mirror of https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
70 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
70 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Overview of all automation mechanisms: heartbeat, cron, tasks, hooks, webhooks, and more"
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read_when:
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- Deciding how to automate work with OpenClaw
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- Choosing between heartbeat, cron, hooks, and webhooks
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- Looking for the right automation entry point
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title: "Automation Overview"
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---
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# Automation
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OpenClaw provides several automation mechanisms, each suited to different use cases. This page helps you choose the right one.
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## Quick decision guide
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```mermaid
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flowchart TD
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A{Run on a schedule?} -->|Yes| B{Exact timing needed?}
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A -->|No| C{React to events?}
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B -->|Yes| D[Cron]
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B -->|No| E[Heartbeat]
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C -->|Yes| F[Hooks]
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C -->|No| G[Standing Orders]
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```
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## Mechanisms at a glance
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| Mechanism | What it does | Runs in | Creates task record |
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| ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------- |
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| [Heartbeat](/gateway/heartbeat) | Periodic main-session turn — batches multiple checks | Main session | No |
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| [Cron](/automation/cron-jobs) | Scheduled jobs with precise timing | Main or isolated session | Yes (all types) |
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| [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks) | Tracks detached work (cron, ACP, subagents, CLI) | N/A (ledger) | N/A |
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| [Hooks](/automation/hooks) | Event-driven scripts triggered by agent lifecycle events | Hook runner | No |
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| [Standing Orders](/automation/standing-orders) | Persistent instructions injected into the system prompt | Main session | No |
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| [Webhooks](/automation/webhook) | Receive inbound HTTP events and route to the agent | Gateway HTTP | No |
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### Specialized automation
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| Mechanism | What it does |
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| ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
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| [Gmail PubSub](/automation/gmail-pubsub) | Real-time Gmail notifications via Google PubSub |
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| [Polling](/automation/poll) | Periodic data source checks (RSS, APIs, etc.) |
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| [Auth Monitoring](/automation/auth-monitoring) | Credential health and expiry alerts |
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## How they work together
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The most effective setups combine multiple mechanisms:
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1. **Heartbeat** handles routine monitoring (inbox, calendar, notifications) in one batched turn every 30 minutes.
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2. **Cron** handles precise schedules (daily reports, weekly reviews) and one-shot reminders.
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3. **Hooks** react to specific events (tool calls, session resets, compaction) with custom scripts.
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4. **Standing Orders** give the agent persistent context ("always check the project board before replying").
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5. **Background Tasks** automatically track all detached work so you can inspect and audit it.
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6. **ClawFlow** groups related detached tasks into a single flow when the work needs a higher-level job view.
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See [Cron vs Heartbeat](/automation/cron-vs-heartbeat) for a detailed comparison of the two scheduling mechanisms.
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## ClawFlow
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ClawFlow sits above [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks). Tasks still track the detached runs, while ClawFlow groups related task runs into one job that you can inspect or cancel from the CLI.
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See [ClawFlow](/automation/clawflow) for the flow overview and [CLI: flows](/cli/flows) for the command surface.
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## Related
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- [Cron vs Heartbeat](/automation/cron-vs-heartbeat) — detailed comparison guide
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- [ClawFlow](/automation/clawflow) — flow-level orchestration above tasks
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- [Troubleshooting](/automation/troubleshooting) — debugging automation issues
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- [Configuration Reference](/gateway/configuration-reference) — all config keys
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