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clawdbot/docs/automation/cron-jobs.md
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---
summary: "Cron jobs + wakeups for the Gateway scheduler"
read_when:
- Scheduling background jobs or wakeups
- Wiring automation that should run with or alongside heartbeats
---
# Cron jobs (Gateway scheduler)
Cron runs inside the Gateway and schedules background work so Clawdbot can
wake itself up, run isolated agent jobs, and deliver reminders on time.
## Update checklist (internal)
- [x] Audit cron + heartbeat behavior in code
- [x] Rewrite cron doc as user-facing feature
- [x] Update heartbeat docs + templates
- [x] Update cron links in docs
- [x] Update changelog
- [x] Run full gate (lint/build/test/docs)
## What cron is
- **Gateway-owned scheduler** that persists jobs under `~/.clawdbot/cron/`.
- **Two execution modes**:
- **Main session jobs** enqueue `System:` events and rely on the heartbeat runner.
- **Isolated jobs** run a dedicated agent turn in `cron:<jobId>` sessions.
- **Wakeups** are first-class: a job can trigger the next heartbeat or run it now.
## When to use it
- Recurring reminders: “every weekday at 7:30” or “every 2h.”
- Background chores: summarize inboxes, check dashboards, watch logs.
- Automation that should not pollute the main chat history.
- Scheduled wakeups that drive the heartbeat pipeline.
## Schedules
Cron supports three schedule kinds:
- `at`: one-shot timestamp in ms.
- `every`: fixed interval (ms).
- `cron`: 5-field cron expression, optional IANA timezone.
Cron expressions use `croner` under the hood. If a timezone is omitted, the
servers local timezone is used.
## Job types
### Main session jobs
Main jobs enqueue a system event and optionally wake the heartbeat runner.
They **must** use `payload.kind = "systemEvent"`.
- **`wakeMode: "next-heartbeat"`** (default): the event waits for the next
scheduled heartbeat.
- **`wakeMode: "now"`**: the event triggers an immediate heartbeat run.
### Isolated jobs
Isolated jobs run a dedicated agent turn in session `cron:<jobId>` and can
optionally deliver a message.
Key behaviors:
- Prompt is prefixed with `[cron:<jobId> <job name>]` for traceability.
- A summary is posted to the main session with prefix `Cron` (or
`isolation.postToMainPrefix`).
- `wakeMode: "now"` triggers an immediate heartbeat after posting the summary.
- `payload.deliver: true` sends output to a provider; otherwise it stays internal.
## Storage & history
- Job store: `~/.clawdbot/cron/jobs.json` (JSON, Gateway-managed).
- Run history: `~/.clawdbot/cron/runs/<jobId>.jsonl` (JSONL, auto-pruned).
- Override store path: `cron.store` in config.
## Configuration
```json5
{
cron: {
enabled: true, // default true
store: "~/.clawdbot/cron/jobs.json",
maxConcurrentRuns: 1 // default 1
}
}
```
Disable cron entirely:
- `cron.enabled: false` (config)
- or `CLAWDBOT_SKIP_CRON=1` (env)
## CLI quickstart
One-shot reminder (main session, wake immediately):
```bash
clawdbot cron add \
--name "Calendar check" \
--at "20m" \
--session main \
--system-event "Next heartbeat: check calendar." \
--wake now
```
Recurring isolated job (deliver to WhatsApp):
```bash
clawdbot cron add \
--name "Morning status" \
--cron "0 7 * * *" \
--tz "America/Los_Angeles" \
--session isolated \
--message "Summarize inbox + calendar for today." \
--deliver \
--provider whatsapp \
--to "+15551234567"
```
Manual run (debug):
```bash
clawdbot cron run <jobId> --force
```
Run history:
```bash
clawdbot cron runs --id <jobId> --limit 50
```
Immediate wake without creating a job:
```bash
clawdbot wake --mode now --text "Next heartbeat: check battery."
```
## API surface (Gateway)
- `cron.list`, `cron.status`, `cron.add`, `cron.update`, `cron.remove`
- `cron.run` (force or due), `cron.runs`
- `wake` (enqueue system event + optional heartbeat)
## Tips
- Use **main session jobs** when you want the heartbeat prompt + existing context.
- Use **isolated jobs** for noisy, frequent, or long-running work.
- Keep messages short; cron turns are full agent runs and can burn tokens.