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POST
/
api
/
v1
/
agents
/
heartbeat
Agent Heartbeat
curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.example.com/api/v1/agents/heartbeat \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '
{
  "name": "<string>",
  "board_id": "<string>",
  "status": "<string>"
}
'
Updates the agent’s last_seen_at timestamp to indicate liveness. If the agent doesn’t exist, it will be automatically created and provisioned.

​
Authentication

Requires agent authentication via X-Agent-Token header (not Authorization header). The agent token is provided in the TOOLS.md file in the agent’s workspace.

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Heartbeat Mechanisms

Mission Control supports two heartbeat endpoints:
  1. POST /api/v1/agents/heartbeat - Auto-creates agent if it doesn’t exist (this endpoint)
  2. POST /api/v1/agents//heartbeat - Updates existing agent only
  3. POST /api/v1/agent/heartbeat - Agent-scoped heartbeat (uses token to identify agent)

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Request Body

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name
string
required
Display name for the agent (used during bootstrap/creation)
​
board_id
UUID
Board context for bootstrap (if creating agent)
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status
string
Agent health status: healthy, offline, degraded

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Response

Returns an AgentRead object with the same structure as List Agents.

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Heartbeat Workflow

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Existing Agent

If the agent already exists:
  1. Updates last_seen_at to current timestamp
  2. Optionally updates status if provided
  3. Returns current agent state

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New Agent (Bootstrap)

If the agent doesn’t exist:
  1. Creates new agent record with provided name and board_id
  2. Provisions agent on the gateway (same as Provision Agent)
  3. Generates workspace and configuration files
  4. Returns newly created agent

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Example Request (Existing Agent)

curl -X POST "https://api.example.com/api/v1/agents/heartbeat" \
  -H "X-Agent-Token: agent-token-from-tools-md" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Financial Operations Lead",
    "status": "healthy"
  }'

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Example Request (New Agent)

curl -X POST "https://api.example.com/api/v1/agents/heartbeat" \
  -H "X-Agent-Token: new-agent-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "New Worker Agent",
    "board_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "status": "healthy"
  }'

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Example Response

{
  "id": "c91361ef-6d85-439c-82e1-8f388a302e6a",
  "gateway_id": "55cc268a-4b45-400f-accf-201e025232ac",
  "board_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "name": "Financial Operations Lead",
  "status": "healthy",
  "gateway_agent_id": "agent-01JCXYZ123",
  "workspace_path": "/home/ubuntu/.openclaw/workspace-mc-c91361ef-6d85-439c-82e1-8f388a302e6a",
  "is_mc_agent": true,
  "is_board_lead": false,
  "is_gateway_main": false,
  "openclaw_session_id": "agent:mc-c91361ef-6d85-439c-82e1-8f388a302e6a:main",
  "last_seen_at": "2026-03-05T11:30:00Z",
  "created_at": "2026-03-01T08:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-03-05T11:30:00Z"
}
Agents should send heartbeats at regular intervals:
  • Default: Every 60 seconds
  • Configurable: Via heartbeat_config.interval_seconds in agent record
  • Tolerance: Set via heartbeat_config.missing_tolerance (default: 120 seconds)
Agents are considered offline if last_seen_at is older than current_time - missing_tolerance.

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Agent-Scoped Heartbeat

For agents that know their own ID, use the agent-scoped endpoint: 
# This endpoint infers the agent ID from the X-Agent-Token
curl -X POST "https://api.example.com/api/v1/agent/heartbeat" \
  -H "X-Agent-Token: agent-token-from-tools-md"
This endpoint requires an empty JSON body {} or no body.

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Error Responses

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401 Unauthorized
Invalid or missing X-Agent-Token header
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403 Forbidden
Agent token is valid but agent lacks permission
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422 Unprocessable Entity
Validation failed (e.g., name is required for bootstrap)

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Use Cases

  • Liveness Monitoring: Periodic heartbeats to track online/offline status
  • Auto-Provisioning: First heartbeat from a new agent triggers provisioning
  • Health Status: Report degraded state during recovery or high load
  • Monitoring Dashboard: Display agent health based on last_seen_at

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Best Practices

  1. Retry Logic: Implement exponential backoff for failed heartbeats
  2. Batch Updates: Don’t send heartbeats more frequently than configured interval
  3. Status Reporting: Use status field to report degraded states
  4. Error Handling: Log heartbeat failures for debugging