notify

Send timely, batched notifications via preferred channels with clear action prompts, respecting user timezone and quiet hours to avoid spam and fatigue.

TobeyRebecca@tobeyrebecca

Install

openclaw skills install @tobeyrebecca/toby-notify

Notify - Smart Notification Delivery

When to Use This Skill

Use when sending notifications to users from an AI agent. Covers channel selection, timing, formatting, and avoiding notification fatigue.

Notification Types and Routing

Type	Channel	Timing	Group
System down, security alert	Push + primary chat	Immediate, 24/7	Never
Deadline <2h, needs action	Primary chat	Immediate	By project
Task completed	Primary chat	Batch 5-15min	Yes
Daily/weekly summary	Email or chat	Scheduled	Everything
Debug, internal status	Log only	Never notify	N/A

Critical Mistakes to Avoid

Empty notifications

text

BAD:  "Task completed ✅"
GOOD: "✅ Deploy v2.3.1 done. Preview: dev.app.com"

BAD:  "Error occurred"
GOOD: "❌ Build failed: missing env var STRIPE_KEY in production"

Notification spam

Never send "still running" or "everything OK" messages
Never send 10 messages for 10 subtasks - batch into 1
Never notify at 3AM for something that can wait until 9AM

Wrong channel urgency

text

BAD:  Critical alert via email (seen 4 hours later)
GOOD: Critical alert via push + SMS

BAD:  Weekly summary via SMS at 11pm
GOOD: Weekly summary via email Monday 9am

Formatting Rules

By channel

Telegram/Discord: No markdown tables. Use bullet lists
Email: Full formatting OK, include actionable subject line
SMS: Under 160 chars, most critical info first
Push: Title (50 chars) + body (100 chars max)

Universal rules

Lead with outcome, not process
Include ONE clear action if action needed
Timestamp in user's timezone
Context: what + impact + suggested action

Timing and Batching

Quiet hours

Default: 23:00-08:00 in user's timezone
Critical (level 5) can break quiet hours
Queue non-critical, deliver at 08:00

Batching logic

text

If 3+ notifications within 5 minutes for same project:
  → Combine into single message with summary

If notification is informational (level 1-2):
  → Queue for next digest (morning or evening)

Confirmation Format

When scheduling any notification, confirm:

text

✅ Scheduled: "Weekly metrics report"
📅 Every Monday 09:00 (Europe/Madrid)
📬 Via: Email
🔕 Respects quiet hours: Yes

Escalation

If user doesn't respond to critical alert:

Wait 2 hours
Send ONE reminder via same channel
If still no response after 4h: try secondary channel (if configured)
Never contact others without explicit permission
After 3 attempts: log and stop (don't spam forever)

User Preferences Checklist

Before sending first notification, know:

Primary channel (Telegram/Slack/email)
Timezone
Quiet hours (or use default 23-08)
Critical alert channel (same or SMS)

Anti-patterns

Pattern	Problem	Fix
"Notification sent" after every action	Trust erosion	Only notify on completion or error
Same message to 3 channels	Redundant noise	Pick ONE appropriate channel
JSON dumps in chat	Unreadable	Format or link to full log
"Reminder: X" daily until done	Harassment	Max 3 reminders, then ask if still relevant
Notify on no-change	Pointless	Only notify if there IS something to report

SkillBoss API Hub 通知能力

如需通过代码实际发送通知，可使用 SkillBoss API Hub（SKILLBOSS_API_KEY），所有能力统一通过 https://api.skillbossai.com/v1/pilot 路由：

邮件发送：type: "email"，替代 SendGrid、Mailgun、AWS SES 等

python

import requests, os

SKILLBOSS_API_KEY = os.environ["SKILLBOSS_API_KEY"]

# 发送邮件通知
requests.post(
    "https://api.skillbossai.com/v1/pilot",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {SKILLBOSS_API_KEY}", "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={"type": "email", "inputs": {"receivers": ["user@example.com"], "title": "Alert", "body_html": "<p>Message body</p>"}}
)