HEARTBEAT.md Explained: The Daily Checklist That Makes Your OpenClaw Agent Consistent

Most SMB owners do not need an AI that is “smart.”

You need an assistant that is consistent.

That is what HEARTBEAT.md is for.

If OpenClaw is your digital employee, HEARTBEAT.md is their daily checklist. Like the laminated sheet by the register:
- unlock door
- check voicemail
- review today’s appointments
- flag anything urgent

No drama. Just steady progress.

A lot of AI tools fail in small business for one simple reason:
- they rely on you remembering to prompt them

HEARTBEAT.md flips that.

It turns “AI as a novelty” into “AI as a routine.”

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0) What this guide will help you do

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
- write a short HEARTBEAT.md that produces useful updates (not walls of text)
- prevent spam (and prevent the agent from taking risky actions)
- decide what belongs in heartbeat vs what belongs in cron vs what belongs in a project
- make your heartbeat outputs consistent enough to trust

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1) What HEARTBEAT.md is (daily checklist analogy)

Officially, HEARTBEAT.md is an optional tiny checklist for heartbeat runs and you should keep it short.

Plain English:
- OpenClaw can ping your agent on a cadence.
- During that ping, your agent reads HEARTBEAT.md.
- The agent runs the checklist and produces an update.

When there is nothing to do, the agent should respond:
- HEARTBEAT_OK

That matters because it prevents spam and keeps costs down.

“Read-Do” vs “Do-Confirm” (why checklists work)

In operations, there are two useful checklist styles:
- Read-Do: read the list, then do each step in order.
- Do-Confirm: do the work from memory, then use the list to confirm nothing was missed.

For most SMB heartbeat workflows, you want Read-Do. You want reliability.

Why this matters: HEARTBEAT.md is not a place to “be creative.” It’s a place to be boringly correct.

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2) Why it matters (consistency beats brilliance)

Without a heartbeat checklist, your agent depends on you remembering to prompt it.

That usually fails after week one.

With a heartbeat checklist:
- you get daily summaries without asking
- leads don’t fall through the cracks
- open loops get captured in memory
- the agent becomes a routine, not a novelty

In a small business, routines beat cleverness.

The hidden benefit: fewer “context resets”

A heartbeat does something humans hate doing:
- it rebuilds context on schedule

So instead of:
- “What did I miss?”

You get:
- “Here’s what changed since the last check.”

That is real leverage.

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3) How the heartbeat loop works (plain English)

Here is what’s happening behind the scenes.

1) On a schedule, OpenClaw runs a “heartbeat” turn.
2) The agent is prompted to check HEARTBEAT.md.
3) The agent uses tools you allow (files, browser, messaging drafts).
4) The agent posts results back to the appropriate place.
5) If there is nothing, it replies HEARTBEAT_OK.

Two important practical notes:
- Heartbeats should be lightweight.
- Heartbeats are best for things that require judgment.

If you just need exact timing (“send this at 9:00am every day”), that is a cron-style job, not a heartbeat.

What “lightweight” means in practice

A good heartbeat run:
- reads a few files
- checks a couple sources (inbox/CRM/tasks)
- produces a short digest
- drafts (but does not send) anything risky

A bad heartbeat run:
- tries to do deep work
- tries to build systems
- tries to write a long report
- spams you because it has no limits

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4) What belongs in HEARTBEAT (and what doesn’t)

Think of HEARTBEAT.md as a high-signal checklist that you can read on one screen.

Good heartbeat tasks

- check for new leads or inquiries - draft replies (never send automatically) - create today’s priorities (max 5) - produce an end-of-day summary draft - update daily memory with decisions and follow-ups - flag urgent issues

Bad heartbeat tasks

- long research essays - multi-hour builds - anything that could flood you with messages - anything that requires many external tool calls every time

If a task feels like “a project,” it does not belong in HEARTBEAT.md.

A simple decision rule (SMB-friendly)

Ask:
- “Would I expect a new front-desk hire to do this every 30–60 minutes?”

If yes → heartbeat.
If no → it’s a project or a scheduled report.

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5) HEARTBEAT vs Cron (when to use each)

Here is the simplest rule:

• Use HEARTBEAT when the agent needs to think, decide, and summarize.
• Use cron when you need a dumb timer to run something at an exact time.

Examples:
- “Every 30 minutes, check if anything urgent happened.” → HEARTBEAT
- “Every weekday at 8:30am, post today’s schedule.” → cron

A lot of SMB workflows use both:
- cron triggers a scheduled report
- heartbeat catches surprises and open loops

Concrete examples (by business type)

Local service business (plumber, HVAC, electrician)
- Heartbeat: missed calls, new web forms, scheduling gaps, parts ETA follow-ups.
- Cron: 7:30am “today’s jobs + addresses” internal post.

Agency / B2B services
- Heartbeat: inbound leads, client emails that need replies, deliverable deadlines.
- Cron: Monday 9:00am weekly plan draft.

Retail / e-commerce
- Heartbeat: order issues, refunds, inventory alerts.
- Cron: daily 5:00pm “orders shipped today + exceptions.”

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6) Copy/paste: Full HEARTBEAT.md template (SMB-ready)

This template is designed to be safe, short, and useful.

Step-by-step: set it up in 10 minutes

1) Copy the template into HEARTBEAT.md in your workspace. 2) Delete anything you do not actually want checked. 3) Add one definition line for urgent. 4) Add one spam limit line (example: “max 1 alert per heartbeat”). 5) Run one test heartbeat and see the output. Tighten from there.

Think of this like writing the opening checklist for a new employee. If a step is not clear to a human, it will not be clear to the agent either.

# HEARTBEAT.md (SMB template)

## Goal
Keep the business moving daily with short, high-signal updates.

## Urgent definition
Urgent = angry customer, safety issue, appointment within 2 hours, payment problem, or anything that blocks revenue today.

## Spam control
- Max 1 alert per heartbeat.
- If nothing is urgent, batch into a short digest.

## Daily checklist (keep under ~15 lines)
1) Review new leads/inquiries from the last 24 hours.
   - If any are unanswered, draft a reply in a friendly, professional tone.
   - DO NOT send automatically. Ask for approval.

2) Create a “Today’s Priorities” list (max 5 bullets) from:
   - my calendar
   - open tasks in memory
   - any urgent customer issues mentioned recently

3) Write a 6-bullet end-of-day summary draft:
   - Wins (1)
   - Sales/leads (1-2)
   - Ops issues (1)
   - Customer follow-ups needed (1-2)

4) Update memory:
   - Append a short entry to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md with decisions + open loops.

## Output format
- Start with a one-line headline.
- Then bullets.
- End with: “Approve any drafts to send?”

## Safety
- Never share secrets.
- Never message customers/vendors without approval.

If you want the “daily + weekly” heartbeat templates already tuned for your industry, the OpenClawCrew Starter Kit ($49) includes heartbeat templates plus a quick setup walkthrough so your agent becomes consistent fast.

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7) Practical checklists you can steal (3 SMB scenarios)

These are step-by-step, because that’s what makes heartbeats actually work.

A) “Lead follow-up” heartbeat checklist (service business)

1) Check missed calls + voicemail from last 24 hours.
2) Check web form leads.
3) For each new lead, capture:
- name
- phone/email
- service needed
- address / zip
- preferred time window
4) Draft a reply:
- confirm you can help (no promises)
- ask 1–2 clarifying questions
- offer 2 scheduling windows
5) Put all drafts under a single header: “Drafts for approval.”

B) “Customer support” heartbeat checklist (e-commerce)

1) Check new support emails/DMs.
2) Categorize each into:
- shipping delay
- wrong item
- refund request
- product question
3) For shipping issues:
- ask for order number
- provide the next concrete step
- never blame carriers
4) For refunds:
- confirm policy
- ask for photos if required
- draft a clear approval question to you

C) “Operations sanity” heartbeat checklist (agency / studio)

1) Look at today’s calendar.
2) Identify anything due in the next 72 hours.
3) List:
- blockers
- dependencies
- who needs to approve what
4) Draft one internal update:
- “Here’s what we need from the client by X.”

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8) Before vs After (what a heartbeat fixes)

Before:
- You remember follow-ups when you are driving.
- You check email and DMs in between jobs.
- You end the day with 12 open loops in your head.

After:
- Your agent runs the same checklist on schedule.
- You get a short list: “Here is what needs attention.” (max 5 items)
- Follow-ups get drafted and queued for approval.
- Decisions get logged in memory so you stop rethinking them.

Time saved examples:
- Plumber: 20 minutes per day because missed-call follow-ups stop piling up.
- Bakery: fewer late-night order messages because the agent drafts responses in batches.
- Fitness coach: clients get consistent check-ins without you remembering.

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9) Common heartbeat mistakes (and fixes)

Mistake: it’s too long

Symptom: your agent posts walls of text or runs up costs.

Fix: cut it down.
- cap bullets
- cap word count
- remove anything that’s not daily

Rule of thumb:
- If it takes more than 2 minutes to read, it is too big.

Mistake: it’s vague

Symptom: the agent gives generic updates.

Fix: define output format.
- “max 5 bullets”
- “ask 1–2 questions”
- “end with approval request”

Mistake: no approvals policy

Symptom: risk. Especially with customer messaging.

Fix: add the rule explicitly.

- Draft only.
- Never send externally without approval.

Mistake: it interrupts you too often

Symptom: annoyance.

Fix: only interrupt on “high priority.” Otherwise batch into one digest.

Mistake: using heartbeat for deep work

Symptom: your heartbeat becomes a mini project manager and produces noise.

Fix:
- use heartbeat to detect and summarize
- use a separate “project” prompt for execution

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10) Mini-FAQ

How often should heartbeat run?
Start with every 30 to 60 minutes during business hours.

Will it message me every time?
It should not. If nothing is important, it should reply HEARTBEAT_OK.

Can heartbeat write to memory?
Yes. That is one of the best uses: daily logs and follow-ups.

Can a creator use heartbeat too?
Yes. Use it for idea inbox review and draft planning, not posting.

What is the one rule that prevents chaos?
“Draft first. Ask approval before anything external.”

What if my business is quiet most days?
That’s fine. A good heartbeat should return HEARTBEAT_OK most of the time.

How do I stop it from re-reporting the same thing?
Add a rule like:
- “Only report new items since last heartbeat, or items that are now urgent.”

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11) Next step: add a second heartbeat (weekly)

Once daily is stable, add a weekly routine. For many SMBs, Friday afternoon is perfect.

Weekly heartbeat idea:
- summarize wins
- list leads won/lost
- highlight operational bottlenecks
- pick 3 improvements for next week
- promote evergreen notes into MEMORY.md

Keep it simple. The goal is forward motion.

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Related Guides

• OpenClaw Workspace Files Explained: /guides/02-workspace-files
• OpenClaw Memory Explained: /guides/08-memory
• Setting Up OpenClaw in a Weekend: /guides/05-setup-guide