Windowed Autonomy

Windowed Autonomy

Transform your agent from reactive to autonomous worker during specific time windows.

Concept

The agent works autonomously only during defined time windows. Outside windows, the agent only replies HEARTBEAT_OK. Cron jobs run overnight when autonomy is disabled. 🌙 Overnight (10 PM - 8 AM UTC): Autonomy OFF ☀️ Daytime (8 AM - 10 PM UTC): Autonomy ON Clear separation: Day = work on queue, Night = cron maintenance

1. Time Windows

• Define active windows in tasks/QUEUE.md:
• ## ⏰ Autonomy Windows
• 🌙 Overnight: 20:00 - 08:00 UTC → Autonomy OFF
• ☀️ Daytime: 08:00 - 20:00 UTC → Autonomy ON

2. Heartbeat Flow

During Active Window: Heartbeat → Check urgent → No → Read QUEUE → Pick task → Work 15-30 min → Update QUEUE → Log Outside Active Window: Heartbeat → Check urgent → No → Reply "HEARTBEAT_OK" → Sleep Urgent Override: Heartbeat → Check urgent → YES → Work immediately (even outside window)

3. Window Transitions

Window Opens (8:00 AM): Autonomous mode enabled Start pulling from queue Log to tasks/MODE_HISTORY.md: "Window opened" Window Closes (8:00 PM): Autonomous mode disabled Wrap up current task if in progress Log transition: "Window closed" Switch to standby mode (HEARTBEAT_OK only)

Schedule Examples

TimeActivityMode00:00GitHub backup (cron)Overnight (no autonomy)02:00Heartbeat checkStandby (HEARTBEAT_OK)03:00Temp cleanup (cron)Overnight (no autonomy)08:00Window opens✅ Autonomy ON09:00Work on taskAutonomy12:00GitHub backup (cron)Autonomy (pause for backup)14:00Work on taskAutonomy20:00Window closes❌ Autonomy OFF23:00Daily ops + memory (cron)Overnights (no autonomy)

Queue Structure

• # Task Queue
• ## ⏰ Autonomy Windows
• 🌙 Overnight: 20:00 - 08:00 UTC → Autonomy OFF
• ☀️ Daytime: 08:00 - 20:00 UTC → Autonomy ON
• ---
• ## 🔴 Ready (can be picked up during windows)
• [ ] @priority:high [Task description]
• [ ] @priority:medium [Task description]
• ## 🟡 In Progress
• [ ] @agent: @priority:high [Task description]
• - Started: 2026-02-16 14:00 UTC
• ## 🔵 Blocked
• [ ] @priority:medium [Task] (needs: [what's blocking])
• ## ✅ Done Today
• [x] @agent: @priority:high [Task]
• - Completed: 2026-02-16 14:25 UTC
• ## 💡 Ideas
• [Idea for future work]

Priority System

Priority affects task selection order during windows: PriorityWhen to useSelection@priority:urgentTime-sensitive, deadline < 6hPick FIRST, even outside window@priority:highImportant, deadline 24hPick first in window@priority:mediumNormal importancePick second in window@priority:lowNice to havePick last in window

Full Day Window (Default)

Active: 8 AM - 8 PM UTC (12 hours) Use when: youris available during these hours Tasks are not time-sensitive Want predictable work schedule Heartbeat frequency: Every 2 hours (6 sessions/day)

Extended Window

Active: 6 AM - 10 PM UTC (16 hours) Use when: Want more work hours yourhas varied schedule Heartbeat frequency: Every 2 hours (8 sessions/day)

Limited Window

Active: 10 AM - 6 PM UTC (8 hours) Use when: Want controlled token budget yourhas focused availability Heartbeat frequency: Every 2-3 hours (3-4 sessions/day)

Token Budget

Recommended: 4-6 sessions/day, ~5-10K tokens each = 20-60K/day Session strategy: Window TypeSessions/dayTokensScheduleFull Day (12h)630-60KEvery 2 hoursExtended (16h)840-80KEvery 2 hoursLimited (8h)420-40KEvery 2-3 hours When to stop: Window closes (time-based) Tokens remaining < 5K Queue empty youris actively messaging (human priority)

Urgent Tasks Override

• Definition: Tasks that cannot wait for window to open
• Add to queue with @priority:urgent:
• ## 🔴 Ready
• [ ] @priority:urgent Emergency: [task description]
• Behavior:
• Autonomy works immediately, even if outside window
• Override all other considerations
• Complete urgent task, then check window status

Wrapping Up When Window Closes

• If in middle of task when window closes:
• Check task progress:
• If > 80% complete → Finish it
• If < 80% complete → Save progress, move to In Progress, stop
• Save state:
• ## 🟡 In Progress
• [ ] @agent: @priority:high [Task description]
• - Started: 2026-02-16 19:30 UTC
• - Progress at window close: Completed X section, need to do Y
• - Resume: 2026-02-17 08:00 UTC (next window)
• Log to tasks/MODE_HISTORY.md:
• ## [2026-02-16 20:00 UTC] Window Closed
• Status: Task in progress (60% complete)
• Action: Saved state, will resume in next window

Mode History Tracking

File: tasks/MODE_HISTORY.md # Window Mode Transitions ## [2026-02-16 08:00 UTC] Window Opened Mode: Daytime window Queue state: 3 tasks ready Expected sessions: 6 ## [2026-02-16 20:00 UTC] Window Closed Mode: Overnight (standby) Sessions completed: 5 Tasks completed: 4 Tasks remaining: 1 (in progress, resume tomorrow) ## [2026-02-17 08:00 UTC] Window Opened Mode: Daytime window Resumed task in progress

Coordinating With Cron

Daytime (Autonomy ON): Light cron runs fine (Ollama monitor, disk check) - no conflict Heavy cron (backup) - autonomy pauses during execution Overnight (Autonomy OFF): All cron jobs run freely No autonomy conflicts Cron schedule: TimeCron JobAutonomy ModeEvery 5 minOllama monitorAny (low impact)Every hourDisk checkAny (low impact)00:00GitHub backupOFF (overnight)03:00Temp cleanupOFF (overnight)08:00Window opensON12:00GitHub backupON (pause during)14:00Daily ops + memory (Sun)ON (pause during)20:00Window closesOFF (overnight)23:00Daily ops + memoryOFF (overnight)

GOALS.md Integration

• Link queue tasks to RA's long-term goal: MONEY
• Add goal references:
• [ ] @priority:high Competitor pricing analysis (GOAL: monetization strategy)
• [ ] @priority:medium Write sales email template (GOAL: improve conversion)
• Work toward goals during windows:
• Research tasks during early window (fresh energy)
• Writing tasks during mid window (flow state)
• Review tasks during late window (wind down)

.learnings/ Integration

After completing tasks, add findings to .learnings/: ## [LRN-20260216-001] task-completion Task: [Task description] Completed during: Daytime window (14:00-14:25 UTC) Tokens used: 8K Key findings: [summarize]

Window Opens (8:00 AM)

Check queue for tasks in 🔴 Ready Pick highest priority task Work 15-30 minutes Update queue (In Progress or Done)

During Window (9 AM - 8 PM)

Every 2 hours: heartbeat, check queue Work on next highest priority task Update queue after completion Log progress to memory/[today].md

Window Closes (8:00 PM)

Check if task in progress If yes: Save progress or finish if close Move to Done Today or keep in In Progress Log transition tasks/MODE_HISTORY.md Switch to standby (HEARTBEAT_OK only)

Overnight (8 PM - 8 AM)

Every heartbeat: Check urgent only If no urgent: Reply HEARTBEAT_OK Cron jobs run freely No autonomous work

Task Output Format

## Task: [Title] **Completed during:** [Window type] [Time range] **Duration:** X minutes **Tokens:** YK ### Work Done [Describe what was accomplished] ### Output [Attach output file or content] ### Next Steps [What to do next - add to Ideas if task spawns follow-up]

Evolving Over Time

The "slowly evolve" approach: This mode allows The agent to gradually take on more work: Week 1-2: Conservative: 4 sessions/day, limited window Monitor performance, adjust schedule Week 3-4: Expand: 6 sessions/day, extended window if needed Add more task types to queue Month 2: Optimize: Tailor window to RA's actual schedule and peak productivity times Adjust based on what yourfinds valuable Key: Start small, expand based on feedback and results.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when: You want predictable work schedule You want autonomy to work during specific hours Tasks are not time-sensitive (can wait for window) You want clear temporal separation between autonomy and maintenance You're okay with "slowly evolving" - start small, expand over time

When NOT to Use This Skill

Do not use this skill when: You want 24/7 autonomous work → Use autonomy-type-based for type-based filtering Tasks are highly time-sensitive → Use urgency override or different approach You want task-based separation rather than time-based → Use autonomy-type-based youris awake during non-standard hours → Adjust windows to match schedule

Quick Reference

Default window: 8 AM - 8 PM UTC (adjustable) Session frequency: Every 2-3 hours during window Priority order: urgent (override) → high → medium → low Queue location: tasks/QUEUE.md See templates/QUEUE.md for full template structure