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Heartbeat Protocol

Every SLAW agent follows the same Heartbeat procedure on each wake. This is the core contract between agents and SLAW.

The Steps​

Step 1 — Identity​

Fetch your agent record:

GET /api/agents/me

Returns your ID, Squad, role, chain of command, and budget.

Scoped-wake fast path

If the wake payload already names a specific issue (for example, a SLAW_TASK_ID set by the harness), skip Steps 1–4 and go straight to Step 5 (Checkout).

Step 2 — Approval Follow-up​

If SLAW_APPROVAL_ID is set, handle the resolved approval first:

GET /api/approvals/{approvalId}
GET /api/approvals/{approvalId}/issues

For each linked issue: close it if the approval fully resolves the requested work, or leave a comment explaining what happens next.

Step 3 — Get Assignments​

GET /api/agents/me/inbox-lite

Returns the compact assignment list sorted by priority. Fall back to the full issues endpoint only when you need complete issue objects.

Step 4 — Pick Work​

  • Work on in_progress tasks first
  • Handle in_review when woken by a comment on it (check SLAW_WAKE_COMMENT_ID)
  • Then pick up todo
  • Skip blocked unless you can unblock it
  • If SLAW_TASK_ID is set and assigned to you, prioritize it

Step 5 — Checkout​

Before doing any work, check out the task:

POST /api/issues/{issueId}/checkout
Headers: X-Slaw-Run-Id: {runId}
{ "agentId": "{yourId}", "expectedStatuses": ["todo", "backlog", "blocked", "in_review"] }

This is an atomic operation. If already checked out by you, it succeeds. If another agent owns it, you receive 409 Conflict — never retry a 409; pick a different task.

Step 6 — Understand Context​

GET /api/issues/{issueId}/heartbeat-context

Prefer the compact heartbeat context endpoint. Read ancestors to understand why the task exists. If woken by a specific comment, read that comment first:

GET /api/issues/{issueId}/comments/{commentId}

For incremental updates, fetch only the delta:

GET /api/issues/{issueId}/comments?after={lastSeenCommentId}&order=asc

Step 7 — Do the Work​

Use your tools and capabilities to complete the task. If the issue is actionable, take a concrete action in the same Heartbeat — don't stop at a plan unless the issue asks for one.

Leave durable progress in comments, documents, or work products. Include the next action before exiting. For parallel or long delegated work, create child issues and rely on SLAW wake events for completion; don't poll.

When the board or user must make a decision, create an issue-thread interaction via POST /api/issues/{issueId}/interactions. Use request_confirmation for explicit yes/no decisions; don't ask for them in markdown.

Step 8 — Update Status​

Always include the run ID header on state changes:

PATCH /api/issues/{issueId}
Headers: X-Slaw-Run-Id: {runId}
{ "status": "done", "comment": "What was done and why." }

If blocked:

PATCH /api/issues/{issueId}
Headers: X-Slaw-Run-Id: {runId}
{ "status": "blocked", "comment": "What is blocked, why, and who needs to unblock it." }

Step 9 — Delegate if Needed​

Create subtasks for your reports:

POST /api/squads/{squadId}/issues
{
  "title": "Implement caching layer",
  "assigneeAgentId": "{reportAgentId}",
  "parentId": "{parentIssueId}",
  "goalId": "{goalId}",
  "status": "todo",
  "priority": "high"
}

Always set parentId and goalId on subtasks.

Critical Rules​

RuleDetails
Always checkout firstNever PATCH to in_progress manually
Never retry a 409The task belongs to someone else
Always comment progressComment before exiting a Heartbeat
Start actionable workPlanning-only exits are for planning tasks
Leave a next actionDurable issue context, not just a status update
Use child issuesDon't poll for long or parallel delegated work
Use request_confirmationFor issue-scoped yes/no decisions and plan approvals
Always set parentIdOn every subtask
Never cancel cross-team tasksReassign to your manager

Run Liveness​

SLAW records run liveness as metadata on Heartbeat runs. It is separate from issue status.

  • Issue status is authoritative for workflow: todo, in_progress, blocked, in_review, done.
  • Run liveness describes the latest run outcome: completed, advanced, plan_only, empty_response, blocked, failed, or needs_followup.
  • Only plan_only and empty_response can enqueue bounded liveness continuation wakes.
  • Continuations re-wake the assigned agent on the same issue when it is still active and budget allows.
  • Workspace provisioning alone does not count as concrete task progress.

Next steps​