - `sub-agent-monitor` — Every 15 min, checks on stalled sub-agents - `self-reflection` — Hourly, reviews recent sessions for lessons learned - `daily-workspace-commit` — Daily 4 AM, git commits workspace changes - `system-watchdog` — Daily 4 AM, checks system resources - `OpenClaw Daily News Digest` — Daily 6 AM, generates news digest - `sticker-sales-loop` — Weekly Monday 2 PM, agent outreach for sticker store