Schedule a Task

Create a JSON file in the piclaw IPC directory to schedule work.

Usage

Write a JSON file to $PICLAW_DATA/ipc/tasks/:

bash

cat > "$PICLAW_DATA/ipc/tasks/schedule_$(date +%s).json" <<EOF
{
  "type": "schedule_task",
  "chatJid": "$PICLAW_CHAT_JID",
  "prompt": "Describe what should happen when this task fires",
  "schedule_type": "TYPE",
  "schedule_value": "VALUE"
}
EOF

Schedule Types

Cron (recurring on a schedule)

Use standard cron expressions. Example — every weekday at 9am:

json

{ "schedule_type": "cron", "schedule_value": "0 9 * * 1-5" }

Interval (recurring, in milliseconds)

Example — every hour:

json

{ "schedule_type": "interval", "schedule_value": "3600000" }

Once (one-time at a specific time)

Use an ISO 8601 timestamp:

json

{ "schedule_type": "once", "schedule_value": "2025-02-01T09:00:00Z" }

Managing Existing Tasks

Write to the same IPC directory:

• Pause: { "type": "pause_task", "taskId": "task-xxx" } • Resume: { "type": "resume_task", "taskId": "task-xxx" } • Cancel: { "type": "cancel_task", "taskId": "task-xxx" }

Environment

The following environment variables are set by piclaw when it invokes you:

•PICLAW_DATA — piclaw data directory (contains ipc/, sessions/)
•PICLAW_CHAT_JID — JID of the chat that triggered this invocation