openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Cron exec approval regression in 2026.3.31: previously working scheduled jobs now require/lose approvals; control UI returns “unknown or expired approval id” [1 comments, 2 participants]

gog gmail send --from "[email protected]"
--to [email protected]
--subject "Cron test"
--account [email protected]
--body "test"

Expected behavior

Expected behavior

Cron jobs that were previously working should continue to run unattended after upgrade, including jobs that invoke shell/exec-based CLIs such as gog, bird, curl, and python3.

Specifically:

• scheduled jobs should complete normally without newly requiring manual babysitting
• if approval is required, the approval request should remain valid long enough to approve
• approving from the Control UI should succeed reliably
• Allow once / Always allow should actually permit the pending command to run
• the same cron job should not degrade into fallback text, “prepared but not sent,” or partial completion when the underlying CLI command is otherwise valid
• behavior should be at least as permissive/reliable as it was before the recent update

In short: previously working automations should keep working, and the approval system should be reliable when approval is needed.

Actual behavior

Actual behavior

After updating, previously working cron jobs that rely on shell/exec-based commands no longer run reliably.

Observed behaviors include:

• cron jobs unexpectedly require exec approval where they previously ran unattended
• approving from the Control UI can fail with:
  • GatewayRequestError: unknown or expired approval id
• jobs that should send email sometimes stop at a prepared/degraded state instead of actually sending
• jobs that depend on shell tools like gog, bird, curl, or python3 can partially fail even though those same commands still work when run manually in Terminal
• some jobs emit fallback/apology text (for example saying direct scan/send was unavailable) instead of completing the task
• overall, scheduled automations that worked a couple of days earlier now require manual intervention or fail to complete

OpenClaw version

2026.3.31

Operating system

macOS Tahoe 26.3.1

Install method

Install method Homebrew / npm global install on macOS, with the gateway managed as a LaunchAgent (non-Docker setup).

Model

gpt-5.4

Provider / routing chain

Cron → isolated session → exec/shell → local CLI tools (gog, bird, curl, python3) → external services; approvals via Control UI.

Additional provider/model setup details

Additional provider / model setup details

• Main assistant model configured in OpenClaw
• Cron jobs run in isolated sessions
• Affected jobs use local shell/exec-based CLI tools (gog, bird, curl, python3)
• The issue does not appear to depend on a specific external provider API, because the same underlying CLI commands still work when run manually in Terminal
• This looks like an OpenClaw exec/approval/runtime issue rather than a Gmail/Twitter/Reddit API configuration problem

Models included sonnet 4.6, gemini flash, and qwen 3.5

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

TL;DR

The most likely fix for the regression issue in OpenClaw 2026.3.31 is to investigate and adjust the exec approval behavior for cron/isolated sessions, approval routing/inheritance for scheduled jobs, and control UI approval token handling.

Guidance

1. Investigate exec approval behavior: Check if the update to OpenClaw 2026.3.31 introduced stricter approval requirements for cron jobs and isolated sessions.
2. Verify approval routing and inheritance: Ensure that scheduled jobs are properly inheriting approval settings and that the approval flow is working as expected.
3. Adjust control UI approval token handling: Look into the approval token expiration and handling in the Control UI to prevent "unknown or expired approval id" errors.
4. Test cron jobs with shell/exec-based commands: Validate that cron jobs using shell/exec-based commands, such as gog, bird, curl, and python3, are working as expected after making adjustments.

Example

No specific code example is provided, as the issue seems to be related to the configuration and behavior of OpenClaw rather than a specific code snippet.

Notes

The issue appears to be specific to the OpenClaw 2026.3.31 update and may require adjustments to the exec approval behavior, approval routing, and control UI approval token handling. Further investigation and testing are necessary to determine the root cause and implement a fix.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by adjusting the exec approval behavior and approval routing for scheduled jobs, and investigate the control UI approval token handling to prevent errors. This approach is recommended because it addresses the potential causes of the regression issue and allows for a more targeted fix.