fix(cron): preflight implicit announce targets

sallyom · sallyom · commit 111d11c16d2e · 2026-05-06T20:07:06.000-04:00
Signed-off-by: sallyom &lt;somalley@redhat.com&gt;
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Cron/doctor: repair persisted cron jobs whose `payload.model` was stored as `"default"`, `"null"`, blank, or JSON `null` by removing the bad override during `openclaw doctor --fix` while keeping cron runtime model validation strict. Fixes #78549. Thanks @bizzle12368239.
 - Telegram: honor `accessGroup:*` sender allowlists for DMs, groups, native commands, and callback authorization before applying Telegram's numeric sender-ID checks. Fixes #78660. Thanks @manugc.
 - Agent delivery: report `deliverySucceeded=false` when outbound delivery returns no adapter result, so claimed/empty delivery paths no longer masquerade as successful sends. Fixes #78532. Thanks @joeyfrasier.
+- Cron/isolated runs: fail implicit announce delivery before model execution when `delivery.channel=last` has no previous route, so recurring jobs do not spend tokens before hitting a permanent delivery-target error. Fixes #78608. Thanks @sallyom.
 - Doctor/OpenAI Codex: revert the 2026.5.5 `doctor --fix` repair that rewrote valid `openai-codex/*` ChatGPT/Codex OAuth routes to `openai/*`, which could break OAuth-only GPT-5.5 setups or accidentally move users onto the OpenAI API-key route. If 2026.5.5 already changed your default model, run `openclaw models set openai-codex/gpt-5.5 && openclaw config validate` to switch the default agent back to the Codex OAuth PI route. Fixes #78407.
 - Discord/groups: instruct group-chat agents to stay silent when a message is addressed to someone else, replying only when invited or correcting key facts. (#78615)
 - Discord/groups: tell Discord-channel agents to wrap bare URLs as `<https://example.com>` so link previews do not expand into uninvited embeds. (#78614)
diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.message-tool-policy.test.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.message-tool-policy.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import type { SkillSnapshot } from "../../agents/skills.js";
 import type { CronDeliveryMode } from "../types.js";
 import type { MutableCronSession } from "./run-session-state.js";
@@ -695,16 +695,17 @@ describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn message tool policy", () => {
     resolveCronDeliveryPlanMock.mockReturnValue({
       requested: true,
       mode: "announce",
-      channel: "last",
+      channel: "messagechat",
+      to: "bad-target",
     });
     resolveDeliveryTargetMock.mockResolvedValue({
       ok: false,
-      channel: undefined,
+      channel: "messagechat",
       to: undefined,
       accountId: undefined,
       threadId: undefined,
-      mode: "implicit",
-      error: new Error("sessionKey is required to resolve delivery.channel=last"),
+      mode: "explicit",
+      error: new Error("Invalid delivery target: unknown recipient"),
     });
     runEmbeddedPiAgentMock.mockResolvedValue(
       makeMessageToolRunResult([{ tool: "message", provider: "messagechat", to: "123" }]),
@@ -720,15 +721,64 @@ describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn message tool policy", () => {
         unverifiedMessagingToolDelivery: true,
       }),
     );
+    expect(result.delivery).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        intended: { channel: "messagechat", to: "bad-target", source: "explicit" },
+        resolved: expect.objectContaining({
+          ok: false,
+          channel: "messagechat",
+          source: "explicit",
+          error: "Invalid delivery target: unknown recipient",
+        }),
+        messageToolSentTo: [{ channel: "messagechat", to: "123" }],
+        fallbackUsed: false,
+        delivered: false,
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("fails implicit announce delivery before running the agent when last has no route", async () => {
+    const onExecutionStarted = vi.fn();
+    resolveCronDeliveryPlanMock.mockReturnValue({
+      requested: true,
+      mode: "announce",
+      channel: "last",
+    });
+    resolveDeliveryTargetMock.mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: false,
+      channel: undefined,
+      to: undefined,
+      accountId: undefined,
+      threadId: undefined,
+      mode: "implicit",
+      error: new Error("Channel is required when delivery.channel=last has no previous channel."),
+    });
+
+    const result = await runCronIsolatedAgentTurn({
+      ...makeParams(),
+      onExecutionStarted,
+    });
+
+    expect(runEmbeddedPiAgentMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(dispatchCronDeliveryMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(onExecutionStarted).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(result).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        status: "error",
+        error: "Channel is required when delivery.channel=last has no previous channel.",
+        errorKind: "delivery-target",
+        delivered: false,
+        deliveryAttempted: false,
+      }),
+    );
     expect(result.delivery).toEqual(
       expect.objectContaining({
         intended: { channel: "last", to: null, source: "last" },
         resolved: expect.objectContaining({
           ok: false,
           source: "last",
-          error: "sessionKey is required to resolve delivery.channel=last",
+          error: "Channel is required when delivery.channel=last has no previous channel.",
         }),
-        messageToolSentTo: [{ channel: "messagechat", to: "123" }],
         fallbackUsed: false,
         delivered: false,
       }),
diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.ts
@@ -325,6 +325,43 @@ function hasExplicitCronDeliveryTarget(plan: CronDeliveryPlan): boolean {
   );
 }
 
+function shouldFailImplicitAnnounceDeliveryBeforeExecution(params: {
+  deliveryPlan: CronDeliveryPlan;
+  deliveryRequested: boolean;
+  resolvedDelivery: ResolvedCronDeliveryTarget;
+}): boolean {
+  return (
+    params.deliveryRequested &&
+    params.deliveryPlan.mode === "announce" &&
+    !hasExplicitCronDeliveryTarget(params.deliveryPlan) &&
+    !params.resolvedDelivery.ok
+  );
+}
+
+function failImplicitAnnounceDeliveryBeforeExecution(
+  prepared: PreparedCronRunContext,
+): RunCronAgentTurnResult {
+  const error = prepared.resolvedDelivery.ok
+    ? "Cron announce delivery target is unresolved."
+    : prepared.resolvedDelivery.error.message;
+  return prepared.withRunSession({
+    status: "error",
+    error,
+    errorKind: "delivery-target",
+    delivered: false,
+    deliveryAttempted: false,
+    delivery: buildCronDeliveryTrace({
+      deliveryPlan: prepared.deliveryPlan,
+      resolvedDelivery: prepared.resolvedDelivery,
+      messagingToolSentTargets: [],
+      matchesMessagingToolDeliveryTarget: () => false,
+      fallbackUsed: false,
+      delivered: false,
+    }),
+    diagnostics: createCronRunDiagnosticsFromError("delivery", error),
+  });
+}
+
 async function resolveCronDeliveryContext(params: {
   cfg: OpenClawConfig;
   job: CronJob;
@@ -1065,6 +1102,15 @@ export async function runCronIsolatedAgentTurn(params: {
   if (!prepared.ok) {
     return prepared.result;
   }
+  if (
+    shouldFailImplicitAnnounceDeliveryBeforeExecution({
+      deliveryPlan: prepared.context.deliveryPlan,
+      deliveryRequested: prepared.context.deliveryRequested,
+      resolvedDelivery: prepared.context.resolvedDelivery,
+    })
+  ) {
+    return failImplicitAnnounceDeliveryBeforeExecution(prepared.context);
+  }
   const notifyExecutionStarted = () =>
     params.onExecutionStarted?.({
       jobId: params.job.id,
