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ollim-bot has seven extensibility mechanisms. Most are file-based — markdown files with YAML frontmatter that the agent creates and manages directly. No code changes required. Adding new MCP tools, Google services, or CLI commands requires forking the repo and editing Python source.

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Decision matrix

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File-based mechanisms

Routines, reminders, webhooks, skills, and subagents are all markdown files with YAML frontmatter. The scheduler picks up routine, reminder, and webhook changes every 10 seconds. Subagent specs are installed to ~/.ollim-bot/.claude/agents/ at startup and discovered by the SDK via setting_sources=["project"]. You can create any of these by talking to the bot, using the CLI, or writing files directly.

Routines

Recurring cron-scheduled prompts that define the bot’s daily rhythm.

Reminders

One-shot time-based nudges with optional follow-up chains.

Webhooks

External HTTP triggers with JSON Schema validation and prompt injection screening.

Skills

Reusable instruction sets loaded into routines and reminders at fire time.

Subagents

Specialized agents for email triage, history review, and more.

Interactive forks

User-initiated branched conversations for focused work.

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Code extension

Adding new MCP tools, Google services, or CLI commands requires modifying the Python source. Fork the repo, make your changes, and pull upstream updates when needed.

Discord tools

Reference for all twelve built-in tools — embeds, pings, file sending, forks, reminders, and chains.

Adding integrations

How to add Google services, MCP tools, CLI commands, and webhook specs.

System prompt

How the system prompt is structured and what gets injected.
You can override a built-in subagent’s prompt without code changes — drop a .md file with the same filename into ~/.ollim-bot/.claude/agents/. See Subagents for the spec format.

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Choosing a mechanism

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Routines vs reminders

Use routines when you want something to fire on a recurring schedule — every weekday at 9am, every Sunday evening. Routines persist until removed. Use reminders when you want a one-shot prompt at a specific time. For progressive workflows (e.g., “check if the user responded, then follow up”), set max-chain and let the agent call follow_up_chain to schedule continuations.

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Webhooks vs routines

Both run as background forks. Use webhooks when the trigger comes from an external system (a GitHub push, a monitoring alert). Use routines when the trigger is time-based. Webhooks include 4-layer input security: JSON Schema validation, content fencing, Haiku screening of strings, and operational limits.

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Skills vs system prompt customization

Use skills when you want a reusable set of instructions that multiple routines or reminders can reference — skills are loaded on demand, so they don’t bloat the system prompt. Use system prompt customization when the instructions should apply to every interaction, not just specific routines.

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Head-to-head comparisons

Both run as background forks, but they serve different timing needs.Use routines for anything that repeats on a schedule. Use reminders for one-shot nudges — and set max-chain when the agent should follow up if the first nudge wasn’t enough.
Not sure which mechanism fits? Describe what you want to the bot — it can look up its own docs and recommend the right approach:
“I want to get a nudge when I’ve been sitting for too long, but only during work hours, and it should back off if I just finished a workout. Check your docs and set it up.”

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Shared configuration

Routines, reminders, and webhooks share these YAML frontmatter fields for background execution:
Routines, reminders, webhooks, and skills are all markdown files with YAML frontmatter stored in ~/.ollim-bot/. The agent can create and manage them directly using Glob, Read, Write, and Edit tools — no CLI required.

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Next steps

Skills

Create reusable instruction sets for routines and reminders.

Subagents

How the five specialized subagents handle documentation, email, history, and more.

Discord tools

Reference for all agent-initiated tools: discord_embed, ping_user, follow_up_chain, and more.

File formats

Full YAML frontmatter specs for routines, reminders, webhooks, and skills.