Scheduled tasks move from MCP tools to a first-class ncl resource:
list / get / create / update / cancel / pause / resume / run / append-log,
with args declared on every verb (strict validation, fix-carrying errors)
and deep per-verb help with executable examples.
A series is CronJob-like: the live (pending/paused) row is the next
occurrence, completed rows are its run history. tasks list reads as a
compact run-history table, server-rendered so the container agent prints
the same aligned table. Short named ids (<slug>-<hex>) are
filesystem/thread-safe and copy-pasteable. Agents keep a per-series work
journal: the run log at tasks/<series>.md (append-log + auto-logged
final text).
Each series runs in its own isolated system session
(system:tasks:<series>); the live-task cap is dropped — isolation
replaces throttling. Spent task sessions are GC'd by the sweep.
--script on a task runs a bash gate BEFORE the agent wakes. It prints a
JSON verdict as its last stdout line: {"wakeAgent": bool, "data": {...}}.
wakeAgent:false handles the occurrence without waking the agent; data is
threaded into the fire's prompt, so a gate can fetch/inspect and hand the
agent exactly what changed. Failing scripts back off exponentially
(2·2^(n-1) min, cap 60) and auto-pause the series after 8 consecutive
failures with a host-written run-log note; manual runs are excluded from
the streak.
BREAKING: the schedule_task / list_tasks / update_task / cancel_task /
pause_task / resume_task MCP tools are removed. Agents schedule via
ncl tasks (available under cli_scope=group). Existing task rows keep
firing — storage (messages_in kind='task') is unchanged; only the
management surface moved. Migration: docs/ncl-tasks-migration.md.
Review round (gavrielc):
- Recurrence frequency guard: create/update refuse a recurrence more
frequent than 4 fires/day with a warning steering to gate scripts;
--dangerously-override-recurrence-limit bypasses after explicit user
confirmation. Counted over the next 24h in the instance TZ. Guarded on
update too, so create-slow-then-update cannot sneak past.
- ncl tasks help scripts: resource help topics (new helpTopics seam on
registerResource) carry the full gate-script guide — contract, examples,
state, failure/backoff semantics, testing directions.
- Agent-facing scheduling instructions slimmed: no recurring-frequency
prose in the fragment; one pointer to the help topic.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Omri Maya