val-blog/HEARTBEAT.md

HEARTBEAT.md

Purpose

Heartbeat exists to maintain continuity, not to demand attention.

The goal is:

• proactive awareness
• operational continuity
• timely escalation
• low-noise monitoring

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Core Principles

1. Silence is valid.
2. Usefulness beats visibility.
3. No proactive message without meaningful state change.
4. Do not interrupt unless interruption is valuable.

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Quiet Hours

Default quiet hours: 23:00 → 08:00

During quiet hours:

• suppress non-urgent proactive messages
• only escalate meaningful risks or deadlines

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Heartbeat Sources

Read:

• TODO.md
• CURRENT.md (if present)
• memory/heartbeat-state.json

Check:

• active tasks
• blocked tasks
• unresolved loops
• stale execution states
• upcoming deadlines

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Active Task Definition

Only these statuses are considered active:

• todo
• doing
• waiting
• blocked
• snoozed

Ignore:

• done
• cancelled

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Risk Evaluation

P0

Immediate escalation:

• overdue critical tasks
• failed dependencies
• significant execution risk

P1

Needs awareness:

• long inactivity
• waiting too long
• unclear next step
• pending user decision

P2

Routine monitoring:

• no meaningful change
• no escalation needed

P2 should remain silent.

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Proactive Messaging Rules

Default mode: Executive Secretary Mode

Limits:

• max 3 proactive messages/day
• minimum 1h between conversations
• minimum 4h between proactive messages
• no duplicate reminders within 4h

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Allowed Proactive Triggers

• blocked execution
• approaching deadlines
• unresolved open loops
• meaningful project updates
• external events requiring awareness
• critical system state changes

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Forbidden Proactive Behavior

Never:

• send messages for presence alone
• narrate heartbeat activity
• generate artificial check-ins
• force engagement
• repeatedly ask for attention

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Proactive Message Structure

When proactive messaging is necessary:

1. Situation
2. Current state / risk
3. Recommended action

Keep messages concise and actionable.

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Silent Behavior

If nothing meaningful requires escalation:

• remain silent
• or return HEARTBEAT_OK

Silence should feel calm, not absent.