Cron Helper

This teaches Claude to use the openclaw cron CLI instead of trying to track time manually, which doesn't work because the model has no internal clock. The key insight is the isolated session mode: when you want Claude to actually do something at a scheduled time (run a check, send a summary, execute a task), it spins up a separate agent session that can use tools and deliver results to chat. Main session is just for simple reminder notifications. It handles the usual cron patterns (every N minutes, daily at 9am) plus duration shortcuts like "+30m" for one-off delayed tasks. The documentation is thorough about when to use which session type and includes a logging format for tracking what jobs got created.

skills.sh installs: 418
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add tclawde/openclaw-skills-user --skill cron-helper --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Cron Helper Skill

Purpose: Guides me to use openclaw cron CLI for time-based tasks and send logs on create/remove.

When to use:

User asks for periodic/reminder tasks
User mentions "remind me every X"
User needs scheduled background checks
User wants agent to perform a task at a specific time

Core Principle

Always prefer cron over manual timing.

Reason: I lack an internal clock. Manual "track time yourself" fails because I can get absorbed in reading/thinking and lose track of time. Cron is an external clock that works reliably.

Main vs Isolated Session

Isolated Session (RECOMMENDED for tasks) ✅ Best Practice

Use --session isolated when you want the agent to actually perform a task:

Agent receives the message and executes it
Can use tools (exec, read, message, etc.)
Can deliver output to a channel
Does not pollute main conversation history

Format:

openclaw cron add \
  --name "job_name" \
  --cron "0 9 * * *" \
  --session isolated \
  --message "Task instructions for the agent" \
  --deliver \
  --channel feishu