Merge pull request #711 from mjrussell/feat/cron-model-override

feat(cron): add --model flag to cron add/edit commands

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 ### Changes
 - macOS: prompt to install the global `clawdbot` CLI when missing in local mode; install via `clawd.bot/install-cli.sh` (no onboarding) and use external launchd/CLI instead of the embedded gateway runtime.
 - Docs: add gog calendar event color IDs from `gog calendar colors`. (#715) — thanks @mjrussell.
+- Cron/CLI: trim model overrides on cron edits and document main-session guidance. (#711) — thanks @mjrussell.
 
 ### Fixes
 - CLI/Update: preserve base environment when passing overrides to update subprocesses. (#713) — thanks @danielz1z.

docs/automation/cron-jobs.md

@@ -61,9 +61,23 @@ Key behaviors:
 - `wakeMode: "now"` triggers an immediate heartbeat after posting the summary.
 - If `payload.deliver: true`, output is delivered to a provider; otherwise it stays internal.
 
-Use isolated jobs for noisy, frequent, or “background chores” that shouldn’t spam
+Use isolated jobs for noisy, frequent, or "background chores" that shouldn't spam
 your main chat history.
 
+### 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`)
+
+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
+
 ### Delivery (provider + target)
 Isolated jobs can deliver output to a provider. The job payload can specify:
 - `provider`: `whatsapp` / `telegram` / `discord` / `slack` / `signal` / `imessage` / `last`
@@ -142,6 +156,21 @@ clawdbot cron add \
   --to "-1001234567890:topic:123"
 ```
 
+Isolated job with model and thinking override:
+```bash
+clawdbot cron add \
+  --name "Deep analysis" \
+  --cron "0 6 * * 1" \
+  --tz "America/Los_Angeles" \
+  --session isolated \
+  --message "Weekly deep analysis of project progress." \
+  --model "opus" \
+  --thinking high \
+  --deliver \
+  --provider whatsapp \
+  --to "+15551234567"
+```
+
 Manual run (debug):
 ```bash
 clawdbot cron run <jobId> --force

src/cli/cron-cli.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+import { Command } from "commander";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const callGatewayFromCli = vi.fn(
+  async (method: string, _opts: unknown, params?: unknown) => {
+    if (method === "cron.status") return { enabled: true };
+    return { ok: true, params };
+  },
+);
+
+vi.mock("./gateway-rpc.js", async () => {
+  const actual =
+    await vi.importActual<typeof import("./gateway-rpc.js")>(
+      "./gateway-rpc.js",
+    );
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    callGatewayFromCli: (
+      method: string,
+      opts: unknown,
+      params?: unknown,
+      extra?: unknown,
+    ) => callGatewayFromCli(method, opts, params, extra),
+  };
+});
+
+vi.mock("../runtime.js", () => ({
+  defaultRuntime: {
+    log: vi.fn(),
+    error: vi.fn(),
+    exit: (code: number) => {
+      throw new Error(`__exit__:${code}`);
+    },
+  },
+}));
+
+describe("cron cli", () => {
+  it("trims model and thinking on cron add", async () => {
+    callGatewayFromCli.mockClear();
+
+    const { registerCronCli } = await import("./cron-cli.js");
+    const program = new Command();
+    program.exitOverride();
+    registerCronCli(program);
+
+    await program.parseAsync(
+      [
+        "cron",
+        "add",
+        "--name",
+        "Daily",
+        "--cron",
+        "* * * * *",
+        "--session",
+        "isolated",
+        "--message",
+        "hello",
+        "--model",
+        "  opus  ",
+        "--thinking",
+        "  low  ",
+      ],
+      { from: "user" },
+    );
+
+    const addCall = callGatewayFromCli.mock.calls.find(
+      (call) => call[0] === "cron.add",
+    );
+    const params = addCall?.[2] as {
+      payload?: { model?: string; thinking?: string };
+    };
+
+    expect(params?.payload?.model).toBe("opus");
+    expect(params?.payload?.thinking).toBe("low");
+  });
+
+  it("omits empty model and thinking on cron edit", async () => {
+    callGatewayFromCli.mockClear();
+
+    const { registerCronCli } = await import("./cron-cli.js");
+    const program = new Command();
+    program.exitOverride();
+    registerCronCli(program);
+
+    await program.parseAsync(
+      [
+        "cron",
+        "edit",
+        "job-1",
+        "--message",
+        "hello",
+        "--model",
+        "   ",
+        "--thinking",
+        "  ",
+      ],
+      { from: "user" },
+    );
+
+    const updateCall = callGatewayFromCli.mock.calls.find(
+      (call) => call[0] === "cron.update",
+    );
+    const patch = updateCall?.[2] as {
+      patch?: { payload?: { model?: string; thinking?: string } };
+    };
+
+    expect(patch?.patch?.payload?.model).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(patch?.patch?.payload?.thinking).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});

src/cli/cron-cli.ts

@@ -296,6 +296,10 @@ export function registerCronCli(program: Command) {
         "--thinking <level>",
         "Thinking level for agent jobs (off|minimal|low|medium|high)",
       )
+      .option(
+        "--model <model>",
+        "Model override for agent jobs (provider/model or alias)",
+      )
       .option("--timeout-seconds <n>", "Timeout seconds for agent jobs")
       .option("--deliver", "Deliver agent output", false)
       .option(
@@ -391,6 +395,10 @@ export function registerCronCli(program: Command) {
             return {
               kind: "agentTurn" as const,
               message,
+              model:
+                typeof opts.model === "string" && opts.model.trim()
+                  ? opts.model.trim()
+                  : undefined,
               thinking:
                 typeof opts.thinking === "string" && opts.thinking.trim()
                   ? opts.thinking.trim()
@@ -558,6 +566,7 @@ export function registerCronCli(program: Command) {
       .option("--system-event <text>", "Set systemEvent payload")
       .option("--message <text>", "Set agentTurn payload message")
       .option("--thinking <level>", "Thinking level for agent jobs")
+      .option("--model <model>", "Model override for agent jobs")
       .option("--timeout-seconds <n>", "Timeout seconds for agent jobs")
       .option("--deliver", "Deliver agent output", false)
       .option(
@@ -637,14 +646,22 @@ export function registerCronCli(program: Command) {
               text: String(opts.systemEvent),
             };
           } else if (opts.message) {
+            const model =
+              typeof opts.model === "string" && opts.model.trim()
+                ? opts.model.trim()
+                : undefined;
+            const thinking =
+              typeof opts.thinking === "string" && opts.thinking.trim()
+                ? opts.thinking.trim()
+                : undefined;
             const timeoutSeconds = opts.timeoutSeconds
               ? Number.parseInt(String(opts.timeoutSeconds), 10)
               : undefined;
             patch.payload = {
               kind: "agentTurn",
               message: String(opts.message),
-              thinking:
+              model,
-                typeof opts.thinking === "string" ? opts.thinking : undefined,
+              thinking,
               timeoutSeconds:
                 timeoutSeconds && Number.isFinite(timeoutSeconds)
                   ? timeoutSeconds