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Version: v1

Automations

Automations run standing jobs on a schedule. Between those jobs, a heartbeat checks whether anything actually needs an agent β€” so idle time does not spend tokens.

Create a routine​

  1. Open Automations in the sidebar.

  2. Click + New Automation.

  3. Enter a 5-field cron expression (for example 0 9 * * 1-5 = 09:00 on weekdays).

  4. Choose an agent and write the standing instruction, such as:

    Check open GitHub pull requests, summarize reviews, and post to Slack.

  5. Optionally pick a chat channel for the finished report.

  6. Click Save Automation.

Click Pulse Now on the dashboard anytime you want an immediate check.

How the heartbeat saves tokens​

In practice:

  • Idle is free. If the backlog is empty and HEARTBEAT.md has no instruction, ActonOS does not call a model.
  • No small talk. Headless runs drop greetings such as β€œHow can I help you today?”
  • Active hours. Set a window (for example 08:00–22:00 in Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh) so overnight pulses stay quiet.
  • Cooldown. Triggers within 15 seconds are batched into one pulse.

The design follows the OpenClaw Heartbeat contract. The engineering notes are in Hybrid Memory only where memory is involved; heartbeat itself is this page.

  • Dashboard β€” Pulse Now and agent state.
  • Missions β€” one-off long jobs instead of cron.
  • Channels β€” where reports can be posted.