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OpenClaw automations

Sessions, subagents, and handoffs explained

Use this page when you need to choose between current-session work, named or persistent session work, isolated runs, and subagent delegation for OpenClaw workflows.

Routing is a workflow choice Where the work lives changes how the workflow behaves.
Use the current session

Best when the live conversation is the value

Use the current session when the task belongs directly in the active conversation and live context is part of the value.

  • follow-up implementation
  • clarifying turns
  • smaller multi-step tasks that do not need strong separation
Use a named or persistent session

Best when recurring work should build context

Persistent session routing is useful when a workflow should keep accumulating context instead of starting fresh every time.

  • standups
  • ongoing planning loops
  • scheduled jobs whose value depends on prior state
Other routing shapes

Choose the smallest context that still fits the job

Bounded clean result

Isolated runs

Best for reports, audits, one-shot automation jobs, and bounded research tasks that should stand on their own.

Bounded side work

Subagents

Best for research side quests, coding or testing side tasks, and investigations with clear output boundaries.

Do not confuse them

Timing, routing, and delegation are different

Cron decides when work runs, session routing decides where context lives, and subagents decide whether a child task should branch off.

Keep workflows honest

Artifact-first handoffs

Good handoffs answer what should exist next, what status it is in, what verification already happened, and what action belongs to the next lane.

Fast routing chooser

Pick the smallest context shape that still fits