---
summary: "Overview of automation mechanisms: tasks, cron, hooks, standing orders, and Task Flow"
read_when:
  - Deciding how to automate work with OpenClaw
  - Choosing between heartbeat, cron, hooks, and standing orders
  - Looking for the right automation entry point
title: "Automation & Tasks"
---

# Automation & Tasks

OpenClaw runs work in the background through tasks, scheduled jobs, event hooks, and standing instructions. This page helps you choose the right mechanism and understand how they fit together.

## Quick decision guide

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    START([What do you need?]) --> Q1{Schedule work?}
    START --> Q2{Track detached work?}
    START --> Q3{Orchestrate multi-step flows?}
    START --> Q4{React to lifecycle events?}
    START --> Q5{Give the agent persistent instructions?}

    Q1 -->|Yes| Q1a{Exact timing or flexible?}
    Q1a -->|Exact| CRON["Scheduled Tasks (Cron)"]
    Q1a -->|Flexible| HEARTBEAT[Heartbeat]

    Q2 -->|Yes| TASKS[Background Tasks]
    Q3 -->|Yes| FLOW[Task Flow]
    Q4 -->|Yes| HOOKS[Hooks]
    Q5 -->|Yes| SO[Standing Orders]
```

| Use case                                | Recommended            | Why                                              |
| --------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Send daily report at 9 AM sharp         | Scheduled Tasks (Cron) | Exact timing, isolated execution                 |
| Remind me in 20 minutes                 | Scheduled Tasks (Cron) | One-shot with precise timing (`--at`)            |
| Run weekly deep analysis                | Scheduled Tasks (Cron) | Standalone task, can use different model         |
| Check inbox every 30 min                | Heartbeat              | Batches with other checks, context-aware         |
| Monitor calendar for upcoming events    | Heartbeat              | Natural fit for periodic awareness               |
| Inspect status of a subagent or ACP run | Background Tasks       | Tasks ledger tracks all detached work            |
| Audit what ran and when                 | Background Tasks       | `openclaw tasks list` and `openclaw tasks audit` |
| Multi-step research then summarize      | Task Flow              | Durable orchestration with revision tracking     |
| Run a script on session reset           | Hooks                  | Event-driven, fires on lifecycle events          |
| Execute code on every tool call         | Hooks                  | Hooks can filter by event type                   |
| Always check compliance before replying | Standing Orders        | Injected into every session automatically        |

### Scheduled Tasks (Cron) vs Heartbeat

| Dimension       | Scheduled Tasks (Cron)              | Heartbeat                             |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Timing          | Exact (cron expressions, one-shot)  | Approximate (default every 30 min)    |
| Session context | Fresh (isolated) or shared          | Full main-session context             |
| Task records    | Always created                      | Never created                         |
| Delivery        | Channel, webhook, or silent         | Inline in main session                |
| Best for        | Reports, reminders, background jobs | Inbox checks, calendar, notifications |

Use Scheduled Tasks (Cron) when you need precise timing or isolated execution. Use Heartbeat when the work benefits from full session context and approximate timing is fine.

## Core concepts

### Scheduled tasks (cron)

Cron is the Gateway's built-in scheduler for precise timing. It persists jobs, wakes the agent at the right time, and can deliver output to a chat channel or webhook endpoint. Supports one-shot reminders, recurring expressions, and inbound webhook triggers.

See [Scheduled Tasks](/automation/cron-jobs).

### Tasks

The background task ledger tracks all detached work: ACP runs, subagent spawns, isolated cron executions, and CLI operations. Tasks are records, not schedulers. Use `openclaw tasks list` and `openclaw tasks audit` to inspect them.

See [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks).

### Task Flow

Task Flow is the flow orchestration substrate above background tasks. It manages durable multi-step flows with managed and mirrored sync modes, revision tracking, and `openclaw tasks flow list|show|cancel` for inspection.

See [Task Flow](/automation/taskflow).

### Standing orders

Standing orders grant the agent permanent operating authority for defined programs. They live in workspace files (typically `AGENTS.md`) and are injected into every session. Combine with cron for time-based enforcement.

See [Standing Orders](/automation/standing-orders).

### Hooks

Hooks are event-driven scripts triggered by agent lifecycle events (`/new`, `/reset`, `/stop`), session compaction, gateway startup, message flow, and tool calls. Hooks are automatically discovered from directories and can be managed with `openclaw hooks`.

See [Hooks](/automation/hooks).

### Heartbeat

Heartbeat is a periodic main-session turn (default every 30 minutes). It batches multiple checks (inbox, calendar, notifications) in one agent turn with full session context. Heartbeat turns do not create task records. Use `HEARTBEAT.md` for a small checklist, or a `tasks:` block when you want due-only periodic checks inside heartbeat itself. Empty heartbeat files skip as `empty-heartbeat-file`; due-only task mode skips as `no-tasks-due`.

See [Heartbeat](/gateway/heartbeat).

## How they work together

- **Cron** handles precise schedules (daily reports, weekly reviews) and one-shot reminders. All cron executions create task records.
- **Heartbeat** handles routine monitoring (inbox, calendar, notifications) in one batched turn every 30 minutes.
- **Hooks** react to specific events (tool calls, session resets, compaction) with custom scripts.
- **Standing orders** give the agent persistent context and authority boundaries.
- **Task Flow** coordinates multi-step flows above individual tasks.
- **Tasks** automatically track all detached work so you can inspect and audit it.

## Related

- [Scheduled Tasks](/automation/cron-jobs) — precise scheduling and one-shot reminders
- [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks) — task ledger for all detached work
- [Task Flow](/automation/taskflow) — durable multi-step flow orchestration
- [Hooks](/automation/hooks) — event-driven lifecycle scripts
- [Standing Orders](/automation/standing-orders) — persistent agent instructions
- [Heartbeat](/gateway/heartbeat) — periodic main-session turns
- [Configuration Reference](/gateway/configuration-reference) — all config keys
