How to Automate Reports with OpenClaw — Cron, Templates & Delivery

Recurring reports are the perfect automation target: they happen on a schedule, follow a consistent format, and pull from predictable data sources. OpenClaw handles all three natively.

The Report Automation Pattern

1. A data source (CSV, markdown file, API output)
2. A cron job that runs on schedule
3. A task that tells the agent what to read and generate
4. A delivery mechanism (Slack, file save, email channel)

Step 1: Organize Your Data Source

~/reports/
  data/
    latest-metrics.csv
    weekly-sales.csv
  templates/
    weekly-report-template.md
  output/

Step 2: Create a Report Template

# ~/reports/templates/weekly-report-template.md

## Weekly Report

**Executive Summary** (2-3 sentences)

**Key Metrics**
- Metric 1: [value] vs last week: [+/-]
- Metric 2: [value] vs last week: [+/-]

**What Went Well**
- [achievement with supporting data]

**Concerns / Watch Items**
- [anything tracking below target]

**Next Week Focus**
- [1-3 priority actions]

Step 3: Set Up the Cron Job

openclaw cron add \
  --name "weekly-report" \
  --schedule "0 8 * * 1" \
  --agent main \
  --task "Read ~/reports/data/latest-metrics.csv. Use the template in ~/reports/templates/weekly-report-template.md to generate a weekly report. Compare current week to prior week columns. Calculate percentage changes. Flag any metric more than 15% off target. Save to ~/reports/output/week-[YYYY-MM-DD].md. Post 3-4 sentence executive summary to #weekly-reports in Slack."

Step 4: Verify the Schedule

openclaw cron list
# Shows:
# weekly-report | 0 8 * * 1 | Next: Monday 08:00

Multiple Report Types

# Daily standup summary
openclaw cron add \
  --name "daily-standup" \
  --schedule "0 9 * * 1-5" \
  --agent main \
  --task "Read ~/standup/today.md. Format as a standup: done, planned, blocked. Post to #standups in Slack."

# Monthly finance summary
openclaw cron add \
  --name "monthly-finance" \
  --schedule "0 7 1 * *" \
  --agent main \
  --task "Read ~/finance/exports/latest.csv. Generate monthly P&L summary. Post to #finance in Slack."

Adding Conditional Logic

"Read the metrics CSV. If any metric is more than 25% below target, include a 'Critical Alert' section at the top. If everything is within 10% of target, keep the executive summary brief."

Multi-Channel Delivery

"Generate the weekly report. Save full version to ~/reports/output/. Post 3-line summary to #leadership in Slack. Post team-specific metrics to #marketing and #sales separately."

Ready to go deeper? The OpenClaw Playbook covers this in detail — grab your copy for $9.99.