cron-patterns

name	cron-patterns
description	Use when designing, reviewing, or scheduling cron jobs for Hermes. Defines scheduling principles, energy matching, slot hygiene, and the recommended Hermes cron schedule.
version	2.0.0
author	Hermes Agent
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["home-assistant","rocha-family","cron","scheduling","automation"],"related_skills":["hermes-cron-schedule","checkin-orchestrator","platform-manager"]}}

Cron Patterns Skill

Overview

Scheduling principles and hygiene for all Hermes cron jobs. Adapted from htekdev/copilot-home-assistant cron.json architecture.

When to Use

• Adding a new cron job
• Reviewing schedule conflicts
• Evaluating job model tier (haiku vs sonnet)
• Post-discharge timing adjustments

Key Principles

• No two jobs share the same minute+hour
• Minimum 3-minute gap between jobs in the same hour
• Lightweight/haiku model for frequent polling
• Sonnet/full model for complex daily tasks
• Early-exit pattern: jobs check if there's anything to do before running
• POST-DISCHARGE: No Paula messages before 9 AM; quiet hours extended to 7 AM

Schedule Slot Architecture

Slot	Minutes	Job Type
Backbone	:00–:03	Heartbeat, mesh, briefings
Family care	:06–:10	NICU, wellness, parenting
Daily tasks	:15–:30	Finance, context audit
Content	:30–:42	Content pipeline (OG domain)
Platform	:45–:53	Reflection, health scan

Recommended Hermes Jobs

Daily Briefing

• morning-briefing | 0 7 * * 1-5 | Weekday briefing (Hector only before 9 AM)
• weekend-briefing | 0 8 * * 0,6 | Weekend briefing

Family Pulse

• wellness-coach-morning | 3 9 * * * | Paula check-in (9 AM, not 8)
• nicu-care-checkin | 6 9,11,13,15,17,19 * * * | Mia NICU monitoring
• parenting-coach-morning | 6 9 * * * | HJ sibling adjustment

Weekly/Monthly

• weekly-planner | 10 19 * * 0 | Sunday evening 7-section brief
• budget-review | 0 10 1 * * | 1st-of-month deep dive

Maintenance

• nightly-reflection | 0 21 * * * | 5-phase reflection cycle
• context-audit | 5 6 * * * | Daily quick scan (silent if clean)

Energy Matching

Time	Cognitive Load	Job Type
6–7 AM	High	Context audit (silent)
7–9 AM	Medium-High	Hector briefings only
9 AM–5 PM	Medium	Nudges, wellness, NICU
5–9 PM	Low	Dinner, evening wellness
9–10 PM	Low	Reflection, memory updates
10 PM–7 AM	Silent	No non-urgent messages

Schedule Hygiene Rules

1. No two jobs share the same minute+hour
2. Always send mesh heartbeat at job start
3. ≤3 jobs within any 15-minute window
4. Disable jobs when their purpose is met (no zombie crons)
5. [SILENT] return if nothing to action (saves tokens)

Common Pitfalls

• Scheduling two jobs at the same minute
• Running heavy sonnet jobs at high frequency
• Not respecting quiet hours for Paula-related jobs
• Forgetting heartbeat-first invariant

Verification Checklist

• No minute conflicts with existing jobs?
• Correct model tier for job complexity?
• Paula-related jobs start at 9 AM or later?
• Heartbeat-first in every run?

Last updated: 2026-06-03 | Migrated to SKILL.md format (Session 18)