openclaw/clawflow.md at f86e5c0a08fcbc5bd822e74cd321aedf717cdc39

2.1 KiB

Raw Blame History

summary

read_when

title

ClawFlow workflow orchestration for background tasks and detached runs

You want a flow to own one or more detached tasks

You want to inspect or cancel a background job as a unit

You want to understand how flows relate to tasks and background work

ClawFlow

ClawFlow is the flow layer above Background Tasks. Tasks still track detached work. ClawFlow groups those task runs into a single job, keeps the parent owner context, and gives you a flow-level control surface.

Use ClawFlow when the work is more than a single detached run. A flow can still be one task, but it can also coordinate multiple tasks in a simple linear sequence.

TL;DR

Tasks are the execution records.
ClawFlow is the job-level wrapper above tasks.
A flow keeps one owner/session context for the whole job.
Use openclaw flows list, openclaw flows show, and openclaw flows cancel to inspect or manage flows.

Quick start

openclaw flows list
openclaw flows show <flow-id-or-owner-session>
openclaw flows cancel <flow-id-or-owner-session>

How it relates to tasks

Background tasks still do the low-level work:

ACP runs
subagent runs
cron executions
CLI-initiated runs

ClawFlow sits above that ledger:

it keeps related task runs under one flow id
it tracks the flow state separately from the individual task state
it makes blocked or multi-step work easier to inspect from one place

For a single detached run, the flow can be a one-task flow. For more structured work, ClawFlow can keep multiple task runs under the same job.

CLI surface

The flow CLI is intentionally small:

openclaw flows list shows active and recent flows
openclaw flows show <lookup> shows one flow and its linked tasks
openclaw flows cancel <lookup> cancels the flow and any active child tasks

The lookup token accepts either a flow id or the owner session key.

Background Tasks — detached work ledger
CLI: flows — flow inspection and control commands
Cron Jobs — scheduled jobs that may create tasks

2.1 KiB Raw Blame History