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heartbeat

Runs periodic agent checks for cron health, memory consolidation, and proactive maintenance.

62|14|Updated Apr 9, 2026
Search Tags:#reminders#cron#scheduled tasks#heartbeat#agent automation#memory consolidation#periodic checks
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/crisandrews/ClawCode --skill heartbeat-crisandrews
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: heartbeat
Source: https://github.com/crisandrews/ClawCode/tree/main/skills/heartbeat
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/crisandrews/ClawCode --skill heartbeat-crisandrews

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Long-running AI agent sessions lose track of scheduled reminders, accumulate unconsolidated memory, and miss routine checks. This Skill runs a periodic heartbeat that repairs orphaned cron jobs, consolidates memory, and performs proactive maintenance without user prompting. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Cron health audit and repair: Detects orphaned or blocked scheduled reminders, re-creates orphans from the registry, and throttles notifications so users are not spammed every beat. - Memory consolidation: Reviews recent daily logs, distills insights into MEMORY.md, and reviews high-recall dream items for promotion. - Self-managing checklist: The agent edits HEARTBEAT.md during normal conversations to add or remove periodic checks, batching them into one cheap heartbeat instead of many cron jobs. - Use Case: A user asks the agent to check emails periodically; the agent adds the check to HEARTBEAT.md, and every 30 minutes during active hours the heartbeat rotates through checklist items, notifying only when something needs attention. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to run a heartbeat check now to verify cron health and consolidate recent memory.

Frequently Asked Questions about heartbeat

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I run a heartbeat check in Claude Code?▼

Trigger it manually with /agent:heartbeat or by saying "heartbeat" or "heartbeat check". It also runs automatically every 30 minutes via a cron created on the first session, but only while Claude Code is open and idle.

How does the heartbeat fix orphaned cron reminders?▼

It pipes CronList output through writeback.sh audit to detect orphans, then re-creates each orphan from memory/crons.json using CronCreate and marks it alive. Blocked entries with duplicate live reminders are never recreated to avoid adding a third copy.

Can I schedule heartbeat outside active hours?▼

The cron-health step always runs, but all other checks are skipped outside the activeHours window configured in agent-config.json. Set the window via /agent:settings, for example 08:00 to 23:00 in your timezone.

How do I add a custom periodic check to the heartbeat?▼

Just tell the agent during conversation, for example "check my emails periodically", and it adds the item to HEARTBEAT.md. The heartbeat then rotates through 2-4 checklist items per run instead of creating separate cron jobs.

Why does the heartbeat stay silent after running?▼

Silence is by design: when nothing needs attention, the heartbeat sends no message. It only notifies when a checklist item requires action or when a cron repair failure repeats across consecutive beats.

Does heartbeat work when Claude Code is closed?▼

No, the default cron only fires while Claude Code is open and the REPL is idle. For 24/7 heartbeats, install the background service with /agent:service install.

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