ez-cronjob

---
name: ez-cronjob
description: Fix common cron job failures in Clawdbot/Moltbot - message delivery issues, tool timeouts, timezone bugs, and model fallback problems.
author: Isaac Zarzuri
author-url: https://x.com/Yz7hmpm
version: 1.0.0
homepage: https://www.metacognitivo.com
repository: https://github.com/ProMadGenius/clawdbot-skills
metadata: {"agentskills":{"category":"troubleshooting","tags":["cron","scheduling","telegram","debugging","moltbot","clawdbot"]}}
---

# Cron Job Reliability Guide

A comprehensive guide to diagnosing and fixing cron job issues in Clawdbot/Moltbot. This skill documents common failure patterns and their solutions, learned through production debugging.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:
- Scheduled messages aren't being delivered
- Cron jobs show "error" status
- Messages arrive at wrong times (timezone issues)
- The agent times out when using the `cron` tool
- Fallback models ignore instructions and call tools unexpectedly

## Quick Reference

### The Golden Rule

**Always use these flags together for reliable delivery:**

```bash
clawdbot cron add \
  --name "my-job" \
  --cron "0 9 * * 1-5" \
  --tz "America/New_York" \
  --session isolated \
  --message "[INSTRUCTION: DO NOT USE ANY TOOLS] Your prompt here" \
  --deliver --channel telegram --to "CHAT_ID" \
  --best-effort-deliver
```

### Essential Flags Explained

| Flag | Purpose | Why It Matters |
|------|---------|----------------|
| `--session isolated` | Creates dedicated session | Prevents message loss in busy conversations |
| `--tz "TIMEZONE"` | Sets explicit timezone | Avoids UTC confusion |
| `--deliver` | Sends to channel | Required for Telegram/WhatsApp |
| `--best-effort-deliver` | Don't fail on delivery error | Graceful degradation |

---

## Problem 1: Internal `cron` Tool Deadlock

### Symptoms
- Agent times out (10s) when calling `cron list` or `cron add`
- Error: "Tool execution timed out"
- Gateway logs show 80s+ response times

### Root Cause
The