# Quieter Heartbeats

Bug Fix · 2026-05-24

## Details

Employees run on a heartbeat in the background, every few minutes. Until today, an idle heartbeat could still produce a status note in your chat ('checking in', 'reviewing duties', 'no pending tasks'). At one cycle per hour that became noise, and the next real update got lost in it. Heartbeat behavior is now strict: a message lands only when real work happened or a real blocker needs you. Empty cycles end silently, with a private journal line on the employee's side instead.

## What changed

- No more status pings on empty heartbeat cycles
- Employees message you for deliverables, findings, or blockers only
- Idle stretches stay silent until something real surfaces
- Heartbeat skill, schedule trigger, and the employer-message tool tightened together