Summary

One-time scheduled jobs using "kind": "at" and specific-date "kind": "cron" do not fire, while recurring jobs work correctly.

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.2.2-3
• OS: Linux 6.8.0-90-generic (x64)
• Node: v22.22.0
• Installation: Global npm (/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw)

Expected Behavior

Scheduled jobs created with cron add should fire at their designated time.

Actual Behavior

• ✅ Recurring "every" jobs: WORK (tested and confirmed)
• ✅ Daily recurring "cron" jobs: WORK (e.g., 0 5 * * * fired successfully)
• ❌ One-time "at" jobs: DO NOT FIRE
• ❌ One-time "cron" jobs: DO NOT FIRE

Steps to Reproduce

Test 1: "at" timestamp (FAILED)

cron add --json '{
  "name": "TEST - Verify cron is working",
  "schedule": {"kind": "at", "atMs": 1770174849488},
  "payload": {"kind": "systemEvent", "text": "Test message"},
  "sessionTarget": "main"
}'

Result: Job created successfully, never fired (waited 52+ minutes past scheduled time)

Test 2: "cron" expression for specific date (FAILED)

cron add --json '{
  "name": "REMINDER: Restart gateway at 9 PM CST",
  "schedule": {"kind": "cron", "expr": "0 3 4 2 *", "tz": "UTC"},
  "payload": {"kind": "systemEvent", "text": "Reminder: Restart gateway"},
  "sessionTarget": "main"
}'

Result: Job created, never fired at scheduled time (Feb 4, 3:00 AM UTC)

Test 3: Recurring "cron" (PASSED)

cron add --json '{
  "name": "DAILY MAINTENANCE",
  "schedule": {"kind": "cron", "expr": "0 5 * * *"},
  "payload": {"kind": "systemEvent", "text": "Running daily maintenance"},
  "sessionTarget": "main"
}'

Result: Fires daily at 5 AM UTC as expected

Additional Context

Gateway Restart Attempted

• Restarted gateway multiple times during testing
• Updated from 2026.2.1 to 2026.2.2-3
• Issue persists across versions and restarts

cron list Output

{
  "jobs": []
}

Note: Jobs appear empty in cron list even when jobs exist in /root/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

Jobs File Contents

Location: /root/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

• Contains 6 jobs (2 legacy "at", 4 "cron")
• Jobs are persisted correctly
• Just never executed

Possible Causes

1. Scheduler component not properly evaluating atMs timestamps
2. Timezone conversion issues (CST UTC-6 vs UTC)
3. Jobs not being loaded into active scheduler after creation
4. Wake mechanism not triggering for one-time jobs

Workarounds Used

• Recurring "every" jobs with manual deletion after firing
• External Linux cron + curl to OpenClaw API
• Manual reminders via conversation

Impact

• Cannot schedule one-time reminders
• Cannot schedule tasks for specific future dates
• Limits automation capabilities significantly

References

• OpenClaw Starter Kit mentions this as known issue
• User tried both "at" and "cron" expression syntaxes
• Issue persists across gateway restarts and updates

Submitted by: Solrac (via AI assistant Praetor)
Date: 2026-02-04

Copy this and paste into: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/new