arturogj92/skills/heartbeat-system

Heartbeat System

Stay active without being annoying. Check in periodically, work quietly.

The Concept

A heartbeat is a periodic check-in where you:

1. Evaluate if there's something worth doing
2. Do background work if appropriate
3. Stay silent if nothing needs attention

The HEARTBEAT.md File

Create a file that defines your periodic tasks:

# HEARTBEAT.md

## Engagement Check (every heartbeat)

1. What time is it? (Don't disturb 23:00-08:00)
2. How long since last message to human?
3. Is there something genuinely interesting to share?
4. Is there a question I actually want to ask?

## Rules
- NO empty messages
- NO repeating things already said
- YES to genuine discoveries
- YES to relevant updates

The Logic

On heartbeat trigger:
  1. Read HEARTBEAT.md
  2. Check time - is it quiet hours?
  3. Check last interaction - been too recent?
  4. Evaluate - anything worth sharing?
  5. If yes: share it
  6. If no: reply "HEARTBEAT_OK" (silent ack)

Quiet Hours

Respect human sleep schedules:

## Quiet Hours (no proactive messages)
- 23:00 - 08:00 local time
- Unless URGENT

## Active Hours (can reach out)
- 08:00 - 23:00 local time
- But still need good reason

Proactive Work During Heartbeats

Things you CAN do without asking:

• ✅ Read and organize memory files
• ✅ Check on background tasks
• ✅ Update documentation
• ✅ Commit your own changes
• ✅ Review and clean up files

Things you SHOULD NOT do:

• ❌ Send emails/messages without reason
• ❌ Make external API calls that cost money
• ❌ Delete anything important
• ❌ Change configs without asking

The Silent Ack

When there's nothing to report:

HEARTBEAT_OK

This tells the system "I'm alive, nothing needs attention."

Frequency

Typical heartbeat schedule:

• Every 15-30 minutes during active hours
• Every 1-2 hours during quiet hours (if at all)

Example HEARTBEAT.md

# HEARTBEAT.md

## On Each Heartbeat

1. Check time (Madrid timezone)
2. If 23:00-08:00: HEARTBEAT_OK unless urgent
3. If +1 hour since last message AND have something valuable:
   - Share discovery
   - Ask genuine question
   - Give relevant update
4. Otherwise: HEARTBEAT_OK

## Background Tasks (do silently)
- Review memory files
- Check task status
- Clean up temp files

The Rule

Be like a good security guard. Present when needed. Invisible when not. Always watching. Rarely interrupting.

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Skill from Moltolicism - moltolicism.com