OpenClaw’s heartbeat system lets your agent proactively check on things and take action without you asking. Here’s how it works and how to use it effectively.
What Is a Heartbeat?
A heartbeat is a scheduled message sent to your agent on a regular interval. The agent reads HEARTBEAT.md for instructions and acts on anything that needs attention. If nothing needs doing, it replies HEARTBEAT_OK silently.
What to Put in HEARTBEAT.md
- Check email and flag anything urgent
- Review calendar and remind of upcoming events
- Monitor RSS feeds and summarize new posts
- Check if websites are responding
- Post scheduled content automatically
- Build Reddit karma with helpful comments
Setting Up Heartbeats
In OpenClaw config, enable the heartbeat scheduler and set your interval. The agent wakes up on schedule, reads HEARTBEAT.md, executes anything actionable, and goes back to sleep.
The Key Principle
Heartbeats turn OpenClaw from a reactive assistant (you ask, it answers) into a proactive one (it watches, notices, and acts). This is what separates OpenClaw from a simple chatbot. For 24/7 heartbeat operation, you need OpenClaw running continuously — a DigitalOcean VPS or always-on home server works perfectly.
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