fix(cron): add retry policy for one-shot jobs on transient errors (#24355) (openclaw#24435) thanks @hugenshen

Verified:
- pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
- pnpm check
- pnpm test -- --run src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts src/config/config-misc.test.ts

Co-authored-by: hugenshen <16300669+hugenshen@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Tak Hoffman <781889+Takhoffman@users.noreply.github.com>

docs/automation/cron-jobs.md

@@ -353,6 +353,38 @@ Notes:
 - Isolated cron run sessions in `sessions.json` are pruned by `cron.sessionRetention` (default `24h`; set `false` to disable).
 - Override store path: `cron.store` in config.
 
+## Retry policy
+
+When a job fails, OpenClaw classifies errors as **transient** (retryable) or **permanent** (disable immediately).
+
+### Transient errors (retried)
+
+- Rate limit (429, too many requests, resource exhausted)
+- Network errors (timeout, ECONNRESET, fetch failed, socket)
+- Server errors (5xx)
+- Cloudflare-related errors
+
+### Permanent errors (no retry)
+
+- Auth failures (invalid API key, unauthorized)
+- Config or validation errors
+- Other non-transient errors
+
+### Default behavior (no config)
+
+**One-shot jobs (`schedule.kind: "at"`):**
+
+- On transient error: retry up to 3 times with exponential backoff (30s → 1m → 5m).
+- On permanent error: disable immediately.
+- On success or skip: disable (or delete if `deleteAfterRun: true`).
+
+**Recurring jobs (`cron` / `every`):**
+
+- On any error: apply exponential backoff (30s → 1m → 5m → 15m → 60m) before the next scheduled run.
+- Job stays enabled; backoff resets after the next successful run.
+
+Configure `cron.retry` to override these defaults (see [Configuration](/automation/cron-jobs#configuration)).
+
 ## Configuration
 
 ```json5
@@ -361,6 +393,12 @@ Notes:
     enabled: true, // default true
     store: "~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json",
     maxConcurrentRuns: 1, // default 1
+    // Optional: override retry policy for one-shot jobs
+    retry: {
+      maxAttempts: 3,
+      backoffMs: [60000, 120000, 300000],
+      retryOn: ["rate_limit", "network", "server_error"],
+    },
     webhook: "https://example.invalid/legacy", // deprecated fallback for stored notify:true jobs
     webhookToken: "replace-with-dedicated-webhook-token", // optional bearer token for webhook mode
     sessionRetention: "24h", // duration string or false
@@ -617,7 +655,7 @@ openclaw system event --mode now --text "Next heartbeat: check battery."
 - OpenClaw applies exponential retry backoff for recurring jobs after consecutive errors:
   30s, 1m, 5m, 15m, then 60m between retries.
 - Backoff resets automatically after the next successful run.
-- One-shot (`at`) jobs disable after a terminal run (`ok`, `error`, or `skipped`) and do not retry.
+- One-shot (`at`) jobs retry transient errors (rate limit, network, server_error) up to 3 times with backoff; permanent errors disable immediately. See [Retry policy](/automation/cron-jobs#retry-policy).
 
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