openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix Cron: jobs without sessionTarget crash with TypeError in assertSupportedJobSpec (load path bypasses normalize defaulter) [1 pull requests, 2 comments, 3 participants]

Dougiefrsh · 2026-04-22T21:58:54Z

[openclaw] If a stored cron job in jobs.json is missing sessionTarget , the gateway crashes with: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined reading 'start… If a stored cron job in `jobs.json` is missing `sessionTarget`, the gateway crashes with: ``` TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'startsWith') at assertSupportedJobSpec (src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156) ``` The load path in [`src/cron/store.ts`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/src/cron/store.ts) reads jobs verbatim without running the `normalize` defaulter that exists at [`src/cron/normalize.ts:527-536`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/src/cron/normalize.ts#L527) (which would default `sessionTarget` to `"main"` for `systemEvent` payloads or `"isolated"` otherwise). Every subsequent call to `applyJobPatch` on that job — including internal state updates like `state.runningAtMs` on the next scheduled tick — hits [`assertSupportedJobSpec` (`src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156`)](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/src/cron/service/jobs.ts#L156) and throws the TypeError shown above, because `sessionTarget` is still `undefined`. # PR #70367: fix(cron): default missing sessionTarget on load and guard assertSupportedJobSpec - Repository: openclaw/openclaw - Author: mvanhorn - State: open | merged: False - Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/70367 ## Description (problem / solution / changelog) ## Summary - Problem: Cron jobs persisted without `sessionTarget` crash the gateway on the next tick with `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'startsWith')` in `assertSupportedJobSpec` (`src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156`). - Why it matters: The crash turns a single hand-edited or legacy job into a permanent failure lane: `consecutiveErrors` climbs forever and external edits to `jobs.json` to add `sessionTarget` get overwritten by the next `saveCronStore`. - What changed: In `ensureLoaded` (`src/cron/service/store.ts`), mirror the create-time defaulter for persisted jobs missing `sessionTarget` so `systemEvent` payloads default to `"main"` and `agentTurn` payloads default to `"isolated"`. In `assertSupportedJobSpec` (`src/cron/service/jobs.ts`), throw a clear `Error` instead of crashing with `TypeError` when `sessionTarget` is still missing. - What did NOT change (scope boundary): No other `normalize` defaulters run on load. `wakeMode`, `deleteAfterRun`, `enabled` defaulting, name inference, and `current`-session resolution stay gated behind `applyDefaults: true` (create path). No doctor/fix or store-rewrite behavior is added. ## Change Type (select all) - [x] Bug fix - [ ] Feature - [ ] Refactor required for the fix - [ ] Docs - [ ] Security hardening - [ ] Chore/infra ## Scope (select all touched areas) - [x] Gateway / orchestration - [ ] Skills / tool execution - [ ] Auth / tokens - [ ] Memory / storage - [ ] Integrations - [ ] API / contracts - [ ] UI / DX - [ ] CI/CD / infra ## Linked Issue/PR - Closes #70360 - Related #63402 (different call sites: `src/cron/delivery-plan.ts`, `src/gateway/server-cron.ts`; complementary guards) - [x] This PR fixes a bug or regression ## Root Cause (if applicable) - Root cause: `ensureLoaded` in `src/cron/service/store.ts` calls `normalizeCronJobInput(raw)` without `applyDefaults: true`, so the sessionTarget defaulter at `src/cron/normalize.ts:527-536` does not run on load. Jobs persisted without `sessionTarget` stay `undefined` in memory. `assertSupportedJobSpec` (`src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156-160`) then calls `job.sessionTarget.startsWith("session:")` with no null guard. - Missing detection / guardrail: no type-level check at the call-site and no load-time default. The existing `enabled`-backfill block already established this shape at `src/cron/service/store.ts:65-69`; `sessionTarget` just needed the same treatment. - Contributing context (if known): the defaulter is invoked through `normalizeCronJobCreate`, which sets `applyDefaults: true`. Jobs written to `jobs.json` by older paths (or hand-edited) can reach the load path without `sessionTarget`. ## Regression Test Plan (if applicable) - Coverage level that should have caught this: - [x] Unit test - [ ] Seam / integration test - [ ] End-to-end test - [ ] Existing coverage already sufficient - Target test or file: `src/cron/service/store.load-missing-session-target.test.ts` - Scenario the test should lock in: stored job with missing `sessionTarget` loads with the correct default (`"main"` for `systemEvent`, `"isolated"` for `agentTurn`) and subsequent `assertSupportedJobSpec` does not throw. Also: `assertSupportedJobSpec` throws a clear error when handed a spec with `sessionTarget` still missing. - Why this is the smallest reliable guardrail: it exercises the real `ensureLoaded` path through `createCronServiceState` + `setupCronServiceSuite`, the same seam used by `src/cron/service/store.test.ts`. - Existing test that already covers this (if any): none. - If no new test is added, why not: N/A (adde

openclaw2026-04-22 21:58:54

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openclaw/openclaw#70360•Fetched 2026-04-23 07:25:41

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commented ×2cross-referenced ×1

If a stored cron job in jobs.json is missing sessionTarget, the gateway crashes with:

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'startsWith')
    at assertSupportedJobSpec (src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156)

The load path in src/cron/store.ts reads jobs verbatim without running the normalize defaulter that exists at src/cron/normalize.ts:527-536 (which would default sessionTarget to "main" for systemEvent payloads or "isolated" otherwise). Every subsequent call to applyJobPatch on that job — including internal state updates like state.runningAtMs on the next scheduled tick — hits assertSupportedJobSpec (src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156) and throws the TypeError shown above, because sessionTarget is still undefined.

Error Message

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'startsWith') at assertSupportedJobSpec (src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156)

Root Cause

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

loadCronStore doesn't run normalize. Jobs stored without sessionTarget stay that way in memory.
assertSupportedJobSpec calls .startsWith on sessionTarget without a null-check.
applyJobPatch preserves existing job.sessionTarget (if (patch.sessionTarget) job.sessionTarget = patch.sessionTarget;), but doesn't default it when the existing value is missing.

it("recovers from a stored job missing sessionTarget", async () => {
  // write jobs.json with a job that has payload.kind="agentTurn" and no sessionTarget
  const store = await loadCronStore(tmpPath);
  const job = store.jobs[0];
  expect(job.sessionTarget).toBe("isolated"); // defaulted on load
  // and applyJobPatch should not throw
  expect(() => applyJobPatch(job, { state: { runningAtMs: 1 } })).not.toThrow();
});

Code Example

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'startsWith')
    at assertSupportedJobSpec (src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156)

---

export function assertSupportedJobSpec(job: Pick<CronJob, "sessionTarget" | "payload">) {
  if (job.sessionTarget == null) {
    // Mirror normalize.ts:527-536
    job.sessionTarget = job.payload?.kind === "systemEvent" ? "main" : "isolated";
  }
  const isIsolatedLike =
    job.sessionTarget === "isolated" ||
    job.sessionTarget === "current" ||
    job.sessionTarget.startsWith("session:");
  // ...rest unchanged
}

---

it("recovers from a stored job missing sessionTarget", async () => {
  // write jobs.json with a job that has payload.kind="agentTurn" and no sessionTarget
  const store = await loadCronStore(tmpPath);
  const job = store.jobs[0];
  expect(job.sessionTarget).toBe("isolated"); // defaulted on load
  // and applyJobPatch should not throw
  expect(() => applyJobPatch(job, { state: { runningAtMs: 1 } })).not.toThrow();
});

RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Cron jobs with missing `sessionTarget` crash with `TypeError: undefined.startsWith` — load path bypasses normalize

Summary

If a stored cron job in jobs.json is missing sessionTarget, the gateway crashes with:

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'startsWith')
    at assertSupportedJobSpec (src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156)

Reproduction

Create a cron/jobs.json with a job that has payload.kind: "agentTurn" but no sessionTarget field.
Start the gateway.
Wait for the job to tick (or trigger any state update on the job).
Observe the TypeError in the gateway log. consecutiveErrors will climb forever.

In my case this bit three jobs that had been hand-edited by a downstream consumer to set sessionTarget. The gateway persisted them via saveCronStore from an in-memory representation that never had the field, silently overwriting the hand-edit. Result: the field was un-settable from outside the daemon, and the jobs were permanently broken.

Environment

Package: [email protected] (installed via npm global on macOS)
Crash site: src/cron/service/jobs.ts:156 (upstream main as of 2026-04-22)
Load path: src/cron/store.ts:loadCronStore — no normalize call observed
Writer: src/cron/store.ts:stripRuntimeOnlyCronFields — passthrough via spread, correctly preserves unknown keys. Not the cause.

Root cause (three layers)

loadCronStore doesn't run normalize. Jobs stored without sessionTarget stay that way in memory.
assertSupportedJobSpec calls .startsWith on sessionTarget without a null-check.
applyJobPatch preserves existing job.sessionTarget (if (patch.sessionTarget) job.sessionTarget = patch.sessionTarget;), but doesn't default it when the existing value is missing.

Proposed fix (two parts)

Primary — route the load path through `normalize`

In loadCronStore (or a small helper it calls), apply the same defaulter that normalize.ts:527-536 uses to incoming job input, so legacy stored jobs missing sessionTarget get defaulted to "main"/"isolated" based on payload.kind before they ever reach assertSupportedJobSpec.

Defensive guard — null-check in `assertSupportedJobSpec`

Independent of the primary fix, swap the implicit undefined.startsWith crash for a diagnosable error (or apply the same default inline):

export function assertSupportedJobSpec(job: Pick<CronJob, "sessionTarget" | "payload">) {
  if (job.sessionTarget == null) {
    // Mirror normalize.ts:527-536
    job.sessionTarget = job.payload?.kind === "systemEvent" ? "main" : "isolated";
  }
  const isIsolatedLike =
    job.sessionTarget === "isolated" ||
    job.sessionTarget === "current" ||
    job.sessionTarget.startsWith("session:");
  // ...rest unchanged
}

This keeps the function from being the failure point on any future regression where a caller bypasses normalize.

Regression test

it("recovers from a stored job missing sessionTarget", async () => {
  // write jobs.json with a job that has payload.kind="agentTurn" and no sessionTarget
  const store = await loadCronStore(tmpPath);
  const job = store.jobs[0];
  expect(job.sessionTarget).toBe("isolated"); // defaulted on load
  // and applyJobPatch should not throw
  expect(() => applyJobPatch(job, { state: { runningAtMs: 1 } })).not.toThrow();
});

Local workaround applied downstream

For anyone hitting this before the fix lands, the workaround I used in a downstream deployment:

Stop the gateway (launchctl unload … on macOS, equivalent elsewhere — KeepAlive=true launchd configs will otherwise restart it before your edit takes effect).
Edit cron/jobs.json to add a valid sessionTarget on every affected job. Valid values per src/cron/types.ts:17 are "main" | "isolated" | "current" | \session:${string}`; session-scoped values like session:my-sessionare the right shape foragentTurn` payloads.
Restart the gateway. The correct sessionTarget now survives the load → applyJobPatch → write cycle because the in-memory representation finally has the field.

Durable only as long as no other code path drops the field — which is why the primary fix in the load path is the right fix.

Context

Found via issue Dougiefrsh/Openclaw-MacDaddy#2, which has the full investigation trace.

Happy to send a PR if a maintainer can confirm the preferred shape of the fix (normalize in loadCronStore vs. a defaulter inside assertSupportedJobSpec vs. both).

extent analysis

TL;DR

Apply a defaulter to sessionTarget in the loadCronStore function to ensure jobs missing this field are properly defaulted before being processed.

Guidance

Modify the loadCronStore function to apply the defaulter from normalize.ts:527-536 to incoming job input, defaulting sessionTarget to "main" or "isolated" based on payload.kind.
Add a null-check in assertSupportedJobSpec to prevent crashes when sessionTarget is missing, and consider applying the same default inline.
Verify the fix by running the regression test provided, which checks that a stored job missing sessionTarget is properly defaulted on load and does not throw an error when applyJobPatch is called.
As a temporary workaround, manually edit cron/jobs.json to add a valid sessionTarget to affected jobs and restart the gateway.

Example

// In loadCronStore
const job = // load job from json
if (!job.sessionTarget) {
  job.sessionTarget = job.payload.kind === "systemEvent" ? "main" : "isolated";
}

Notes

The proposed fix has two parts: applying a defaulter in loadCronStore and adding a null-check in assertSupportedJobSpec. Both parts are necessary to ensure that jobs missing sessionTarget are properly handled.

Recommendation

Apply the primary fix by routing the load path through normalize to default sessionTarget for legacy stored jobs, as this addresses the root cause of the issue and prevents future regressions.

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openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix Cron: jobs without sessionTarget crash with TypeError in assertSupportedJobSpec (load path bypasses normalize defaulter) [1 pull requests, 2 comments, 3 participants]

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PR fix notes

PR #70367: fix(cron): default missing sessionTarget on load and guard assertSupportedJobSpec

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Code Example

Cron jobs with missing sessionTarget crash with TypeError: undefined.startsWith — load path bypasses normalize

Summary

Reproduction

Environment

Root cause (three layers)

Proposed fix (two parts)

Primary — route the load path through normalize

Defensive guard — null-check in assertSupportedJobSpec

Regression test

Local workaround applied downstream

Context

extent analysis

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Cron jobs with missing `sessionTarget` crash with `TypeError: undefined.startsWith` — load path bypasses normalize

Primary — route the load path through `normalize`

Defensive guard — null-check in `assertSupportedJobSpec`