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Polling Best Practices
by
Skywalker326
· GitHub ↗
· v1.0.1
· MIT-0
137
Downloads
0
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0
Active Installs
2
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install polling-best-practices
Description
Best practices for automating long-running, asynchronous tasks via cron-style polling. Use when the user wants to monitor a background CLI command or API cal...
Usage Guidance
This skill appears coherent and benign, but it executes user-supplied commands via a template script, so: (1) review any POLL_COMMAND or task.json contents before running; do not embed credentials or secrets in commands or task files; (2) run the template in a restricted account or sandbox (not as root) until you trust the commands; (3) verify parse rules (jq/grep) to avoid false positives/negatives; (4) set conservative POLL_INTERVAL/MAX_POLLS to avoid excessive retries or charges; (5) inspect logs and temp folders after runs and delete sensitive artifacts. If you plan to let an agent run this autonomously, require an explicit confirmation step from the human and limit the scope of commands the agent may run.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Name/description match the contents: a guidance SKILL.md and a single, clearly-labeled polling script template. The skill requests no env vars, no binaries, and contains only guidance plus a convenience script — all appropriate for a 'polling best practices' skill.
Instruction Scope
SKILL.md stays within its stated scope (deciding suitability, asking for a one-time confirmation, creating per-task temp folders, writing task.json, monitoring status). It explicitly requires explicit user confirmation before starting. Note: the provided template runs arbitrary shell commands (POLL_COMMAND evaluated via eval), so the agent or user must not run it without reviewing the command contents. This is expected for a general-purpose polling helper but is a security consideration the user should understand.
Install Mechanism
No install spec; instruction-only skill with an included template file. Nothing is downloaded or written by an installer — low install risk.
Credentials
The skill declares no required environment variables or credentials. However, the workflow stores parameters in task.json and runs user-supplied commands; users should avoid embedding secrets in those files or commands.
Persistence & Privilege
always:false and no special privileges requested. The skill does not request persistent presence or modify other skills or system-wide agent settings.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install polling-best-practices - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/polling-best-practices - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.1
Replaced example task name with generic placeholder to avoid any context-specific naming.
v1.0.0
Initial release: guidance skill for automating long-running async tasks via cron-style polling. Covers suitability checklist, one-time user confirmation, temp folder structure, script templates, error handling, and completion workflow. Language-aware (bilingual ask/notify). Includes a reusable poll-template.sh script.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Polling Best Practices?
Best practices for automating long-running, asynchronous tasks via cron-style polling. Use when the user wants to monitor a background CLI command or API cal... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 137 downloads so far.
How do I install Polling Best Practices?
Run "/install polling-best-practices" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Polling Best Practices free?
Yes, Polling Best Practices is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Polling Best Practices support?
Polling Best Practices is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Polling Best Practices?
It is built and maintained by Skywalker326 (@skywalker-lili); the current version is v1.0.1.
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