feat(heartbeat): skip API calls when HEARTBEAT.md is effectively empty #1535
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steipete
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Jan 24, 2026
- Added isHeartbeatContentEffectivelyEmpty() to detect files with only headers/comments - Modified runHeartbeatOnce() to check HEARTBEAT.md content before polling the LLM - Returns early with 'empty-heartbeat-file' reason when no actionable tasks exist - Preserves existing behavior when file is missing (lets LLM decide) - Added comprehensive test coverage for empty file detection - Saves API calls/costs when heartbeat file has no meaningful content
Changed instruction text to comment format so new workspaces benefit from heartbeat optimization immediately. Users still get clear guidance on usage.
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Landed via temp rebase onto main.\n\n- Gate: pnpm lint && pnpm build && pnpm test\n- Land commit: dd06028\n- Merge commit: dd06028\n\nThanks @JustYannicc! |
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Summary
Skip heartbeat API calls when HEARTBEAT.md exists but contains no actionable content. Saves API costs when users keep an empty/template HEARTBEAT.md.
Closes #1534
Changes
Core logic
src/auto-reply/heartbeat.ts- NewisHeartbeatContentEffectivelyEmpty()function that detects files with only:#,##, etc.) - note: requires space after#per ATX specfalsefor missing files (LLM decides) or actual contentIntegration
src/infra/heartbeat-runner.ts- Check HEARTBEAT.md content before API call; emitskipped/empty-heartbeat-fileevent when skippingTests
src/auto-reply/heartbeat.test.ts- 11 new unit tests forisHeartbeatContentEffectivelyEmpty()src/infra/heartbeat-runner.returns-default-unset.test.ts- Integration tests verifying skip behaviorTemplate
docs/reference/templates/HEARTBEAT.md- Updated to be effectively empty by default (header only)Behavior Matrix
false# HEARTBEAT.mdtrue# Header\n## Sectiontrue- Check emailfalse#TODO fix(no space)falseTesting
Real-world validation done on live Clawdbot instance.
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