# Send Cron Mastery to your agent Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually. ## Fast path - Download the package from Yavira. - Extract it into a folder your agent can access. - Paste one of the prompts below and point your agent at the extracted folder. ## Suggested prompts ### New install ```text 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. ``` ### Upgrade existing ```text 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. ``` ## Machine-readable fields ```json { "schemaVersion": "1.0", "item": { "slug": "cron-mastery", "name": "Cron Mastery", "source": "tencent", "type": "skill", "category": "AI 智能", "sourceUrl": "https://clawhub.ai/i-mw/cron-mastery", "canonicalUrl": "https://clawhub.ai/i-mw/cron-mastery", "targetPlatform": "OpenClaw" }, "install": { "downloadUrl": "/downloads/cron-mastery", "sourceDownloadUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=cron-mastery", "sourcePlatform": "tencent", "targetPlatform": "OpenClaw", "packageFormat": "ZIP package", "primaryDoc": "SKILL.md", "includedAssets": [ "references/templates.md", "SKILL.md" ], "downloadMode": "redirect", "sourceHealth": { "source": "tencent", "slug": "cron-mastery", "status": "healthy", "reason": "direct_download_ok", "recommendedAction": "download", "checkedAt": "2026-04-30T22:19:47.254Z", "expiresAt": "2026-05-07T22:19:47.254Z", "httpStatus": 200, "finalUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=cron-mastery", "contentType": "application/zip", "probeMethod": "head", "details": { "probeUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=cron-mastery", "contentDisposition": "attachment; filename=\"cron-mastery-1.0.3.zip\"", "redirectLocation": null, "bodySnippet": null, "slug": "cron-mastery" }, "scope": "item", "summary": "Item download looks usable.", "detail": "Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this item.", "primaryActionLabel": "Download for OpenClaw", "primaryActionHref": "/downloads/cron-mastery" }, "validation": { "installChecklist": [ "Use the Yavira download entry.", "Review SKILL.md after the package is downloaded.", "Confirm the extracted package contains the expected setup assets." ], "postInstallChecks": [ "Confirm the extracted package includes the expected docs or setup files.", "Validate the skill or prompts are available in your target agent workspace.", "Capture any manual follow-up steps the agent could not complete." ] } }, "links": { "detailUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery", "downloadUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/cron-mastery", "agentUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery/agent", "manifestUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery/agent.json", "briefUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery/agent.md" } } ``` ## Documentation ### Cron Mastery 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). ### The Core Principle 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. ### 1. Setting Reliable Reminders (2026.2.15+ Standard) Rule: Never use act:wait or internal loops for long delays (>1 min). Use cron:add with a one-shot at schedule. ### Precision & The "Scheduler Tick" 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. ### Modern One-Shot Reminder Pattern 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\\n💧 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" } ### Cron Concurrency Rule (Stabilized) 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. ### 2. The Janitor (Auto-Cleanup) - LEGACY 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. ### Why use sessionTarget: "main"? (CRITICAL) 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. ### 3. Reference: Timezone Lock 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. ### 4. The Self-Wake Rule (Behavioral) 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". ### 5. Legacy Migration Guide 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 ### Troubleshooting "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\\n💧 Your message here" ## Trust - Source: tencent - Verification: Indexed source record - Publisher: i-mw - Version: 1.0.3 ## Source health - Status: healthy - Item download looks usable. - Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this item. - Health scope: item - Reason: direct_download_ok - Checked at: 2026-04-30T22:19:47.254Z - Expires at: 2026-05-07T22:19:47.254Z - Recommended action: Download for OpenClaw ## Links - [Detail page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery) - [Send to Agent page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery/agent) - [JSON manifest](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery/agent.json) - [Markdown brief](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/cron-mastery/agent.md) - [Download page](https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/cron-mastery)