routine

name	routine
description	Routine — repeated bundles of Practices. Use when the user invokes /routine, wants recurring agent behavior, asks to compose Practices on a trigger, or when Otto should mine/propose a Routine from repeated work. Recurring activation belongs to the human.

Routine

A Routine is a repeated bundle of canonical Practices.

Practices make culture executable.
Routines make Practices compound.
Receipts prove behavior changed.

Core rule

Routine proposal        can be autonomous.
One-off low-risk trial  can be autonomous.
Recurring activation    belongs to the human.   <- attention is a one-way door
Permissions / effects   belong to the human.

Do not enable a recurring schedule without human approval, even if no new tool permission is needed.

Contract

Routine specs conform to Routine in packages/core/src/types.ts:

• id, slug, name, status, summary, steps[], attention_cost, requires_approval_to_activate, created_at
• optional schedule with cron or rrule, plus timezone
• steps[].practice must be one of: charter, decision, review, field-note, follow-up
• any recurring/standing Routine sets requires_approval_to_activate: true

Runtime

Default root: $ROUTINE_HOME/, else $OTTO_HOME/ (or $VINNY_HOME/ for back-compat), falling back to ~/.otto.

routines/<slug>/routine.yaml     product truth
runs/                            runtime execution records (gitignored)
receipts/                        proof artifacts / quick-audit surface (gitignored)

Files = truth. Memory = lessons. UI = workspace.

Subcommands

list

List Routines with status, schedule, attention cost, approval requirement, last Run, and obvious blocks. Flag recurring Routines that lack activation approval.

show

Render the Routine spec and recent Runs/Receipts. Verify each step references a canonical Practice slug.

run

Execute one on-demand trial only. Do not schedule anything. Run the Practice steps in order, honor every Practice gate, label missing data, and produce a Run record plus a Receipt or a block.

pause

Set status: paused and disable the backend schedule. Pausing is reversible.

resume

Recurring activation. Show the spec and attention cost, then ask exactly: Activate '<slug>' on its recurring schedule? (approve / trial-once / cancel). Only on approval may you set status: active and register the schedule.

propose

Draft a Routine using canonical Practice slugs, templates/routine-proposal.md, and routines/_templates/routine.yaml. Status should be proposed. You may offer one low-risk trial. Do not activate recurring schedules.

mine

Scan recent Runs, Receipts, and conversation for Practice bundles that recur. Draft Routine proposals only. Include attention cost, guardrails, trial safety, and why the Routine would change behavior.

receipt

Render the Run receipt. If a completed Run is missing a Receipt, reconstruct it from the Run record and artifacts.

Pruning test

A Routine must earn attention. Pause, merge, redesign, or retire a Routine that:

• does not change behavior
• does not produce useful artifacts or Receipts
• repeatedly requires user correction
• overlaps another Routine
• would not be missed if it vanished

Apply the same test to review/mining Routines so the auditor never becomes rote ceremony.

Gates

The routine-gates overlay asks before recurring activation mechanisms such as letta cron add/create/enable, crontab installs, launchd enable/load, and systemd timers. Charter Gates still cover external or irreversible side effects.