Crane-lift operations are critical in construction. With the advancement of information and communications technologies, crane-lift automation (CLA) has been increasingly explored, but still not systematically understood. This paper aims to examine the key technologies, categorize the levels, and identify the research directions of CLA through a systematic literature review. The review covers 106 journal articles and 15 products, which are examined in terms of sensing and perception, planning and decision-making, and motion control. Results reveal that camera-based sensing and perception dominates CLA studies, and intelligent path re-planning and closed-loop control strategies witness an increase over the past two decades. CLA is categorized into four levels, namely, Operator Assistance, Partial Automation, High Automation, and Full Automation. Six research directions are identified for achieving High and Full Automation, remarkably the multi-sensor integration for real-time collision-free path re-planning. The paper provides a milestone of CLA research and facilitates the development of autonomous cranes. Display omitted •Crane-lift automation (CLA) was reviewed covering 106 journal articles and 15 products•Camera-based sensing and perception dominated CLA research and development•Research on intelligent path finding and closed-loop control witnessed a significant increase•CLA was classified into Operator Assistance, and Partial-, High-, and Full-Automation•Six research directions were identified, e.g., multi-sensor integration for path re-planning