OpenClaw Automation: Build AI Workflows That Run 24/7

What Is Agent Automation?

Agent automation means your AI agents perform tasks on a schedule without you manually sending messages. Instead of opening a terminal and typing a command every morning, the agent wakes up on its own, executes a predefined task, and delivers the result to you via Telegram, a log file, or any output channel you configure.

OpenClaw supports automation through two mechanisms: the HEARTBEAT.md file for periodic scheduled tasks, and the gateway for always-on availability. Combined with process managers like pm2 or Docker, you get an AI agent that runs 24/7 with automatic recovery from crashes and reboots.

Common automation use cases include daily content summaries, weekly SEO reports, scheduled social media drafts, periodic data monitoring, and content calendar management. If you have already set up your first agent using the agent creation guide, automation is the natural next step.

How HEARTBEAT.md Works

HEARTBEAT.md is an optional configuration file that sits in your agent's workspace alongside SOUL.md. It contains instructions that the gateway sends to the agent at a regular interval. Think of it as a cron job, but instead of running a shell script, it sends a prompt to your AI agent.

Basic HEARTBEAT.md Structure

# HEARTBEAT.md — Daily Content Summary Agent

## Schedule
Every 24 hours

## Instructions
1. Review all content tasks completed in the last 24 hours
2. Compile a summary with the following format:
   - Total tasks completed
   - Key highlights from each piece of content
   - Any pending items that need attention
3. Send the summary as a daily report
4. Flag any overdue tasks that were not completed

HEARTBEAT.md for an SEO Monitor

# HEARTBEAT.md — Weekly SEO Report

## Schedule
Every 168 hours

## Instructions
1. Analyze the current keyword rankings for our target terms
2. Compare this week's performance with last week
3. Identify any keywords that dropped more than 3 positions
4. Suggest 3 new content topics based on trending search queries
5. Format the report with sections: Rankings, Changes, Opportunities

The schedule interval is defined in hours. Common intervals include 1 (hourly checks), 24 (daily reports), 168 (weekly summaries), and 720 (monthly reviews).

Setting Up a 24/7 Agent

Running an agent around the clock requires the OpenClaw gateway running continuously and a process manager that restarts it if it crashes. Here are three approaches.

Option 1: pm2 (Recommended for Most Users)

pm2 is a Node.js process manager that keeps your gateway alive, handles log rotation, and restarts the process after crashes or server reboots.

# Install pm2 globally
npm install -g pm2

# Start the OpenClaw gateway with pm2
pm2 start "openclaw gateway start" --name openclaw-gateway

# Ensure it starts on system boot
pm2 startup
pm2 save

# View logs
pm2 logs openclaw-gateway

# Restart after config changes
pm2 restart openclaw-gateway

Option 2: systemd (Linux Servers)

# /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service
[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw AI Agent Gateway
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=your-username
WorkingDirectory=/home/your-username/my-agents
ExecStart=/usr/bin/npx openclaw gateway start
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
Environment=NODE_ENV=production

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

# Enable and start the service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable openclaw
sudo systemctl start openclaw

# View logs
journalctl -u openclaw -f

Option 3: Docker (Portable & Reproducible)

Docker packages your entire agent setup into a container that runs identically on any machine. If you purchased a CrewClaw deploy package, it already includes a Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml configured for 24/7 operation.

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  openclaw:
    build: .
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "18789:18789"
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - ./agents:/app/agents

# Start in the background
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f openclaw

Telegram Notifications for Completed Tasks

The most practical way to receive automated task results is through Telegram. When your agent completes a heartbeat task, the output appears as a message in your Telegram chat. For a detailed walkthrough, see the Telegram integration guide.

# 1. Create a bot with @BotFather on Telegram
#    Send /newbot and follow the prompts — copy the bot token

# 2. Add the token to your .env file
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-bot-token-here

# 3. Start the gateway (Telegram connects automatically)
openclaw gateway start

# 4. Open your bot in Telegram and send /start

To format heartbeat outputs for Telegram readability, add a rule to your agent's SOUL.md:

## Rules
- Start every automated report with a one-line summary
- Use bullet points for key findings
- Keep total output under 500 words for mobile readability
- Include a "Next Steps" section at the end of each report

Scheduling Patterns: Real-World Examples

Daily Summary (Every 24 Hours)

A coordinator agent that reviews the day's activity and sends a digest. Ideal for content teams or any workflow where you need a daily status update.

Weekly Report (Every 168 Hours)

An analyst agent that compiles weekly metrics, trends, and recommendations. Works well for SEO tracking, marketing performance, or sales pipeline reviews.

Content Calendar (Every 168 Hours)

A content strategist agent that plans the upcoming week's content based on trending topics and content gaps. This agent can work with a multi-agent team where it delegates writing to a content writer agent.

Hourly Monitor (Every 1 Hour)

A monitoring agent that checks for specific conditions and only alerts you when something needs attention. Use the "All clear" pattern to keep token costs low:

# HEARTBEAT.md — Hourly Status Check
## Schedule
Every 1 hour

## Instructions
Check the current status of all active tasks.
Only report if:
- A task has been stuck for more than 4 hours
- A deadline is within the next 2 hours
- An error or failure was detected
If everything is normal, respond with "All clear" only.

Monitoring and Restart Strategies

# pm2 monitoring
pm2 logs openclaw-gateway    # Real-time logs
pm2 monit                    # CPU/memory metrics
pm2 status                   # Quick overview

# Docker monitoring
docker-compose logs -f       # Follow container logs
docker stats                 # Resource usage

# Session cleanup (run weekly via cron)
rm ~/.openclaw/agents/*/sessions/sessions.json
pm2 restart openclaw-gateway

Long-running agents accumulate conversation history in session files. Schedule a periodic session cleanup to keep response times fast. See the CLI commands reference for more session management details.

Best Practices for Agent Automation

Complete Example: Automated Content Team

# Create workspaces
mkdir -p agents/orion agents/echo agents/radar

# Register all agents
openclaw agents add orion --workspace ./agents/orion --non-interactive
openclaw agents add echo --workspace ./agents/echo --non-interactive
openclaw agents add radar --workspace ./agents/radar --non-interactive

# Orion gets a daily heartbeat, Radar gets a weekly one
# Echo has no heartbeat — it only works when Orion delegates

# Start with pm2 for 24/7 operation
pm2 start "openclaw gateway start" --name openclaw-gateway
pm2 startup
pm2 save

With this setup, you receive a daily team summary every morning and a comprehensive SEO report every week — all delivered to your Telegram. The content writer agent (Echo) has no heartbeat because it only works when the coordinator delegates a writing task to it.

Frequently Asked Questions