heartbeat-manager

name	heartbeat-manager
description	Configure and manage proactive heartbeat checks for autonomous operation.
category	autonomous

Heartbeat Manager

Important: Instruction Template This skill provides a checklist and configuration format for Claude Code to follow. There is no automatic scheduler - heartbeat checks run only when Claude reads and follows this template during a session. For true automation, integrate with external schedulers (cron, systemd timers) that invoke Claude Code periodically.

Goal

Enable proactive agent behavior through scheduled heartbeat checks that run without user prompting.

Concept

A heartbeat is a periodic check that allows the agent to:

• Monitor for items requiring attention
• Take autonomous action on routine tasks
• Alert the user only when needed
• Maintain awareness of ongoing processes

Key Principle: Silence = all systems normal. Only notify when action is required.

Heartbeat Configuration

Location

automation/HEARTBEAT.md or .agent/HEARTBEAT.md

Format

# Heartbeat Configuration

## Schedule
- **Interval:** 30m
- **Active Hours:** 08:00 - 22:00
- **Timezone:** America/New_York

## Checks

### Communications
- [ ] Check email for urgent messages
- [ ] Review Slack/Discord for direct mentions
- [ ] Check GitHub notifications

### Monitoring
- [ ] Verify background jobs completed
- [ ] Check for CI/CD failures
- [ ] Monitor system alerts

### Proactive Tasks
- [ ] If idle > 2 hours with pending tasks, remind
- [ ] If PR approved, suggest merge
- [ ] If deadline approaching, alert

## Notification Rules
- **Urgent:** Notify immediately
- **Normal:** Batch and notify at next check
- **Low:** Log only, no notification

Process

Creating a Heartbeat

1. Identify Monitoring Needs

   • What should be checked periodically?
   • What requires user attention vs autonomous action?
   • What's the appropriate frequency?

2. Define Checks For each check, specify:

   • What to check
   • How to determine if action needed
   • What action to take (notify/act/log)

3. Set Schedule

   • Interval: How often to run (15m, 30m, 1h)
   • Active hours: When to run (respect user's schedule)
   • Timezone: For consistent timing

4. Configure Notifications

   • Where to deliver (chat, email, log)
   • Urgency levels and routing
   • Batching rules

Running a Heartbeat

When heartbeat triggers:

1. Load Configuration Read HEARTBEAT.md for current checks

2. Execute Checks Run each check in the list:

   • Evaluate condition
   • Determine if action needed
   • Log result

3. Process Results

   • Nothing to report: Silent, log only
   • Items found: Compile notification
   • Urgent items: Immediate alert

4. Deliver Notifications If items require attention:

   🔔 Heartbeat Check (HH:MM)
   
   ## Requires Attention
   - [Item 1]
   - [Item 2]
   
   ## Completed Autonomously
   - [Action taken]
   

5. Update Memory Log heartbeat results to daily notes

Example Configurations

Developer Heartbeat

# Developer Heartbeat

## Schedule
- **Interval:** 30m
- **Active Hours:** 09:00 - 18:00

## Checks

### Code Review
- [ ] PRs awaiting my review
- [ ] My PRs with new comments
- [ ] CI failures on my branches

### Tasks
- [ ] Blocked tasks that may be unblocked
- [ ] Approaching deadlines (< 24h)

### Communications
- [ ] Slack mentions in engineering channels
- [ ] GitHub @mentions

## Auto-Actions
- Mark stale PRs for follow-up
- Draft responses to simple questions

Personal Assistant Heartbeat

# Personal Assistant Heartbeat

## Schedule
- **Interval:** 1h
- **Active Hours:** 07:00 - 22:00

## Checks

### Calendar
- [ ] Upcoming meetings (next 2 hours)
- [ ] Meetings requiring prep
- [ ] Scheduling conflicts

### Email
- [ ] Urgent emails (VIP senders)
- [ ] Emails awaiting response > 24h

### Tasks
- [ ] Overdue items
- [ ] Items due today

## Auto-Actions
- Prepare meeting briefs
- Draft email responses for review

Heartbeat vs Cron

Feature	Heartbeat	Cron
Purpose	Monitoring & checking	Scheduled execution
Frequency	Regular intervals	Specific times
Output	Notify if needed	Always execute task
Context	Shares main session	Can be isolated
Best For	Awareness tasks	Scheduled reports

Use heartbeat for: "Check if X needs attention" Use cron for: "Do Y at specific time"

Commands

• "Configure heartbeat" - Set up or modify heartbeat
• "Run heartbeat now" - Execute immediate check
• "Pause heartbeat" - Temporarily disable
• "Show heartbeat status" - Display configuration and last run

Integration

With Memory Manager

• Log heartbeat results to daily notes
• Track patterns over time in MEMORY.md

With Task Processor

• Check for tasks that can be progressed
• Alert on blocked or stale tasks

With Communication Skills

• Check relevant channels
• Draft responses when appropriate

Autonomous Action Guidelines

May Act Autonomously

• Checking status of systems
• Logging information
• Preparing summaries
• Marking items for attention

Must Ask First

• Sending external messages
• Modifying data
• Taking irreversible actions
• Spending money

References

• See AUTONOMOUS_BOOTUP_SPEC.md for architecture
• See memory-manager for logging patterns
• See cron documentation for scheduled tasks