Bug: Cron jobs skipped when HEARTBEAT.md is empty
Description:
When HEARTBEAT.md contains only comments (or is empty), all cron jobs are skipped with error "empty-heartbeat-file". The cron scheduler appears to be incorrectly tied to the HEARTBEAT.md mechanism.
Expected behavior:
HEARTBEAT.md empty → should only skip heartbeat polls
Cron jobs → should run independently
Actual behavior:
All cron jobs show status: "skipped" + error: "empty-heartbeat-file"
Jobs never execute even when scheduled
Environment:
OpenClaw version: 2026.1.29
HEARTBEAT.md: empty (comments only)
Cron jobs: 5 jobs configured, all showing skipped
Workaround:
Adding any task to HEARTBEAT.md "unblocks" the cron jobs, but this shouldn't be required.
Steps to reproduce:
Keep HEARTBEAT.md empty (only comments)
Create any cron job
Job is always skipped
When HEARTBEAT.md contains only comments (or is empty), all cron jobs are skipped with error "empty-heartbeat-file". The cron scheduler appears to be incorrectly tied to the HEARTBEAT.md mechanism.
Expected behavior:
HEARTBEAT.md empty → should only skip heartbeat polls
Cron jobs → should run independently
Actual behavior:
All cron jobs show status: "skipped" + error: "empty-heartbeat-file"
Jobs never execute even when scheduled
Environment:
OpenClaw version: 2026.1.29
HEARTBEAT.md: empty (comments only)
Cron jobs: 5 jobs configured, all showing skipped
Workaround:
Adding any task to HEARTBEAT.md "unblocks" the cron jobs, but this shouldn't be required.
Steps to reproduce:
Keep HEARTBEAT.md empty (only comments)
Create any cron job
Job is always skipped
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