docs(cron): clarify delivery modes

docs/automation/cron-jobs.md

@@ -125,22 +125,19 @@ retries, cron aborts instead of looping forever.
 
 ## Delivery and output
 
-| Mode       | What happens                                             |
-| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `announce` | Deliver summary to target channel (default for isolated) |
-| `webhook`  | POST finished event payload to a URL                     |
-| `none`     | Internal only, no delivery                               |
+| Mode       | What happens                                                        |
+| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `announce` | Fallback-deliver final text to the target if the agent did not send |
+| `webhook`  | POST finished event payload to a URL                                |
+| `none`     | No runner fallback delivery                                         |
 
 Use `--announce --channel telegram --to "-1001234567890"` for channel delivery. For Telegram forum topics, use `-1001234567890:topic:123`. Slack/Discord/Mattermost targets should use explicit prefixes (`channel:<id>`, `user:<id>`).
 
-For cron-owned isolated jobs, the runner owns the final delivery path. The
-agent is prompted to return a plain-text summary, and that summary is then sent
-through `announce`, `webhook`, or kept internal for `none`. `--no-deliver`
-does not hand delivery back to the agent; it keeps the run internal.
-
-If the original task explicitly says to message some external recipient, the
-agent should note who/where that message should go in its output instead of
-trying to send it directly.
+For isolated jobs, chat delivery is shared. If a chat route is available, the
+agent can use the `message` tool even when the job uses `--no-deliver`. If the
+agent sends to the configured/current target, OpenClaw skips the fallback
+announce. Otherwise `announce`, `webhook`, and `none` only control what the
+runner does with the final reply after the agent turn.
 
 Failure notifications follow a separate destination path:
 
@@ -406,15 +403,15 @@ openclaw doctor
 
 ### Cron fired but no delivery
 
-- Delivery mode is `none` means no external message is expected.
+- Delivery mode `none` means no runner fallback send is expected. The agent can
+  still send directly with the `message` tool when a chat route is available.
 - Delivery target missing/invalid (`channel`/`to`) means outbound was skipped.
 - Channel auth errors (`unauthorized`, `Forbidden`) mean delivery was blocked by credentials.
 - If the isolated run returns only the silent token (`NO_REPLY` / `no_reply`),
   OpenClaw suppresses direct outbound delivery and also suppresses the fallback
   queued summary path, so nothing is posted back to chat.
-- For cron-owned isolated jobs, do not expect the agent to use the message tool
-  as a fallback. The runner owns final delivery; `--no-deliver` keeps it
-  internal instead of allowing a direct send.
+- If the agent should message the user itself, check that the job has a usable
+  route (`channel: "last"` with a previous chat, or an explicit channel/target).
 
 ### Timezone gotchas
 

docs/cli/cron.md

@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ Tip: run `openclaw cron --help` for the full command surface.
 Note: isolated `cron add` jobs default to `--announce` delivery. Use `--no-deliver` to keep
 output internal. `--deliver` remains as a deprecated alias for `--announce`.
 
-Note: cron-owned isolated runs expect a plain-text summary and the runner owns
-the final send path. `--no-deliver` keeps the run internal; it does not hand
-delivery back to the agent's message tool.
+Note: isolated cron chat delivery is shared. `--announce` is runner fallback
+delivery for the final reply; `--no-deliver` disables that fallback but does
+not remove the agent's `message` tool when a chat route is available.
 
 Note: one-shot (`--at`) jobs delete after success by default. Use `--keep-after-run` to keep them.
 

docs/help/faq.md

@@ -1094,15 +1094,14 @@ for usage/billing and raise limits as needed.
   <Accordion title="Cron fired, but nothing was sent to the channel. Why?">
     Check the delivery mode first:
 
-    - `--no-deliver` / `delivery.mode: "none"` means no external message is expected.
+    - `--no-deliver` / `delivery.mode: "none"` means no runner fallback send is expected.
     - Missing or invalid announce target (`channel` / `to`) means the runner skipped outbound delivery.
     - Channel auth failures (`unauthorized`, `Forbidden`) mean the runner tried to deliver but credentials blocked it.
     - A silent isolated result (`NO_REPLY` / `no_reply` only) is treated as intentionally non-deliverable, so the runner also suppresses queued fallback delivery.
 
-    For isolated cron jobs, the runner owns final delivery. The agent is expected
-    to return a plain-text summary for the runner to send. `--no-deliver` keeps
-    that result internal; it does not let the agent send directly with the
-    message tool instead.
+    For isolated cron jobs, the agent can still send directly with the `message`
+    tool when a chat route is available. `--announce` only controls the runner
+    fallback path for final text that the agent did not already send.
 
     Debug:
 

src/cli/cron-cli/register.cron-add.ts

@@ -95,9 +95,9 @@ export function registerCronAddCommand(cron: Command) {
       .option("--timeout-seconds <n>", "Timeout seconds for agent jobs")
       .option("--light-context", "Use lightweight bootstrap context for agent jobs", false)
       .option("--tools <list>", "Tool allow-list (e.g. exec,read,write or exec read write)")
-      .option("--announce", "Announce summary to a chat (subagent-style)", false)
-      .option("--deliver", "Deprecated (use --announce). Announces a summary to a chat.")
-      .option("--no-deliver", "Disable announce delivery and skip main-session summary")
+      .option("--announce", "Fallback-deliver final text to a chat", false)
+      .option("--deliver", "Deprecated (use --announce). Fallback-delivers final text to a chat.")
+      .option("--no-deliver", "Disable runner fallback delivery")
       .option("--channel <channel>", `Delivery channel (${getCronChannelOptions()})`, "last")
       .option(
         "--to <dest>",

src/cli/cron-cli/register.cron-edit.ts

@@ -66,9 +66,9 @@ export function registerCronEditCommand(cron: Command) {
       .option("--no-light-context", "Disable lightweight bootstrap context for agent jobs")
       .option("--tools <list>", "Tool allow-list (e.g. exec,read,write or exec read write)")
       .option("--clear-tools", "Remove tool allow-list (use all tools)", false)
-      .option("--announce", "Announce summary to a chat (subagent-style)")
-      .option("--deliver", "Deprecated (use --announce). Announces a summary to a chat.")
-      .option("--no-deliver", "Disable announce delivery")
+      .option("--announce", "Fallback-deliver final text to a chat")
+      .option("--deliver", "Deprecated (use --announce). Fallback-delivers final text to a chat.")
+      .option("--no-deliver", "Disable runner fallback delivery")
       .option("--channel <channel>", `Delivery channel (${getCronChannelOptions()})`)
       .option(
         "--to <dest>",