# How the Agent Reach Watch Command Performs Health Checks for Scheduled Monitoring > Learn how the Agent Reach watch command performs scheduled monitoring health checks. Discover its lightweight diagnostics and concise status reports for cron jobs. - Repository: [Pnant/Agent-Reach](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-06-07 --- **The `agent-reach watch` command performs lightweight, non-interactive health checks by loading the user configuration, executing full channel diagnostics via `check_all()`, and emitting a concise one-line status report ideal for cron-based scheduled monitoring.** The `watch` sub-command in the **Panniantong/Agent-Reach** repository provides a "cron-friendly" entry point for automated health monitoring. Unlike interactive CLI commands, this utility is designed to run silently in scheduled environments while providing immediate visibility into channel health and availability updates. ## Architecture of the Watch Command Health Check The implementation in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) (lines 1678-1741) defines the `_cmd_watch` function, which orchestrates a four-phase health verification process without requiring user interaction. ### Loading User Configuration First, the command initializes a `Config()` instance that reads settings from `~/.agent-reach/config.yaml`. This ensures the watch command operates with the same parameters used during installation or manual doctor runs, maintaining consistency across different execution contexts. ### Executing Full Channel Diagnostics The core health validation occurs through `check_all(config)` imported from `agent_reach.doctor`. This function iterates over every channel retrieved via `get_all_channels()` and invokes the channel-specific `check(config)` method defined in [`agent_reach/channels/base.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/channels/base.py). Each channel returns a dictionary containing `status`, `name`, `message`, `tier`, and `backends` fields, creating a comprehensive health snapshot. ### Aggregating Health Results After collecting channel responses, the watch command categorizes results into three severity levels: - **Hard failures**: Channels reporting `status` of `off` or `error` receive an `[X]` marker - **Warnings**: Channels with `status` of `warn` receive a `[!]` marker - **Healthy**: Channels with passing status contribute to the "ok" count This aggregation produces a concise ratio of healthy versus total channels (e.g., "5/7 channels available"). ### Version Update Detection The command performs a single HTTPS request to `https://api.github.com/repos/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/releases/latest`. When the returned tag name differs from the current `__version__`, the watch command stores the new version and release notes for inclusion in the output report. ## Output Format and Monitoring Integration When all channels pass and no updates exist, the command outputs a minimal one-line status: ```text Agent Reach: 全部正常 (X/Y 渠道可用，vZ 已是最新) ``` This terse format ensures monitoring tools and log aggregators capture a brief "all-clear" message without noise. If issues exist or updates are available, the output expands to a structured report containing the current version and channel health ratio (`ok/total`), enumerated problem lines with severity markers, and new version information with truncated release notes. ## Implementing Scheduled Monitoring with Cron Because `watch` performs no installations or interactive prompts, it is safe to schedule via `crontab`. Run manually: ```bash agent-reach watch ``` Schedule daily execution: ```bash 0 2 * * * /home/you/.local/bin/agent-reach watch >> /home/you/agent-reach.log 2>&1 ``` Programmatic usage: ```python from agent_reach.cli import _cmd_watch if __name__ == "__main__": _cmd_watch() # prints the same output as `agent-reach watch` ``` ## Summary - The `agent-reach watch` command in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) provides non-interactive health monitoring suitable for automation - Health checks execute via `check_all()` in [`agent_reach/doctor.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/doctor.py), which validates every configured channel through the `BaseChannel.check()` contract - Results are aggregated into severity categories (error, warn, ok) and summarized as a channel availability ratio - The command checks for newer releases via the GitHub API without impacting health check performance - Output formats adapt to context: single-line for success states, multi-line diagnostic detail when failures occur ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which source file contains the watch command implementation? The `_cmd_watch` function is implemented in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) between lines 1678 and 1741. This module handles configuration loading, health check orchestration, update detection, and formatted output generation. ### How does the watch command differ from the doctor command? While both use `check_all()` from [`agent_reach/doctor.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/doctor.py) to validate channels, the watch command is optimized for automation. It suppresses interactive prompts, emits machine-friendly one-line output when healthy, and includes version update checking, whereas the doctor command typically provides detailed, human-readable diagnostics and may offer repair options. ### What specific channel data does the health check evaluate? Each channel returns a status dictionary containing `status` (off/error/warn), `name`, `message` (descriptive failure text), `tier` (service level), and `backends` (infrastructure details). The watch command specifically monitors the `status` field to determine overall system health. ### Can the watch command be used in containerized or CI/CD environments? Yes. Because the command requires no TTY interaction and exits with appropriate status codes based on health check results, it integrates seamlessly into Docker health checks, Kubernetes liveness probes, or CI/CD pipeline validation steps by executing `agent-reach watch` as a validation stage.