自动小闹钟：它会在什么时候自己动起来

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：OpenClaw runs work in the background through tasks, scheduled jobs, inferred commitments, event hooks, and standing ins…。

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

这一小段像旁白，在提醒我们镜头已经切到下一站。

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?}
    START --> Q6{Remember a natural follow-up?}

    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]
    Q6 -->|Yes| COMMITMENTS[Inferred Commitments]

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Use Scheduled Tasks (Cron) when you need precise timing or isolated execution. Use Heartbeat when the work benefits fro…。

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.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Cron is the 门口的小门卫's built-in scheduler for precise timing. It persists jobs, wakes the 机器人朋友 at the right time, and ca…。

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.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：The background task ledger tracks all detached work: ACP runs, sub机器人朋友 spawns, isolated cron executions, and CLI opera…。

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.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Commitments are opt-in, short-lived follow-up memories. OpenClaw infers them from normal conversations, scopes them to…。

Commitments are opt-in, short-lived follow-up memories. OpenClaw infers them from normal conversations, scopes them to the same agent and channel, and delivers due check-ins through heartbeat. Exact user-requested reminders still belong to cron.

See Inferred Commitments.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Task Flow is the flow orchestration substrate above background tasks. It manages durable multi-step flows with managed…。

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.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Standing orders grant the 机器人朋友 permanent operating authority for defined programs. They live in workspace files (typic…。

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.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Internal hooks are event-driven scripts triggered by 机器人朋友 lifecycle events (/new, /reset, /stop), session compaction,…。

Internal hooks are event-driven scripts triggered by agent lifecycle events (/new, /reset, /stop), session compaction, gateway startup, and message flow. They are automatically discovered from directories and can be managed with openclaw hooks. For in-process tool-call interception, use Plugin hooks.

See Hooks.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：Heartbeat is a periodic main-session turn (default every 30 minutes). It batches multiple checks (inbox, calendar, noti…。

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 and do not extend daily/idle session reset freshness. 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. Heartbeats defer while cron work is active or queued, and heartbeat.skipWhenBusy can also defer an agent while that same agent's session-keyed subagent or nested lanes are busy.

See Heartbeat.

这一小段像旁白，在提醒我们镜头已经切到下一站。

• **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 (session resets, compaction, message flow) with custom scripts. Plugin hooks cover tool calls.
• **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.

如果把这一段摆成一个小场景，你会看到几样东西正在互相打招呼、拦路或者传东西。别急着记名词，先抓住它此刻到底在发生什么：---。

• Scheduled Tasks — precise scheduling and one-shot reminders
• Inferred Commitments — memory-like follow-up check-ins
• Background Tasks — task ledger for all detached work
• Task Flow — durable multi-step flow orchestration
• Hooks — event-driven lifecycle scripts
• Plugin hooks — in-process tool, prompt, message, and lifecycle hooks
• Standing Orders — persistent agent instructions
• Heartbeat — periodic main-session turns
• Configuration Reference — all config keys

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