Workflows
Event-driven, multi-step automations that react to schedules, system events, or incoming webhooks.
What are Workflows?
Workflows are structured automations stored as .lobster.yaml files in your workspace. Each workflow defines a trigger (when it fires), optional conditions (whether it should run), and a sequence of steps (what it does).
Workflows fill the gap between heartbeats (periodic background checks) and cron jobs (single scheduled messages). They let you build real automation pipelines: "When X happens, check Y, then do Z."
| Heartbeats | Cron Jobs | Workflows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Fixed interval | Cron / interval | Schedule, event, or webhook |
| Steps | Markdown checklist | Single prompt | Multi-step pipeline |
| Conditions | Time-of-day sections | None | Field-based rules |
| Best for | Background awareness | Recurring tasks | Complex automation |
Where to Find It
In Standard View, click the Globe icon in the top bar to switch to global settings, then open the ⚡ Automate category. You'll see four tabs: Heartbeat, Cron Jobs, Workflows, and Webhooks.
In Advanced View, go to the Automation page and select the Workflows sub-tab.
🚀 Getting Started with Templates
The fastest way to create a workflow is from a template. When you open the Workflows tab for the first time, you'll see three featured templates you can install in one click. You can also click Templates in the toolbar to browse the full gallery.
Built-in templates are bundled with ClawManager (no network calls needed) and cover common use cases:
Daily Standup, Morning Brief, Weekly Digest
Gateway Startup Check
PR Review Trigger, Incident Responder
Agent Complete Notify
Daily Cost Report
Installing a template opens the Workflow Editor pre-filled with the template's trigger, steps, and description. You can customize everything before saving.
Creating a Workflow
Click New Automation (or "Create from scratch" in the empty state) to open the Workflow Editor. You'll configure three things:
1. Choose a Trigger
The trigger decides when your workflow runs:
📅 Schedule
Run on a time interval or cron expression. Choose from quick presets (every 5m, 15m, 30m, 1h, 6h, 12h, 24h) or enter a custom cron expression. You can optionally set a timezone.
Cron presets: Daily 9am, Daily midnight, Weekdays 9am, Weekly Mon 9am, Monthly 1st
⚡ Event
React to an OpenClaw system event. Pick from the built-in event list:
gateway:startup— Gateway starts upcommand:new— User issues /newcommand:reset— User issues /resetcommand:compact— User issues /compactagent:message— Agent receives a messageagent:complete— Agent completes a turn
🌐 Webhook
Triggered by an external HTTP POST request. You define a path (e.g. /hooks/github-push) and optionally an HMAC secret for security. See the dedicated Webhooks page for full details.
2. Add Conditions (Optional)
Conditions let you add guards so the workflow only runs when certain criteria are met. If any condition fails, the workflow skips that run.
| Field | Operators | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway status | equals, not equals | Only run if gateway is online |
| Time of day | between | Only between 09:00 and 17:00 |
| Day of week | in | Only on weekdays |
| Agent busy | equals, not equals | Skip if agent is mid-conversation |
3. Define Steps
Steps are the actions your workflow performs, in order. You can add multiple steps and drag-and-drop to reorder them.
💬 Send to Agent
Send a message/prompt to an OpenClaw agent. Configure which agent receives it, optionally override the model, and choose whether to deliver the response to a specific channel.
🔔 Send Notification
Send a text notification to a connected channel (e.g. Telegram, Discord). Great for alerts and status updates.
⚙️ Run Command
Execute a shell command on the host machine. Useful for health checks, deployments, or running scripts.
🌐 Call Webhook
Make an HTTP request to an external URL. Supports GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE methods with an optional request body.
Managing Workflows
Once you have workflows, the main view shows a stats bar (total, active, last triggered) and a card for each workflow.
Each workflow card shows:
- • Name, description, and trigger type icon
- • Step count and last run timestamp
- • Enable/Disable toggle
- • Run Now — manually trigger the workflow
- • Edit — open the editor to modify trigger, conditions, or steps
- • History — view all past runs with status, duration, and output
- • Delete — permanently remove the workflow and its run history
Lobster CLI
Workflows are executed by the Lobster CLI, a lightweight workflow runner. If Lobster isn't installed when you click Run Now, ClawManager will prompt you to install it automatically. Installation takes 1 to 3 minutes and only needs to happen once.
💡 Tips
- • Start from a template and customize, rather than building from scratch.
- • Use conditions to prevent workflows from running during off-hours or when the agent is busy.
- • Chain multiple steps: e.g. "Send to Agent" then "Send Notification" to get the result delivered to Telegram.
- • For webhook-triggered workflows, always set an HMAC secret in production.
- • Use Run Now to test before relying on scheduled triggers.
- • Check the Run History to debug failures. Each entry shows status, duration, and output.
Next Steps
Set up external triggers with Webhooks, or learn about Heartbeats & Cron Jobs for simpler scheduled tasks. Lock down workflow commands with Security settings.