Requirements
- Target platform
- OpenClaw
- Install method
- Manual import
- Extraction
- Extract archive
- Prerequisites
- OpenClaw
- Primary doc
- SKILL.md
Master OpenClaw's timing systems. Use for scheduling reliable reminders, setting up periodic maintenance (janitor jobs), and understanding when to use Cron v...
Master OpenClaw's timing systems. Use for scheduling reliable reminders, setting up periodic maintenance (janitor jobs), and understanding when to use Cron v...
Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually.
I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete.
I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run.
Rule #1: Heartbeats drift. Cron is precise. This skill provides the definitive guide for managing time in OpenClaw 2026.2.15+. It solves the "I missed my reminder" problem by enforcing a strict separation between casual checks (heartbeat) and hard schedules (cron).
SystemBehaviorBest ForRiskHeartbeat"I'll check in when I can" (e.g., every 30-60m)Email checks, casual news summaries, low-priority polling.Drift: A "remind me in 10m" task will fail if the heartbeat is 30m.Cron"I will run at exactly X time"Reminders ("in 5 mins"), daily reports, system maintenance.Clutter: Creates one-off jobs that need cleanup.
Rule: Never use act:wait or internal loops for long delays (>1 min). Use cron:add with a one-shot at schedule.
While Cron is precise, execution depends on the Gateway Heartbeat (typically every 10-60s). A job set for :00 seconds will fire on the first "tick" after that time. Expect up to ~30s of variance depending on your gateway config.
Use this payload structure for "remind me in X minutes" tasks. Key Features (v2026.2.15+): Payload Choice: Use AgentTurn with Strict Instructions for push notifications (reminders that ping your phone). Use systemEvent only for silent logs or background state updates. Reliability: nextRunAtMs corruption and "Add-then-Update" deadlocks are resolved. Auto-Cleanup: One-shot jobs auto-delete after success (deleteAfterRun: true). CRITICAL: Push Notifications vs. Silent Logs systemEvent (Silent): Injects text into the chat history. Great for background logs, but WILL NOT ping the user's phone on Telegram/WhatsApp. AgentTurn (Proactive): Wakes an agent to deliver the message. REQUIRED for push notifications. Use the "Strict" prompt to avoid AI chatter. For push-notification reminders (Reliable): { "name": "Remind: Water", "schedule": { "kind": "at", "at": "2026-02-06T01:30:00Z" }, "payload": { "kind": "agentTurn", "message": "DELIVER THIS EXACT MESSAGE TO THE USER WITHOUT MODIFICATION OR COMMENTARY:\n\nπ§ Drink water, Momo!" }, "sessionTarget": "isolated", "delivery": { "mode": "announce", "channel": "telegram", "to": "1027899060" } } For background logs (Silent): { "name": "Log: System Pulse", "schedule": { "kind": "every", "everyMs": 3600000 }, "payload": { "kind": "systemEvent", "text": "[PULSE] System healthy." }, "sessionTarget": "main" }
Pre-2026.2.15, the "Add-then-Update" pattern caused deadlocks. While this is now stabilized, it is still best practice to pass all parameters (including wakeMode: "now") directly in the initial cron.add call for maximum efficiency.
Note: As of v2026.2.14, OpenClaw includes maintenance recompute semantics. The gateway now automatically cleans up stuck jobs and repairs corrupted schedules. Manual cleanup is only needed for: One-shot jobs created with deleteAfterRun: false. Stale recurring jobs you no longer want.
Sub-agents (isolated) often have restricted tool policies and cannot call gateway or delete other cron jobs. For system maintenance like the Janitor, always target the main session via systemEvent so the primary agent (with full tool access) performs the cleanup.
For cron to work, the agent must know its time. Action: Add the user's timezone to MEMORY.md. Example: Timezone: Cairo (GMT+2) Validation: If a user says "remind me at 9 PM," confirm: "9 PM Cairo time?" before scheduling.
Problem: If you say "I'll wait 30 seconds" and end your turn, you go to sleep. You cannot wake up without an event. Solution: If you need to "wait" across turns, you MUST schedule a Cron job. Wait < 1 minute (interactive): Only allowed if you keep the tool loop open (using act:wait). Wait > 1 minute (async): Use Cron with wakeMode: "now".
If you have old cron jobs using these patterns, update them: Legacy (Pre-2026.2.3)Modern (2026.2.15+)"schedule": {"kind": "at", "atMs": 1234567890}"schedule": {"kind": "at", "at": "2026-02-06T01:30:00Z"}"deliver": true in payloadNot needed - announce mode handles delivery"sessionTarget": "main""sessionTarget": "isolated" (default behavior)Manual ghost cleanup requiredOne-shots auto-delete (deleteAfterRun: true)cron.update after cron.addSingle-step cron.add with all properties
"My reminder didn't fire": Check cron:list. Verify the at timestamp is in the future (ISO 8601 format). Ensure wakeMode: "now" is set. "Gateway Timeout (10000ms)": This happens if the cron tool takes too long (huge job list or file lock). Fix 1: Manually delete ~/.openclaw/state/cron/jobs.json and restart the gateway if it's corrupted. Fix 2: Run a manual sweep to reduce the job count. "Job ran but I didn't get the message": Ensure you are using the Strict Instruction Pattern with agentTurn + announce mode for proactive pings. "The reminder message has extra commentary": The subagent is being conversational. Use the strict prompt pattern: "DELIVER THIS EXACT MESSAGE TO THE USER WITHOUT MODIFICATION OR COMMENTARY:\n\nπ§ Your message here"
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