Cron (Scheduled Task Management)

When to Use

Use this skill only when you need to automatically execute something at a future time or repeat execution on a schedule.

Should Use

User asks to do something "daily / weekly / hourly"
User asks for automatic reminders or execution "tomorrow at 9 AM / next Monday / at a specific time"
Long-term periodic notifications, checks, or reports are needed

Should Not Use

The task only needs to be executed once right now
It is just a normal reply within the current session
The user has not specified an execution time or schedule
The target channel / user / session is still unclear

Decision Rules

Only use cron for future scheduled or periodic execution
If it only needs to be done once immediately, do not create a cron job
Before creating, confirm execution time/schedule, target channel, target-user, and target-session
All cron commands must explicitly include --agent-id
Do not rely on the default agent, or the task may end up in the default workspace

Hard Rules

Must Explicitly Specify `--agent-id`

All qwenpaw cron commands must include:

--agent-id <your_agent_id>

Your agent_id is found in the Agent Identity section of the system prompt (Your agent id is ...). Do not omit it, or the task may be incorrectly created in the default agent's workspace.

Common Commands

# List tasks
qwenpaw cron list --agent-id <agent_id>

# View task details
qwenpaw cron get <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>

# View task status
qwenpaw cron state <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>

# Create a task
qwenpaw cron create --agent-id <agent_id> ...

# Delete a task
qwenpaw cron delete <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>

# Pause / Resume a task
qwenpaw cron pause <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>
qwenpaw cron resume <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>

# Run an existing task once immediately
qwenpaw cron run <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>

Creating Tasks

Two types are supported:

text: Send a fixed message on a schedule
agent: Ask an agent a question on a schedule and send the reply to the target channel

Minimum Information Required Before Creating

--type
--name
--cron
--channel
--target-user
--target-session
--text
--agent-id

If any of this information is missing, confirm with the user before creating the task.

Creation Examples

qwenpaw cron create \
  --agent-id <agent_id> \
  --type text \
  --name "Daily Greeting" \
  --cron "0 9 * * *" \
  --channel imessage \
  --target-user "CHANGEME" \
  --target-session "CHANGEME" \
  --text "Good morning!"

qwenpaw cron create \
  --agent-id <agent_id> \
  --type agent \
  --name "Check Todos" \
  --cron "0 */2 * * *" \
  --channel dingtalk \
  --target-user "CHANGEME" \
  --target-session "CHANGEME" \
  --text "What are my pending tasks?"

Create from JSON

qwenpaw cron create --agent-id <agent_id> -f job_spec.json

Minimal Workflow

1. Determine whether this truly requires "future scheduling" or "periodic execution"
2. Confirm execution time/schedule
3. Confirm channel, target-user, target-session
4. Explicitly include --agent-id
5. Create the task with qwenpaw cron create
6. Manage tasks afterwards with list / state / pause / resume / delete

Cron Expression Examples

0 9 * * *      Every day at 9:00
0 */2 * * *    Every 2 hours
30 8 * * 1-5   Weekdays at 8:30
0 0 * * 0      Every Sunday at midnight
*/15 * * * *   Every 15 minutes

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Creating a cron job for a one-time immediate execution

If the task only needs to be done once right now, do not create a cron job.

Mistake 2: Not passing --agent-id

This causes the task to be assigned to the wrong agent / workspace. All cron commands must explicitly include --agent-id.

Mistake 3: Creating a task without complete information

If the user has not specified the time, schedule, target channel, or target session, ask for clarification first.

Mistake 4: Modifying existing tasks without checking first

Before pausing, resuming, or deleting, first run:

qwenpaw cron list --agent-id <agent_id>

to find the correct job_id.

Usage Tips

When parameters are missing, ask the user before creating
Before modifying/pausing/deleting, run qwenpaw cron list --agent-id <agent_id> first
To troubleshoot issues, use qwenpaw cron state <job_id> --agent-id <agent_id>
When showing commands to the user, provide complete, copy-pasteable versions

Help Information

qwenpaw cron -h
qwenpaw cron list -h
qwenpaw cron create -h
qwenpaw cron get -h
qwenpaw cron state -h
qwenpaw cron pause -h
qwenpaw cron resume -h
qwenpaw cron delete -h
qwenpaw cron run -h

cron