DenchClaw Notifications: Stay Updated Without Switching Apps

DenchClaw's notification system keeps you informed about what matters — agent task completions, CRM updates, cron job results, incoming messages — without requiring you to constantly check the app. Notifications can appear in the DenchClaw interface itself, as native macOS notifications, or be delivered to your phone via Telegram, WhatsApp, or any other connected channel.

Notification Types in DenchClaw#

DenchClaw generates notifications from several sources:

1. Agent task completions When a subagent finishes a background task (lead enrichment, data import, app build), you get a notification with a summary of what was done.

2. Cron job results Scheduled tasks (daily pipeline summary, renewal reminders, follow-up alerts) deliver their results as notifications at the configured time.

3. Incoming messages Messages on connected channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord) generate a notification badge in the DenchClaw sidebar.

4. CRM entry changes If a colleague updates a shared CRM entry (in a multi-user setup), you can be notified about changes to records you own or follow.

5. App events Custom Dench Apps can emit notifications via the bridge API (dench.ui.notify()).

6. System alerts Low disk space, DuckDB performance warnings, workspace backup reminders.

In-App Notification Center#

The notification bell icon in the DenchClaw top bar shows your unread notification count. Click it to open the notification panel, which shows:

• Timestamp
• Notification type (color-coded icon)
• Summary text
• Link to the relevant entry, app, or conversation

Notifications are stored locally and persist until you dismiss them. They're searchable in the notification panel.

Mark as read: Click any notification to mark it read and navigate to the relevant context. Dismiss all: The "Clear all" button at the top of the notification panel dismisses all read notifications. Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Shift+N opens the notification panel.

Native macOS Notifications#

When DenchClaw is running as a PWA (recommended), it can send native macOS notifications — the same style as Mail, Calendar, and Messages notifications.

Enable in Settings → Notifications → Allow Desktop Notifications. Your browser/PWA will ask for permission the first time.

Native notification features:

• Appear in notification center even when DenchClaw is in the background
• Action buttons: "View," "Dismiss," "Reply" (for messages)
• Badge count on the Dock icon
• Respect Do Not Disturb / Focus mode settings

Notification Channels#

One of DenchClaw's most powerful notification features: you can receive any notification on any connected messaging channel.

If you've connected Telegram, ask DenchClaw:

"Send me a Telegram message whenever a cron job completes."

Now your daily pipeline summary, renewal reminders, and follow-up alerts arrive directly in your Telegram. You can act on them immediately, reply to the AI, or dismiss — without opening the DenchClaw interface at all.

This is especially powerful for mobile use: configure your phone notifications for the most important alerts (deals closing today, overdue follow-ups, agent task results) and let less important notifications queue in the in-app panel.

Custom Notifications from Dench Apps#

Custom Dench Apps can generate notifications using the bridge API:

// Simple notification
await dench.ui.notify({
  title: "Pipeline Updated",
  message: "5 new leads added from today's LinkedIn outreach",
  type: "success"    // success, info, warning, error
});
 
// Notification with action
await dench.ui.notify({
  title: "Deal Alert",
  message: "Apex Corp deal hasn't been updated in 14 days",
  type: "warning",
  action: {
    label: "View Deal",
    href: "/crm/deals/abc-123"
  }
});

These appear in the DenchClaw notification center and (if configured) as native notifications and channel messages.

Notification Rules and Filtering#

Configure which events generate notifications in Settings → Notifications:

notifications:
  agent_completions: true
  cron_results: true
  incoming_messages: true
  crm_updates: false     # only for multi-user setups
  app_events: true
  system_alerts: true
 
  # Channel delivery
  desktop: true
  telegram: true
  whatsapp: false
 
  # Quiet hours
  quiet_hours:
    enabled: true
    start: "22:00"
    end: "08:00"
    timezone: "America/Los_Angeles"

Quiet hours prevent notifications from being sent to channels (Telegram, WhatsApp) during off-hours. Desktop notifications also respect macOS Focus modes.

Notification Priority Levels#

DenchClaw tags notifications with priority levels:

• Critical: System errors, data integrity issues — always delivered
• High: Cron alerts you explicitly configured, pipeline changes, incoming messages — delivered unless quiet hours
• Normal: Task completions, routine CRM updates — in-app only by default
• Low: Background activity logs, minor updates — in-app only, auto-dismissed after 24h

Configure priority thresholds for channel delivery:

"Only send Telegram notifications for High and Critical priority events."

Building Notification-Driven Workflows#

The most powerful use of DenchClaw notifications is building workflows that report results automatically:

1. Deal velocity monitoring: Build a cron that checks for deals stuck in stage for X days and notifies you to take action
2. Data quality alerts: Cron that flags contacts missing email addresses or companies missing employee count
3. Achievement notifications: Cron that checks for closed won deals and celebrates them in your Telegram
4. Competitive intel: Browser agent that monitors competitor websites for changes and notifies you

Each of these is a cron job + notification pipeline that runs completely automatically.

See also: DenchClaw Cron Scheduling for setting up notification-generating scheduled tasks, and DenchClaw Webhooks for triggering external notifications.

Notification Grouping and Prioritization#

When multiple events happen in quick succession — a bulk import adds 50 contacts, or a cron job updates 200 records — DenchClaw groups related notifications rather than flooding the notification center with individual items:

• Bulk operations: "47 contacts updated by enrichment job" (not 47 individual notifications)
• Same record: Multiple updates to the same deal are collapsed into one notification showing all changed fields
• Same agent: Multiple outputs from a subagent run are grouped under one "Agent completed" notification

Priority levels control which notifications can interrupt you with OS popups vs staying silent in the notification center:

When creating programmatic notifications, set priority explicitly:

await dench.ui.notify({
  title: 'Contract signed — immediate action needed',
  body: 'Acme Corp countersigned. Update deal to Closed Won.',
  type: 'warning',
  priority: 'high'  // Forces OS popup even during quiet hours
});

High-priority notifications bypass quiet hours — use sparingly for genuinely urgent items.

Notification History and Audit Trail#

Every notification DenchClaw creates is stored in your local DuckDB workspace. This gives you a searchable, queryable audit trail of everything that happened:

SELECT 
  type,
  title,
  body,
  created_at,
  read_at
FROM notifications
WHERE created_at > CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL 7 DAYS
ORDER BY created_at DESC;

This is useful for:

• Reviewing what your cron jobs actually did last week
• Debugging why a workflow triggered (or didn't)
• Auditing agent activity in shared workspaces
• Building a "recent activity" view in a custom Dench App

The notification history table also integrates with the DenchClaw event system — every notification creates a notification.created event that your custom apps can listen to.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Can I get notifications on my phone?#

Yes. Connect Telegram or WhatsApp to DenchClaw and configure those channels for notification delivery. You'll receive CRM alerts, cron results, and agent updates directly in your mobile messaging app.

How do I stop getting too many notifications?#

Adjust your notification rules in Settings → Notifications. Set most events to "in-app only" and configure channel delivery for only your highest-priority alerts. Enable quiet hours to prevent nighttime interruptions.

Can I reply to notifications to take action?#

If a notification is delivered via Telegram or WhatsApp, you can reply directly in the chat. DenchClaw's AI is listening on those channels and will process your reply as a command. Reply "snooze" to snooze a follow-up reminder, or reply "done" to mark a task complete.

Are notifications stored anywhere?#

In-app notifications are stored in ~/.openclaw-dench/workspace/notifications.db (a small SQLite file). They're retained for 30 days by default. This is separate from your main DuckDB CRM database.

Can multiple apps generate notifications to the same channel?#

Yes. All notifications — whether from the AI agent, cron jobs, or custom Dench Apps — flow through the same notification system and can be routed to the same channels. There's no conflict.

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