--- summary: "Heartbeat polling messages and notification rules" read_when: - Adjusting heartbeat cadence or messaging - Deciding between heartbeat and cron for scheduled tasks title: "Heartbeat" --- # Heartbeat (Gateway) > **Heartbeat vs Cron?** See [Automation & Tasks](/automation) for guidance on when to use each. Heartbeat runs **periodic agent turns** in the main session so the model can surface anything that needs attention without spamming you. Heartbeat is a scheduled main-session turn — it does **not** create [background task](/automation/tasks) records. Task records are for detached work (ACP runs, subagents, isolated cron jobs). Troubleshooting: [Scheduled Tasks](/automation/cron-jobs#troubleshooting) ## Quick start (beginner) 1. Leave heartbeats enabled (default is `30m`, or `1h` for Anthropic OAuth/token auth, including Claude CLI reuse) or set your own cadence. 2. Create a tiny `HEARTBEAT.md` checklist or `tasks:` block in the agent workspace (optional but recommended). 3. Decide where heartbeat messages should go (`target: "none"` is the default; set `target: "last"` to route to the last contact). 4. Optional: enable heartbeat reasoning delivery for transparency. 5. Optional: use lightweight bootstrap context if heartbeat runs only need `HEARTBEAT.md`. 6. Optional: enable isolated sessions to avoid sending full conversation history each heartbeat. 7. Optional: restrict heartbeats to active hours (local time). Example config: ```json5 { agents: { defaults: { heartbeat: { every: "30m", target: "last", // explicit delivery to last contact (default is "none") directPolicy: "allow", // default: allow direct/DM targets; set "block" to suppress lightContext: true, // optional: only inject HEARTBEAT.md from bootstrap files isolatedSession: true, // optional: fresh session each run (no conversation history) // activeHours: { start: "08:00", end: "24:00" }, // includeReasoning: true, // optional: send separate `Reasoning:` message too }, }, }, } ``` ## Defaults - Interval: `30m` (or `1h` when Anthropic OAuth/token auth is the detected auth mode, including Claude CLI reuse). Set `agents.defaults.heartbeat.every` or per-agent `agents.list[].heartbeat.every`; use `0m` to disable. - Prompt body (configurable via `agents.defaults.heartbeat.prompt`): `Read HEARTBEAT.md if it exists (workspace context). Follow it strictly. Do not infer or repeat old tasks from prior chats. If nothing needs attention, reply HEARTBEAT_OK.` - The heartbeat prompt is sent **verbatim** as the user message. The system prompt includes a “Heartbeat” section only when heartbeats are enabled for the default agent, and the run is flagged internally. - When heartbeats are disabled with `0m`, normal runs also omit `HEARTBEAT.md` from bootstrap context so the model does not see heartbeat-only instructions. - Active hours (`heartbeat.activeHours`) are checked in the configured timezone. Outside the window, heartbeats are skipped until the next tick inside the window. ## What the heartbeat prompt is for The default prompt is intentionally broad: - **Background tasks**: “Consider outstanding tasks” nudges the agent to review follow-ups (inbox, calendar, reminders, queued work) and surface anything urgent. - **Human check-in**: “Checkup sometimes on your human during day time” nudges an occasional lightweight “anything you need?” message, but avoids night-time spam by using your configured local timezone (see [/concepts/timezone](/concepts/timezone)). Heartbeat can react to completed [background tasks](/automation/tasks), but a heartbeat run itself does not create a task record. If you want a heartbeat to do something very specific (e.g. “check Gmail PubSub stats” or “verify gateway health”), set `agents.defaults.heartbeat.prompt` (or `agents.list[].heartbeat.prompt`) to a custom body (sent verbatim). ## Response contract - If nothing needs attention, reply with **`HEARTBEAT_OK`**. - During heartbeat runs, OpenClaw treats `HEARTBEAT_OK` as an ack when it appears at the **start or end** of the reply. The token is stripped and the reply is dropped if the remaining content is **≤ `ackMaxChars`** (default: 300). - If `HEARTBEAT_OK` appears in the **middle** of a reply, it is not treated specially. - For alerts, **do not** include `HEARTBEAT_OK`; return only the alert text. Outside heartbeats, stray `HEARTBEAT_OK` at the start/end of a message is stripped and logged; a message that is only `HEARTBEAT_OK` is dropped. ## Config ```json5 { agents: { defaults: { heartbeat: { every: "30m", // default: 30m (0m disables) model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", includeReasoning: false, // default: false (deliver separate Reasoning: message when available) lightContext: false, // default: false; true keeps only HEARTBEAT.md from workspace bootstrap files isolatedSession: false, // default: false; true runs each heartbeat in a fresh session (no conversation history) target: "last", // default: none | options: last | none | (core or plugin, e.g. "bluebubbles") to: "+15551234567", // optional channel-specific override accountId: "ops-bot", // optional multi-account channel id prompt: "Read HEARTBEAT.md if it exists (workspace context). Follow it strictly. Do not infer or repeat old tasks from prior chats. If nothing needs attention, reply HEARTBEAT_OK.", ackMaxChars: 300, // max chars allowed after HEARTBEAT_OK }, }, }, } ``` ### Scope and precedence - `agents.defaults.heartbeat` sets global heartbeat behavior. - `agents.list[].heartbeat` merges on top; if any agent has a `heartbeat` block, **only those agents** run heartbeats. - `channels.defaults.heartbeat` sets visibility defaults for all channels. - `channels..heartbeat` overrides channel defaults. - `channels..accounts..heartbeat` (multi-account channels) overrides per-channel settings. ### Per-agent heartbeats If any `agents.list[]` entry includes a `heartbeat` block, **only those agents** run heartbeats. The per-agent block merges on top of `agents.defaults.heartbeat` (so you can set shared defaults once and override per agent). Example: two agents, only the second agent runs heartbeats. ```json5 { agents: { defaults: { heartbeat: { every: "30m", target: "last", // explicit delivery to last contact (default is "none") }, }, list: [ { id: "main", default: true }, { id: "ops", heartbeat: { every: "1h", target: "whatsapp", to: "+15551234567", timeoutSeconds: 45, prompt: "Read HEARTBEAT.md if it exists (workspace context). Follow it strictly. Do not infer or repeat old tasks from prior chats. If nothing needs attention, reply HEARTBEAT_OK.", }, }, ], }, } ``` ### Active hours example Restrict heartbeats to business hours in a specific timezone: ```json5 { agents: { defaults: { heartbeat: { every: "30m", target: "last", // explicit delivery to last contact (default is "none") activeHours: { start: "09:00", end: "22:00", timezone: "America/New_York", // optional; uses your userTimezone if set, otherwise host tz }, }, }, }, } ``` Outside this window (before 9am or after 10pm Eastern), heartbeats are skipped. The next scheduled tick inside the window will run normally. ### 24/7 setup If you want heartbeats to run all day, use one of these patterns: - Omit `activeHours` entirely (no time-window restriction; this is the default behavior). - Set a full-day window: `activeHours: { start: "00:00", end: "24:00" }`. Do not set the same `start` and `end` time (for example `08:00` to `08:00`). That is treated as a zero-width window, so heartbeats are always skipped. ### Multi account example Use `accountId` to target a specific account on multi-account channels like Telegram: ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "ops", heartbeat: { every: "1h", target: "telegram", to: "12345678:topic:42", // optional: route to a specific topic/thread accountId: "ops-bot", }, }, ], }, channels: { telegram: { accounts: { "ops-bot": { botToken: "YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN" }, }, }, }, } ``` ### Field notes - `every`: heartbeat interval (duration string; default unit = minutes). - `model`: optional model override for heartbeat runs (`provider/model`). - `includeReasoning`: when enabled, also deliver the separate `Reasoning:` message when available (same shape as `/reasoning on`). - `lightContext`: when true, heartbeat runs use lightweight bootstrap context and keep only `HEARTBEAT.md` from workspace bootstrap files. - `isolatedSession`: when true, each heartbeat runs in a fresh session with no prior conversation history. Uses the same isolation pattern as cron `sessionTarget: "isolated"`. Dramatically reduces per-heartbeat token cost. Combine with `lightContext: true` for maximum savings. Delivery routing still uses the main session context. - `session`: optional session key for heartbeat runs. - `main` (default): agent main session. - Explicit session key (copy from `openclaw sessions --json` or the [sessions CLI](/cli/sessions)). - Session key formats: see [Sessions](/concepts/session) and [Groups](/channels/groups). - `target`: - `last`: deliver to the last used external channel. - explicit channel: any configured channel or plugin id, for example `discord`, `matrix`, `telegram`, or `whatsapp`. - `none` (default): run the heartbeat but **do not deliver** externally. - `directPolicy`: controls direct/DM delivery behavior: - `allow` (default): allow direct/DM heartbeat delivery. - `block`: suppress direct/DM delivery (`reason=dm-blocked`). - `to`: optional recipient override (channel-specific id, e.g. E.164 for WhatsApp or a Telegram chat id). For Telegram topics/threads, use `:topic:`. - `accountId`: optional account id for multi-account channels. When `target: "last"`, the account id applies to the resolved last channel if it supports accounts; otherwise it is ignored. If the account id does not match a configured account for the resolved channel, delivery is skipped. - `prompt`: overrides the default prompt body (not merged). - `ackMaxChars`: max chars allowed after `HEARTBEAT_OK` before delivery. - `suppressToolErrorWarnings`: when true, suppresses tool error warning payloads during heartbeat runs. - `activeHours`: restricts heartbeat runs to a time window. Object with `start` (HH:MM, inclusive; use `00:00` for start-of-day), `end` (HH:MM exclusive; `24:00` allowed for end-of-day), and optional `timezone`. - Omitted or `"user"`: uses your `agents.defaults.userTimezone` if set, otherwise falls back to the host system timezone. - `"local"`: always uses the host system timezone. - Any IANA identifier (e.g. `America/New_York`): used directly; if invalid, falls back to the `"user"` behavior above. - `start` and `end` must not be equal for an active window; equal values are treated as zero-width (always outside the window). - Outside the active window, heartbeats are skipped until the next tick inside the window. ## Delivery behavior - Heartbeats run in the agent’s main session by default (`agent::`), or `global` when `session.scope = "global"`. Set `session` to override to a specific channel session (Discord/WhatsApp/etc.). - `session` only affects the run context; delivery is controlled by `target` and `to`. - To deliver to a specific channel/recipient, set `target` + `to`. With `target: "last"`, delivery uses the last external channel for that session. - Heartbeat deliveries allow direct/DM targets by default. Set `directPolicy: "block"` to suppress direct-target sends while still running the heartbeat turn. - If the main queue is busy, the heartbeat is skipped and retried later. - If `target` resolves to no external destination, the run still happens but no outbound message is sent. - If `showOk`, `showAlerts`, and `useIndicator` are all disabled, the run is skipped up front as `reason=alerts-disabled`. - If only alert delivery is disabled, OpenClaw can still run the heartbeat, update due-task timestamps, restore the session idle timestamp, and suppress the outward alert payload. - Heartbeat-only replies do **not** keep the session alive; the last `updatedAt` is restored so idle expiry behaves normally. - Detached [background tasks](/automation/tasks) can enqueue a system event and wake heartbeat when the main session should notice something quickly. That wake does not make the heartbeat run a background task. ## Visibility controls By default, `HEARTBEAT_OK` acknowledgments are suppressed while alert content is delivered. You can adjust this per channel or per account: ```yaml channels: defaults: heartbeat: showOk: false # Hide HEARTBEAT_OK (default) showAlerts: true # Show alert messages (default) useIndicator: true # Emit indicator events (default) telegram: heartbeat: showOk: true # Show OK acknowledgments on Telegram whatsapp: accounts: work: heartbeat: showAlerts: false # Suppress alert delivery for this account ``` Precedence: per-account → per-channel → channel defaults → built-in defaults. ### What each flag does - `showOk`: sends a `HEARTBEAT_OK` acknowledgment when the model returns an OK-only reply. - `showAlerts`: sends the alert content when the model returns a non-OK reply. - `useIndicator`: emits indicator events for UI status surfaces. If **all three** are false, OpenClaw skips the heartbeat run entirely (no model call). ### Per-channel vs per-account examples ```yaml channels: defaults: heartbeat: showOk: false showAlerts: true useIndicator: true slack: heartbeat: showOk: true # all Slack accounts accounts: ops: heartbeat: showAlerts: false # suppress alerts for the ops account only telegram: heartbeat: showOk: true ``` ### Common patterns | Goal | Config | | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Default behavior (silent OKs, alerts on) | _(no config needed)_ | | Fully silent (no messages, no indicator) | `channels.defaults.heartbeat: { showOk: false, showAlerts: false, useIndicator: false }` | | Indicator-only (no messages) | `channels.defaults.heartbeat: { showOk: false, showAlerts: false, useIndicator: true }` | | OKs in one channel only | `channels.telegram.heartbeat: { showOk: true }` | ## HEARTBEAT.md (optional) If a `HEARTBEAT.md` file exists in the workspace, the default prompt tells the agent to read it. Think of it as your “heartbeat checklist”: small, stable, and safe to include every 30 minutes. On normal runs, `HEARTBEAT.md` is only injected when heartbeat guidance is enabled for the default agent. Disabling the heartbeat cadence with `0m` or setting `includeSystemPromptSection: false` omits it from normal bootstrap context. If `HEARTBEAT.md` exists but is effectively empty (only blank lines and markdown headers like `# Heading`), OpenClaw skips the heartbeat run to save API calls. That skip is reported as `reason=empty-heartbeat-file`. If the file is missing, the heartbeat still runs and the model decides what to do. Keep it tiny (short checklist or reminders) to avoid prompt bloat. Example `HEARTBEAT.md`: ```md # Heartbeat checklist - Quick scan: anything urgent in inboxes? - If it’s daytime, do a lightweight check-in if nothing else is pending. - If a task is blocked, write down _what is missing_ and ask Peter next time. ``` ### `tasks:` blocks `HEARTBEAT.md` also supports a small structured `tasks:` block for interval-based checks inside heartbeat itself. Example: ```md tasks: - name: inbox-triage interval: 30m prompt: "Check for urgent unread emails and flag anything time sensitive." - name: calendar-scan interval: 2h prompt: "Check for upcoming meetings that need prep or follow-up." # Additional instructions - Keep alerts short. - If nothing needs attention after all due tasks, reply HEARTBEAT_OK. ``` Behavior: - OpenClaw parses the `tasks:` block and checks each task against its own `interval`. - Only **due** tasks are included in the heartbeat prompt for that tick. - If no tasks are due, the heartbeat is skipped entirely (`reason=no-tasks-due`) to avoid a wasted model call. - Non-task content in `HEARTBEAT.md` is preserved and appended as additional context after the due-task list. - Task last-run timestamps are stored in session state (`heartbeatTaskState`), so intervals survive normal restarts. - Task timestamps are only advanced after a heartbeat run completes its normal reply path. Skipped `empty-heartbeat-file` / `no-tasks-due` runs do not mark tasks as completed. Task mode is useful when you want one heartbeat file to hold several periodic checks without paying for all of them every tick. ### Can the agent update HEARTBEAT.md? Yes — if you ask it to. `HEARTBEAT.md` is just a normal file in the agent workspace, so you can tell the agent (in a normal chat) something like: - “Update `HEARTBEAT.md` to add a daily calendar check.” - “Rewrite `HEARTBEAT.md` so it’s shorter and focused on inbox follow-ups.” If you want this to happen proactively, you can also include an explicit line in your heartbeat prompt like: “If the checklist becomes stale, update HEARTBEAT.md with a better one.” Safety note: don’t put secrets (API keys, phone numbers, private tokens) into `HEARTBEAT.md` — it becomes part of the prompt context. ## Manual wake (on-demand) You can enqueue a system event and trigger an immediate heartbeat with: ```bash openclaw system event --text "Check for urgent follow-ups" --mode now ``` If multiple agents have `heartbeat` configured, a manual wake runs each of those agent heartbeats immediately. Use `--mode next-heartbeat` to wait for the next scheduled tick. ## Reasoning delivery (optional) By default, heartbeats deliver only the final “answer” payload. If you want transparency, enable: - `agents.defaults.heartbeat.includeReasoning: true` When enabled, heartbeats will also deliver a separate message prefixed `Reasoning:` (same shape as `/reasoning on`). This can be useful when the agent is managing multiple sessions/codexes and you want to see why it decided to ping you — but it can also leak more internal detail than you want. Prefer keeping it off in group chats. ## Cost awareness Heartbeats run full agent turns. Shorter intervals burn more tokens. To reduce cost: - Use `isolatedSession: true` to avoid sending full conversation history (~100K tokens down to ~2-5K per run). - Use `lightContext: true` to limit bootstrap files to just `HEARTBEAT.md`. - Set a cheaper `model` (e.g. `ollama/llama3.2:1b`). - Keep `HEARTBEAT.md` small. - Use `target: "none"` if you only want internal state updates. ## Related - [Automation & Tasks](/automation) — all automation mechanisms at a glance - [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks) — how detached work is tracked - [Timezone](/concepts/timezone) — how timezone affects heartbeat scheduling - [Troubleshooting](/automation/cron-jobs#troubleshooting) — debugging automation issues