automation

# Task Automation Automate repetitive tasks and optimize workflows using OpenClaw cron, shell scripts, and system tools. ## Instructions 1. **Identify the task**: Ask what the user wants automated — frequency, trigger, input/output. 2. **Choose the right tool**: | Task Type | Tool | Example | |-----------|------|---------| | Periodic checks | OpenClaw cron | Email check every 30 min | | File processing | Shell + cron | Compress logs nightly | | API polling | curl + jq + cron | Price alerts | | Web scraping | Puppeteer / fetch | Competitor monitoring | | Data pipeline | Shell pipeline | CSV → JSON → API | | Event-driven | Webhooks / inotifywait | File change triggers | 3. **Implement with OpenClaw cron** (preferred for agent tasks): ```bash # Example: System event every 30 minutes openclaw cron add --name "task-name" \ --schedule "*/30 * * * *" \ --payload '{"kind":"systemEvent","text":"Check X notifications"}' ``` 4. **Implement with system cron** (for shell scripts): ```bash # Edit crontab crontab -e # Add entry: every day at 2 AM 0 2 * * * /path/to/backup.sh >> /var/log/backup.log 2>&1 ``` 5. **Implement with systemd timers** (for services): ```ini # /etc/systemd/system/task.timer [Timer] OnCalendar=*-*-* 02:00:00 Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=timers.target ``` ## Automation Patterns ### Retry with Backoff ```bash #!/bin/bash MAX_RETRIES=3 DELAY=5 for i in $(seq 1 $MAX_RETRIES); do if your_command; then break; fi echo "Retry $i/$MAX_RETRIES in ${DELAY}s..." sleep $DELAY DELAY=$((DELAY * 2)) done ``` ### File Watcher ```bash inotifywait -m -e modify,create /path/to/watch | while read dir action file; do echo "File $file was $action" # trigger processing done ``` ### Idempotent Scripts ```bash # Use lock files to prevent concurrent runs LOCKFILE="/tmp/mytask.lock" if [ -f "$LOCKFILE" ]; then echo "Already running"; exit 0; fi trap "rm -f $LOCKFILE" EXIT touch "$LOCKFILE" # ... your task here ``` ### Pipeline with Error Handling ```bash set -euo pipefail fetch_data | transform_json | upload_result \ || { echo "Pipeline failed at stage $?"; notify_admin; exit 1; } ``` ## Cron Expression Reference | Expression | Meaning | |-----------|---------| | `*/5 * * * *` | Every 5 minutes | | `0 */2 * * *` | Every 2 hours | | `0 9 * * 1-5` | Weekdays at 9 AM | | `0 2 * * *` | Daily at 2 AM | | `0 0 * * 0` | Weekly on Sunday midnight | | `0 0 1 * *` | Monthly on the 1st | ## Security - **Never store secrets in crontab** — use environment variables or secret files - **Log all automated actions** — append to `~/.automation/logs/` - **Rate limit API calls** — respect service terms - **Use lock files** — prevent duplicate runs - **Validate inputs** — never pass unsanitized data to shell commands ## Requirements - `cron` or `systemd` (pre-installed on Linux) - OpenClaw for agent-based automation - Optional: `inotifywait` (inotify-tools), `jq`, `curl`