Kjell Tore Guttormsen 0d0b83f98c feat: make examples cumulative with carry-forward chain and capstone

Add three new sections to all 14 examples:
- "Carry Forward": what output feeds into later examples (01-10)
- "The Cumulative Path": alternative prompt building on previous output (02-10)
- "Now Try It Yourself": personalized template with transferable pattern (all)
- "Building On" callout connecting back to previous examples (02-10)

Add Example 14: Build Your Personal Agent - capstone that guides reader
through writing their own CLAUDE.md, creating a personal skill, connecting
a messaging channel, setting up automation, and testing end-to-end.

Update README with cumulative path diagram, two usage modes, and example 14.
Update GETTING-STARTED.md with cross-references to relevant examples.

17 files changed, 703+ lines added. The examples now form a coherent
learning path from "see what it can do" to "build your own agent."

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-03-26 21:14:35 +01:00

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Example 08: Cron and Scheduled Automation

Capability: Claude Code supports scheduled and automated execution through three complementary mechanisms, covering in-session polling through to system-level cron jobs.

OpenClaw equivalent: HEARTBEAT.md, cron scheduler, webhooks, auto-reply.

Building on Examples 01-07. You have a complete pipeline: research (01-03), memory (05), agent review (06), and delivery (07). This example makes it run without you pressing enter. Automation is what separates a demo from a daily driver.

Three Approaches

Approach 1: /loop (In-session polling, v2.1.71)

For tasks that should repeat while Claude Code is running:

/loop interval=60

Every 60 seconds, check if a file called 'trigger.txt' exists in this
directory. If it does, read its contents, execute the task described inside,
delete the file, and write the result to 'loop-output.md'. Then wait for
the next trigger.

Use this for development and testing. The loop runs as long as the session is active.

Approach 2: CronCreate (System-level scheduling, v2.1.71)

For tasks that should run on a schedule even when Claude Code is not open:

Create a cron job that runs the 'daily-briefing' skill every morning at 07:00.
Use the automation/daily-briefing.sh wrapper script. Show me the cron entry
before creating it so I can verify it.

Claude Code calls CronCreate to register the job with the system cron daemon. Use CronList to see all registered jobs and CronDelete to remove them. The automation/daily-briefing.sh script in this repo is a ready-made wrapper.

Approach 3: /schedule (Remote trigger, web only)

For triggering runs from anywhere, including from a phone:

/schedule "Run the web-research skill on 'latest Anthropic news' and
email me a summary" at 2025-04-01T08:00:00

/schedule is available in the Claude web interface. It queues a headless Claude Code run for the specified time. Combines with the Telegram permission relay (v2.1.81) for approval-gated automation.

Why This Matters

OpenClaw uses HEARTBEAT.md as a persistent loop marker. Claude Code achieves the same outcome with more granularity: /loop for in-process polling, CronCreate for system scheduling, /schedule for remote triggering. The automation/ directory in this repo provides macOS launchd examples as an alternative to cron.

Carry Forward

With scheduling configured, your pipeline runs itself:

Example 09 adds safety guardrails to protect automated runs
Example 10 is the pipeline that your cron job triggers
Example 12 lets you monitor and control scheduled runs from your phone

Automation is the multiplier. Everything you built in examples 01-07 runs once when you trigger it. With scheduling, it runs every day, every week, or every time a condition is met.

The Cumulative Path

If you ran Examples 01-07, you have a complete pipeline with delivery. This prompt schedules it to run automatically.

Create a cron job that runs every Monday at 07:00 to execute:
1. Web research on a topic from memory/research-state.md
2. Multi-agent review via the researcher/writer/reviewer agents
3. Save output to pipeline-output/
4. Send a Telegram notification with the summary

Use automation/daily-briefing.sh as a template for the wrapper script.
Show me the cron entry before creating it so I can verify.

After running this, your Monday mornings start with a fresh research report waiting on your phone.

Now Try It Yourself

Think about what you would automate if it cost zero effort:

Option 1: /loop (for testing)

/loop interval=300

Every 5 minutes, check if [your trigger condition]. If true,
[execute your pipeline]. Write results to [your output location].

Option 2: CronCreate (for production)

Create a cron job that runs [your task] every [schedule].
Use [wrapper script] and show me the cron entry first.

Option 3: /schedule (for remote)

/schedule "[your task description]" at [ISO datetime]

The pattern you just learned: trigger condition + pipeline steps + output destination. The three approaches cover different needs: /loop for development, CronCreate for system-level, /schedule for remote.

Ideas worth trying:

Weekly competitor monitoring report every Monday
Daily inbox summary from your email MCP at 08:00
Hourly check for new entries in a data source you monitor

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