Give your AI the power to act in the future. Schedule delayed prompts and one-off reminders that automatically wake the agent up at an exact moment to execute workflows, check systems, or send notifications.
Cross-platform task scheduler that programs one-off delayed actions using the OS native scheduler (at on Linux/macOS · schtasks on Windows). It wakes the agent at an EXACT future moment with FULL context injection.
Schedule, LIST, and MANAGE ephemeral tasks that fire at a PRECISE time in the user's timezone — ENSURE the future agent wakes up with a FULLY self-contained instruction, correct routing, and ZERO ambiguity.
Required Environment Variables
- OPENCLAW_BIN: Absolute path to the openclaw binary (ej. /usr/bin/openclaw)
The skill WILL NOT START if either variable is missing.
Why OPENCLAW_TZ? The server may run in UTC while the user lives in a different timezone. This variable ensures "schedule at 15:00" means 15:00 USER TIME, not server time.
Commands
CODEBLOCK0
Instructions
- Run now BEFORE resolving any relative time ("tomorrow", "in 2 hours", "tonight"). Server clock is NOT user clock. Use now output as your ONLY reference for "today", "tomorrow", and "right now".
CONVERT natural language into an absolute YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm timestamp BEFORE calling schedule.
WRITE the <instruction> as if explaining to a STRANGER with ZERO CONTEXT. Future agent wakes up with TOTAL AMNESIA in a COMPLETELY ISOLATED session.
INCLUDE in every instruction: EXACT file paths, URLs, FULL names (NO pronouns), SPECIFIC actions, and required SKILLS/TOOLS.
ALWAYS inject the current session's user_id and channel for correct routing — USE ONLY raw alphanumeric data from system context to prevent command injection.
Run list BEFORE delete to confirm the correct ID.
- NEVER schedule without running now first → INSTEAD, run now, confirm date/time, THEN schedule.
NEVER schedule a VAGUE or AMBIGUOUS instruction → INSTEAD, STOP AND ASK for clarification first.
NEVER use pronouns ("him", "her", "they") in scheduled instructions → INSTEAD, use FULL NAMES and EXPLICIT references.
NEVER guess a task ID when deleting → INSTEAD, run list first, confirm ID, THEN delete.
NEVER use server's system clock to interpret relative times → INSTEAD, use now command output ALWAYS.
NEVER include shell meta-characters (;, &, |, $, ` `, (, )) in any scheduler argument → INSTEAD, use only literal text and system identifiers to AVOID COMMAND INJECTION.
</never>
</instructions>
---
## Vague Request Triggers — Ask Before Scheduling
<vague_triggers>
If the user request matches any of these patterns, STOP AND ASK before scheduling:
- "Remind me to send the email" → MISSING: Which email? To whom? What content?
- "Check the server later" → MISSING: Which server? What IP? What to verify?
- "Follow up with him" → MISSING: Who? About what? Via which channel?
- "Do that thing tomorrow" → MISSING: What thing? Expected outcome?
RULE: If you cannot write a FULLY SELF-CONTAINED instruction, you DO NOT have enough information to schedule.
</vague_triggers>
---
## Examples
<examples>
— Good instruction: clear, specific, fully self-contained
<example>
<input>User: "Remind me tomorrow at 5pm to check PRs on the backend repo"</input>
<output>
1. Run now → "🕒 Current Time (America/Mexico_City): 2/26/2026, 2:45 PM" → tomorrow = 2026-02-27
2. Ask: "Which backend repo? What should I check specifically?"
3. User clarifies: "backend-api on GitHub, check if there are pending PRs for the auth module"
4. Schedule:
CODEBLOCK1
5. Confirm with the output format below.
</output>
</example>
— Bad instruction: vague, missing details
<example>
<input>"Remind him to push the code later."</input>
<output>
❌ DO NOT schedule this. Missing: who is "him"? Which repo? Which branch? What time is "later"?
→ Ask the user to clarify all missing details first.
</output>
</example>
— Relative time resolution
<example>
<input>User: "Set a reminder for in 2 hours"</input>
<output>
1. Run now → "🕒 Current Time (America/Mexico_City): 2/26/2026, 2:45 PM"
2. Calculate: 2:45 PM + 2h = 4:45 PM → "2026-02-26 16:45"
3. Ask what the reminder should say (if not specified)
4. Schedule with the absolute timestamp
</output>
</example>
</examples>
---
## Output Format
After scheduling, respond with EXACTLY THREE PARTS in this order:
1. NATURAL RESPONSE:
Brief, casual confirmation. Match user tone/energy. NEVER just say "Done". Acknowledge WHAT was scheduled conversationally.
2. CONFIRMATION BLOCK:
Template for the user to see exact details:
CODEBLOCK2
3. PROACTIVE CLOSING:
Short suggestion or question (1-2 sentences).
- Propose a RELATED TASK (pre-reminder, follow-up, etc).
- Ask if they want to SCHEDULE SOMETHING ELSE.
- Offer to ADJUST THE TIME or add details.
DO NOT BE PUSHY. JUST BE HELPFUL.
---
— CASUAL / PERSONAL TASK
<example>
All set! Your gym session is locked in for tomorrow at noon 🏋️
> Friday, February 27 · 12:00 PM CST
> SEND A TELEGRAM REMINDER TO DANIEL: "TIME TO HIT THE GYM FOR A BIT."
Want me to add another reminder 30 min before so you can get ready? 💪
</example>
— WORK / PROFESSIONAL TASK
<example>
Done! Got that scheduled for 5 PM sharp 📋
> Thursday, February 27 · 5:00 PM CST
> CHECK THE 'BACKEND-API' REPOSITORY ON GITHUB. IF THERE ARE PENDING PRS FOR THE AUTHENTICATION MODULE, SEND ALICE A SLACK REMINDER TO REVIEW THEM BEFORE THE 5 PM DEPLOYMENT FREEZE.
Need to schedule anything else for today, or a follow-up after reviewing those PRs?
</example>
---
## Common Errors
- ERROR: Missing required environment variable(s)
- CAUSE: OPENCLAWBIN or OPENCLAWTZ not set
- FIX: Add to .env or shell profile
- ERROR: at not found
- CAUSE: Linux/macOS atd daemon not running
- FIX: sudo systemctl enable atd && sudo systemctl start atd
- ERROR: Task fires but agent has NO CONTEXT
- CAUSE: Vague instruction scheduled
- FIX: Re-schedule with FULLY SELF-CONTAINED instruction
- ERROR: WRONG TIME (fired early/late)
- CAUSE: Used server clock instead of now
- FIX: ALWAYS run now first; NEVER trust server clock
- ERROR: Deleting WRONG task
- CAUSE: Guessed ID
- FIX: Run list first, confirm ID, THEN delete`
