# 2026-03-09

## Geopolitical Turbulence Trapper workflow test marked failed
- Tao explicitly called out that main had fallen into a loop of sending long "in progress" updates without actual advancement.
- Re-check showed no live or recent execution evidence for the planned workers:
  - `data_worker`
  - `strategy_worker`
  - `dashboard_worker`
- `subagents list` returned none, no subagent sessions were visible for this work, and `CURRENT_STATE.md` had to be corrected from a generic blocked/in-flight framing to a clearer failure framing.
- Conclusion agreed with Tao: this was not a case of one worker getting stuck mid-execution; the workflow test failed earlier because execution agents never truly launched into evidenced work.

## Workflow corrections agreed with Tao
- Add a hard distinction between `dispatching` and `in_progress`.
- Require evidence before claiming a task is truly underway.
- Treat missing first evidence within 10 minutes as `blocked: launch failure`.
- Main should only proactively update Tao on: actual start with evidence, milestone, blocker, or completion.
- Long empty "in progress" status pages are now considered process noise, not progress.

## Documentation updated
- Updated `skills/agent-workflow/SKILL.md` to strengthen the `dispatching` vs `in_progress` rule and require conversion to `blocked` on launch failure.
- Updated `skills/execution-agent-dispatch/SKILL.md` so worker replies must include `status / summary / evidence / risk / next`, and so `accepted` does not get mistaken for meaningful execution.
- Updated `memory/CURRENT_STATE.md` so the Geopolitical Turbulence Trapper entry is recorded as a failed workflow test rather than vague ongoing progress.

## Restart approved
- At 07:04 Tao approved restarting the project.
- Restart is being treated as a fresh evidence-gated run, not a continuation of the failed pseudo-progress loop.
- Initial restart state is `dispatching`, with `main` explicitly owning the Milestone 2 restart until fresh visible execution evidence exists.
- Heartbeat state was reset to track the restarted project under the new rules.

## Validation + new failure mode found
- Tao approved a minimal validation run using a single temporary worker.
- The validation worker successfully launched, wrote `/Users/taodeng/.openclaw/workspace/main/tmp/worker-validation-2026-03-09.txt`, and returned a structured success report.
- This confirmed the base execution-agent pipeline is functional.
- However, the result auto-announced to Tao before main performed its own state-consumption and summary step.
- New root-cause finding: the system is vulnerable to a `completion-consumption` bug where runtime-visible worker completion does not automatically flip main out of its local waiting posture.
- Agreed fix direction: harden agent-workflow, project-heartbeat, and dispatch checklist rules so main must immediately consume visible worker completion/milestone/blocker and cannot continue behaving as if it is still waiting.

## 07:16 watchdog result: launch failure / blocked
- The project-heartbeat watchdog re-checked the restarted run after the 10-minute window.
- No fresh worker/session execution evidence appeared beyond the 07:04 user-visible restart acknowledgment; active session traces showed no new milestone/work output for this project.
- Per the new workflow rule, the restart must be treated as `blocked` with reason `launch failure`, not as silent `in_progress` work.
- Heartbeat state was paused after reporting the blocker so Tao does not get repeated empty nudges without a new restart decision.