---
summary: "Define permanent operating authority for autonomous agent programs"
read_when:
  - Setting up autonomous agent workflows that run without per-task prompting
  - Defining what the agent can do independently vs. what needs human approval
  - Structuring multi-program agents with clear boundaries and escalation rules
title: "Standing orders"
---

Standing orders grant your agent **permanent operating authority** for defined programs. Instead of giving individual task instructions each time, you define programs with clear scope, triggers, and escalation rules - and the agent executes autonomously within those boundaries.

This is the difference between telling your assistant "send the weekly report" every Friday vs. granting standing authority: "You own the weekly report. Compile it every Friday, send it, and only escalate if something looks wrong."

## Why standing orders

**Without standing orders:**

- You must prompt the agent for every task
- The agent sits idle between requests
- Routine work gets forgotten or delayed
- You become the bottleneck

**With standing orders:**

- The agent executes autonomously within defined boundaries
- Routine work happens on schedule without prompting
- You only get involved for exceptions and approvals
- The agent fills idle time productively

## How they work

Standing orders are defined in your [agent workspace](/concepts/agent-workspace) files. The recommended approach is to include them directly in `AGENTS.md` (which is auto-injected every session) so the agent always has them in context. For larger configurations, you can also place them in a dedicated file like `standing-orders.md` and reference it from `AGENTS.md`.

Each program specifies:

1. **Scope** - what the agent is authorized to do
2. **Triggers** - when to execute (schedule, event, or condition)
3. **Approval gates** - what requires human sign-off before acting
4. **Escalation rules** - when to stop and ask for help

The agent loads these instructions every session via the workspace bootstrap files (see [Agent Workspace](/concepts/agent-workspace) for the full list of auto-injected files) and executes against them, combined with [cron jobs](/automation/cron-jobs) for time-based enforcement.

<Tip>
Put standing orders in `AGENTS.md` to guarantee they're loaded every session. The workspace bootstrap automatically injects `AGENTS.md`, `SOUL.md`, `TOOLS.md`, `IDENTITY.md`, `USER.md`, `HEARTBEAT.md`, `BOOTSTRAP.md`, and `MEMORY.md` - but not arbitrary files in subdirectories.
</Tip>

## Anatomy of a standing order

```markdown
## Program: Weekly Status Report

**Authority:** Compile data, generate report, deliver to stakeholders
**Trigger:** Every Friday at 4 PM (enforced via cron job)
**Approval gate:** None for standard reports. Flag anomalies for human review.
**Escalation:** If data source is unavailable or metrics look unusual (>2σ from norm)

### Execution steps

1. Pull metrics from configured sources
2. Compare to prior week and targets
3. Generate report in Reports/weekly/YYYY-MM-DD.md
4. Deliver summary via configured channel
5. Log completion to Agent/Logs/

### What NOT to do

- Do not send reports to external parties
- Do not modify source data
- Do not skip delivery if metrics look bad - report accurately
```

## Standing orders plus cron jobs

Standing orders define **what** the agent is authorized to do. [Cron jobs](/automation/cron-jobs) define **when** it happens. They work together:

```
Standing Order: "You own the daily inbox triage"
    ↓
Cron Job (8 AM daily): "Execute inbox triage per standing orders"
    ↓
Agent: Reads standing orders → executes steps → reports results
```

The cron job prompt should reference the standing order rather than duplicating it:

```bash
openclaw cron add \
  --name daily-inbox-triage \
  --cron "0 8 * * 1-5" \
  --tz America/New_York \
  --timeout-seconds 300 \
  --announce \
  --channel imessage \
  --to "+1XXXXXXXXXX" \
  --message "Execute daily inbox triage per standing orders. Check mail for new alerts. Parse, categorize, and persist each item. Report summary to owner. Escalate unknowns."
```

## Examples

### Example 1: content and social media (weekly cycle)

```markdown
## Program: Content & Social Media

**Authority:** Draft content, schedule posts, compile engagement reports
**Approval gate:** All posts require owner review for first 30 days, then standing approval
**Trigger:** Weekly cycle (Monday review → mid-week drafts → Friday brief)

### Weekly cycle

- **Monday:** Review platform metrics and audience engagement
- **Tuesday-Thursday:** Draft social posts, create blog content
- **Friday:** Compile weekly marketing brief → deliver to owner

### Content rules

- Voice must match the brand (see SOUL.md or brand voice guide)
- Never identify as AI in public-facing content
- Include metrics when available
- Focus on value to audience, not self-promotion
```

### Example 2: finance operations (event-triggered)

```markdown
## Program: Financial Processing

**Authority:** Process transaction data, generate reports, send summaries
**Approval gate:** None for analysis. Recommendations require owner approval.
**Trigger:** New data file detected OR scheduled monthly cycle

### When new data arrives

1. Detect new file in designated input directory
2. Parse and categorize all transactions
3. Compare against budget targets
4. Flag: unusual items, threshold breaches, new recurring charges
5. Generate report in designated output directory
6. Deliver summary to owner via configured channel

### Escalation rules

- Single item > $500: immediate alert
- Category > budget by 20%: flag in report
- Unrecognizable transaction: ask owner for categorization
- Failed processing after 2 retries: report failure, do not guess
```

### Example 3: monitoring and alerts (continuous)

```markdown
## Program: System Monitoring

**Authority:** Check system health, restart services, send alerts
**Approval gate:** Restart services automatically. Escalate if restart fails twice.
**Trigger:** Every heartbeat cycle

### Checks

- Service health endpoints responding
- Disk space above threshold
- Pending tasks not stale (>24 hours)
- Delivery channels operational

### Response matrix

| Condition        | Action                   | Escalate?                |
| ---------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| Service down     | Restart automatically    | Only if restart fails 2x |
| Disk space < 10% | Alert owner              | Yes                      |
| Stale task > 24h | Remind owner             | No                       |
| Channel offline  | Log and retry next cycle | If offline > 2 hours     |
```

## Execute-verify-report pattern

Standing orders work best when combined with strict execution discipline. Every task in a standing order should follow this loop:

1. **Execute** - Do the actual work (don't just acknowledge the instruction)
2. **Verify** - Confirm the result is correct (file exists, message delivered, data parsed)
3. **Report** - Tell the owner what was done and what was verified

```markdown
### Execution rules

- Every task follows Execute-Verify-Report. No exceptions.
- "I'll do that" is not execution. Do it, then report.
- "Done" without verification is not acceptable. Prove it.
- If execution fails: retry once with adjusted approach.
- If still fails: report failure with diagnosis. Never silently fail.
- Never retry indefinitely - 3 attempts max, then escalate.
```

This pattern prevents the most common agent failure mode: acknowledging a task without completing it.

## Multi-program architecture

For agents managing multiple concerns, organize standing orders as separate programs with clear boundaries:

```markdown
## Program 1: [Domain A] (Weekly)

...

## Program 2: [Domain B] (Monthly + On-Demand)

...

## Program 3: [Domain C] (As-Needed)

...

## Escalation Rules (All Programs)

- [Common escalation criteria]
- [Approval gates that apply across programs]
```

Each program should have:

- Its own **trigger cadence** (weekly, monthly, event-driven, continuous)
- Its own **approval gates** (some programs need more oversight than others)
- Clear **boundaries** (the agent should know where one program ends and another begins)

## Best practices

### Do

- Start with narrow authority and expand as trust builds
- Define explicit approval gates for high-risk actions
- Include "What NOT to do" sections - boundaries matter as much as permissions
- Combine with cron jobs for reliable time-based execution
- Review agent logs weekly to verify standing orders are being followed
- Update standing orders as your needs evolve - they're living documents

### Avoid

- Grant broad authority on day one ("do whatever you think is best")
- Skip escalation rules - every program needs a "when to stop and ask" clause
- Assume the agent will remember verbal instructions - put everything in the file
- Mix concerns in a single program - separate programs for separate domains
- Forget to enforce with cron jobs - standing orders without triggers become suggestions

## Related

- [Automation](/automation): all automation mechanisms at a glance.
- [Cron jobs](/automation/cron-jobs): schedule enforcement for standing orders.
- [Hooks](/automation/hooks): event-driven scripts for agent lifecycle events.
- [Webhooks](/automation/cron-jobs#webhooks): inbound HTTP event triggers.
- [Agent workspace](/concepts/agent-workspace): where standing orders live, including the full list of auto-injected bootstrap files (`AGENTS.md`, `SOUL.md`, etc.).
