How to Set Up OpenClaw Background Processes

OpenClaw background processes are how long shell commands stay manageable without blocking the assistant turn forever. The docs describe the exec tool as the command launcher and the process tool as the manager for background sessions. Use this for builds, tests, servers, or long scripts that start now and need later confirmation. Do not use background processes as fake cron jobs; future work belongs in cron.

Launch correctly

The key exec parameters are command, yieldMs, background, timeout, elevated, pty, workdir, and env. Foreground commands return output directly. If a command backgrounds, the tool returns a running status, a session id, and a short tail. background: true backgrounds immediately. yieldMs lets a command run briefly in the foreground before returning a background session if it is still active.

Set timeouts deliberately

Background and yielded runs inherit tools.exec.timeoutSec unless the call sets an explicit timeout. The docs say setting timeout: 0 disables the exec process timeout for that call, but that should be rare. Long-running work should still have a boundary, especially on shared hosts. If a command needs a real terminal, set pty: true. If it needs stdin later, keep the process session id because process.write, submit, or send-keys will need it.

Manage with process

The process tool can list sessions, poll new output, read logs with offsets, write stdin, send key tokens, submit Enter, paste text, kill a running process, or clear a finished one. It only sees backgrounded sessions for the current agent, and sessions are in memory rather than durable disk records. Polling is for on-demand confirmation or intervention, not tight wait loops. If automatic completion wake is enabled, prefer starting the work once and reacting when it exits.

Use the right pattern

For a build, run it with a sensible timeout and enough yieldMs that quick failures return immediately. For a dev server, use background mode and then inspect the first log tail. For a TTY tool, use PTY and be ready to send keys. For a future reminder, do not run sleep; create a cron or a proper scheduled workflow. These distinctions keep OpenClaw from filling the host with forgotten shells.

Operator checklist

Record the command, workdir, timeout, session id, and cleanup expectation. Check logs before claiming success. Kill sessions you no longer need. The OpenClaw Playbook turns this into a simple rule: long-running work should either finish, be watched through a process session, or be converted into a durable cron. Anything else is just a hidden process waiting to surprise the next operator.

Clean up like a teammate

Background processes are invisible to other people unless you leave traces. If a build is running, post where its status will appear. If a server was started for testing, kill it when the test ends. If a command failed, read enough logs to name the blocker instead of saying it “did not work.” The process tool gives you the mechanics, but the operating habit is what keeps a host healthy. Every background command should have an owner, a reason, a timeout, and a cleanup plan. Otherwise today's convenience becomes tomorrow's mystery CPU load.

Final verification

Before calling How to Set Up OpenClaw Background Processes finished, perform one direct test, one failure test, and one rollback check. The direct test proves the happy path works. The failure test proves the documented guardrail is real, not just assumed. The rollback check tells the next operator how to undo the change without improvising. Save those notes beside the channel, node, or gateway config you changed. OpenClaw gets powerful when agents can act, but it stays trustworthy when every new surface has a small, repeatable verification habit attached to it.