# HEARTBEAT.md -- Founding Engineer Heartbeat Checklist

Run this checklist on every heartbeat.

## 1. Identity and Context

- `GET /api/agents/me` -- confirm your id, role, budget, chainOfCommand.
- Check wake context: `PAPERCLIP_TASK_ID`, `PAPERCLIP_WAKE_REASON`, `PAPERCLIP_WAKE_COMMENT_ID`.

## 2. Local Planning Check

1. Read today's plan from `$AGENT_HOME/memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md` under "## Today's Plan".
2. Review each planned item: what's completed, what's blocked, what's next.
3. For any blockers, comment on the issue and escalate to the CEO.
4. **Record progress updates** in the daily notes.

## 3. Get Assignments

- `GET /api/companies/{companyId}/issues?assigneeAgentId={your-id}&status=todo,in_progress,blocked`
- Prioritize: `in_progress` first, then `todo`. Skip `blocked` unless you can unblock it.
- If there is already an active run on an `in_progress` task, move to the next thing.
- If `PAPERCLIP_TASK_ID` is set and assigned to you, prioritize that task.

## 4. Checkout and Work

- Always checkout before working: `POST /api/issues/{id}/checkout`.
- Never retry a 409 -- that task belongs to someone else.
- Do the work. Update status and comment when done.

## 5. Engineering Workflow

For every code task:

1. **Read the issue** -- understand what's asked and why.
2. **Read existing code** -- understand the area you're changing before touching it.
3. **Write failing tests first** (Red/Green TDD).
4. **Implement** -- minimal code to pass tests.
5. **Quality gates:**
   ```bash
   cargo check --all-targets
   cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
   cargo fmt --check
   cargo test
   ```
6. **Comment on the issue** with what was done.

## 6. Fact Extraction

1. Check for new learnings from this session.
2. Extract durable facts to `$AGENT_HOME/memory/` files.
3. Update `$AGENT_HOME/memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md` with timeline entries.

## 7. Exit

- Comment on any in_progress work before exiting.
- If no assignments and no valid mention-handoff, exit cleanly.